Pension Blankebil

Zandvoort Memories

by BlueBerry_7

"The North Sea"

Well there it is, the North Sea, the beach in Zandvoort.

For a breath of fresh sea air do what most Amsterdammers do, head for Zandvoort located on the North Sea just west of Haarlem. Zandvoort is a brash and brassy kind of resort town in the summer, though it often has a forlorn look in the off-season. Yet even in winter it's a longstanding Amsterdam tradition to take the train here, walk up and down along the shore for an hour or so, and then stop in one of the town's cafes.

Zandvoort is best reached by rail from Amsterdam Central Station. Trains leave every hour and change at Haarlem (where the Zandvoort train is usually to be found waiting on the adjacent platform); in summer there are extra trains direct from Centraal Station. In either case, journey time is about 30 minutes. There are also buses every 30 minutes or so leaving from outside Amsterdam Centraal Station to Zandvoort, but they take much longer than the train. You can also go by car via Haarlem, but beware of frequent long traffic jams in summer.
.

VISITOR INFORMATION VVV Zandvoort is at Schoolplein 1 (tel. 023/571-7947; fax 023/571-7003), opposite the bus station in the center of town.

"On the Beach"

The best feature of the little town of Zandvoort is its beach and it is an awesome beach! In the summer time the seemingly endless stretch of smooth white sand is lined with restaurants, cafes, and even discos to dance the night away! Besides the mainstream beaches, there are gay and nudist beaches all along the gorgeous shores of Zandvoort's wonderful fun filled beaches.

Windsurfing is pretty good in Zandvoort, international competitions are held in this sport and in catamaran sailing. These events gather large crowds of beachgoers to participate in their favorite water sports activities.

At the northern end the beach runs into the port and industrial town of IJmuiden, easily identified by the Hoogovens steel plant's chimneys.

"Yanks"

Yanks coffeshop is very big and nicely decorated with an Indian theme. There are only two coffeeshops in Zandvoort and the other one is very small but on the main drag along the coast.

www.yanks.nl

~More about Yanks under my General Tips!