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Texel

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Overview

Texel is an island in the West Frisian Islands region of the Netherlands. Tourists and birds are abundant. The tourists visit mostly in the summer.

Texel is an island with four types of landscape: dunes and beaches in th

Wikivoyage guide · 17 sections

▸Introduction608 chars

Texel is an island in the West Frisian Islands region of the Netherlands. Tourists and birds are abundant. The tourists visit mostly in the summer.

Texel is an island with four types of landscape: dunes and beaches in the west, flatland and polders in the east and hilly in the center of the island (the remains of the ice age). Inland you find the fourth landscape - wetlands - with beautiful walking trails in the centre west coast of the island, like The Slufter. Along the wadden-coast in the east there are comparably smaller Wetlands. In the dunes, valleys like The Muy are quite popular with tourists.

▸Understand1,601 chars

The islanders call their hilly area the Hoge Berg ("High Mountain"). Its highest point is about 15 m above sea level and gives a fabulous view over the island. It's not the summit of the island. The dune Loodsmansduin in the south reaches 30 m above sea level.

The locals used to speak their own dialect, known as "Tessels". It is dying out and is being replaced by a more Standard-Dutch tongue, although still with specific words and accents. The inhabitants have their own name for the mainland: de Overkant, literally "the Other Side".

The official name is Texel. The x in it is normally pronounced as ss, so the name sounds like "Tessel". In Standard-Dutch, the correct pronunciation is Tessel, but a lot of Dutch people pronounce it with an x-sound. The locals however always pronounce it as "Tessel".

The following villages are on Texel:

1 Den Burg – in the centre of the island is the largest town on island, home to about half the island's inhabitants. It has the most facilities and is the best shopping destination.

2 De Cocksdorp – home of the lighthouse and miles of beach in the north of island

3 Den Hoorn – leafy village in the south of the island with pretty rustic cottages.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,425 words

Introduction

This article is about the Dutch island. For other uses, see Texel (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Texel" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Municipality and island in North Holland, NetherlandsTexelMunicipality and islandNorth end of the island with the Eierland Lighthouse in 2015 FlagCoat of armsLocation in North HollandCoordinates: 53°3′N 4°48′E / 53.050°N 4.800°E / 53.050; 4.800CountryNetherlandsProvinceNorth HollandGovernment • BodyMunicipal council • MayorMark Pol (VVD)Area • Total463.16 km2 (178.83 sq mi) • Land162.00 km2 (62.55 sq mi) • Water301.16 km2 (116.28 sq mi)Elevation2 m (6.6 ft)Population (January 2021) • Total13,656 • Density84/km2 (220/sq mi)Demonym(s)Tesselaar, TexelaarTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postcode1790–1797Area code0222Websitewww.texel.nl Texel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɛsəl] ⓘ; Texels dialect: Tessel) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,846 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den Helder, northeast of Noorderhaaks, and southwest of Vlieland.

More in sights0

4 De Koog – the town where the sun lovers go on the west side of island, by the beach. Small place, but busy. A bit trashy, lots of night life. Two supermarkets, lots of bars/restaurants, and not much else.

5 Oudeschild – a fishing harbour in the southeast of the island

The information centre is located in Den Burg:

1 VVV Texel (tourist office), Emmalaan 66, Den Burg. M-F 09:00 - 17:30, Sa 09:00 - 17:00.

▸Get in1,153 chars

As Texel is an island, the only realistic way to get to it is by ferry. Teso operates a 30-min ferry trip from Den Helder to Texel. Ferries depart from 06:30 until 21:30, every hour, with less departures on Sunday. In summer and on busy days, two boats are deployed. Ferries dock at 't Horntje along the southern end of the island. From there, buses bring you to the larger villages.

Den Helder can be reached by train. The ride to Den Helder station takes 1 hour and 15 minutes from Amsterdam and 2 hours from Rotterdam. At the station, bus 33 takes you to the ferry pier, or you can walk the bit through town.

Getting there by car is also an option. From the south (Amsterdam), take the A9 to Alkmaar. The A9 stops at the traffic lights in Alkmaar. From there, take a left at the roundabout as the road changes into the N9. Keep following the N9 till you arrive at Den Helder. From the east (Friesland/Groningen/Germany) you can take the A7 motorway across the Afsluitdijk dam to Den Oever, and then N99 expressway to Den Helder. Cars can be taken on the ferry to Texel. On busy days (e.g., the Easter weekend) there can be traffic jams for the ferry.

▸By bike115 chars

The island is best experienced by bicycle, especially in summer. There are many places to rent bikes on the island.

▸By bus226 chars

Public transport busses run each hour to each village and connect to the hourly ferry services (but not to any additional sailings). You can buy tickets at the driver; a map of bus lines is available at the Connexxion website.

▸By car658 chars

For parking at paid parking lots or parking zones you can either pay individually (€2.50 per hour in 2014), but in case you stay for longer than over the weekend, purchasing a yearly parking vignette might be a good idea (€15 in 2014). Add the vignette to the collection of dozens of other vignettes on your front screen and you can park in designated areas without additional charges. There are however some time limitations at some of the parking lots, which are explained in the brochure that comes with the vignette and the signs at the parking lots. The stickers can be purchased for example in the VVV information centre in Den Burg or in supermarkets.

▸See1,953 chars

The whole western coast consists of the Duinen van Texel National Park, a protected nature reserve. It is a varied dunescape with heath, salt fens and grassland, and is the best attraction Texel has to offer. Some areas are protected as bird breeding grounds.

De Slufter/De Muy (northwest of island). Den Slufter is a tidal inlet with marshes and a lagoon.

Eierland ((English: egg land)) (north and centre of island). Eierland means "egg land" in Dutch. This is a breeding ground for 1000s of birds.

Some other attractions include:

1 Texel Lighthouse (Vuurtoren Lange Jaap), Vuurtorenweg 184, De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 317-741. Apr: 10:00-17:00 daily; May-Sep: M-Th 10:00-20:00, F-Su 10:00-17:00; Oct: 10:00-17:00 daily; Nov-Mar: W Sa Su 10:00-17:00. The lighthouse is one of the landmarks of Texel. The top is at 45 metres high and gives a great view over Texel and the Wadden Sea. The way up there is basically a museum, which explains the history of the lighthouse and its current purpose. €4.50.

Maritime & Beachcombers Museum (Maritiem & Jutters Museum), Barentszstraat 21, Oudeschild, ☏ +31 222 314-956. Jul-Aug: M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su hol 12:00-17:00; Sep-Jun: Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su hol 12:00-17:00. This museum makes for a delightful visit. In past times many ships sunk around Texel due to stormy weather, so a lot of treasures have been found in the surrounding area. This museum shows what kind of stuff they have found, and the collection is truly amazing (almost funny). The outdoor section show demonstrations by craftsmen, such as rope-making and blacksmithing. €6.50, children €5.

2 Kaap Skil, Heemskerckstraat 9, 1792 AA, Oudeschild (best is to go to Oudeschild by bike or minibus), ☏ +31 222 314 956. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Museum about the maritime history of the island, with lots of information both about the VOC and contemporary shipping. 0-4 years old: free, 4-25 years old: €7.50, 26 years old and over: €11. (updated Feb 2023)

▸Do562 chars

There are many activities you can do on the isle of Texel, including swimming, sunbathing, kitesurfing, golfing and go-karting. Cycling and hiking through the nature reserve are particularly popular. You can rent bicycles at the ferry pier 't Horntje and in the other villages.

Cycling: English-language cycle routes on Texel are the South Route and the North Route, which can be combined into one long trip around the island.

1 Paracentrum Texel, Postweg 128, ☏ +31 222 311464. It is the largest skydive centre in the Netherlands, open daily. (updated Mar 2022)

▸Buy49 chars

Den Burg has the largest facilities for shopping.

▸Eat857 chars

1 Bij Jef, Herenstraat 34, Den Hoorn, ☏ +31 222 319-623. Feb-Dec: Su-F 18:00-late, Sa 19:00-late; Jan closed. This is a highly praised French restaurant that has had one Michelin star since 2009. Excellent food and service as the chef informs about your personal wishes. They also have an excellent wine list. And they even bring you home when you're done eating. But of course this all comes at a price. €45-100.

2 Van Der Star, Heemskerckstraat 15, Oudeschild, ☏ +31 222 312-441. M-Sa 09:00-18:00. This seemingly simple eatery serves some of the best seafood on Texel. Their specialty is smoked eel from the North Sea. They also have mussels, cod, prawns and fish soup. It is also a stand-alone shop with fish and bread for take-away. €10.

Additionally, there are supermarkets on the island, there is one, albeit small, in nearly every village on Texel.

▸Drink726 chars

As most travellers stay in De Koog, this is where the island's nightlife takes place. There are many bars and cafes, and it even feels a bit seedy at night.

The island has a brewery, Texelse Bierbrouwerij, the beers of which are readily available both on and off the island. Its branding is proudly Tessels, with all beers being branded in the local dialect, and most ingredients being sourced locally. Its foremost beer is the Skuumkoppe, a dark, wheat-based beer.

Another notable beverage from the island is the Juttertje spiced gin (bitter) made of fourteen spices, and with an alcohol percentage of 30%. Reflecting the traditional way in which gin was distributed, Juttertjes to this day are available in stoneware flasks.

▸Sleep1,137 chars

A lot of hotels and campsites are found on Texel.

1 Hotel de Lindenboom, Groeneplaats 14, 1791 CC Den Burg, ☏ +31 222 312 041. double from €100, room with sauna from €140.

2 Restaurant & Hotel Bij Jef, Herenstraat 34, 1797 AJ Den Hoorn, ☏ +31 222 319 623. Small hotel including a restaurant. Double from €120, suite from €150.

3 Hotel Op Diek, Diek 10, 1797 AB Den Hoorn, ☏ +31 222 319 262. double from €81, single from €49.

4 Hotel Greenside, Stappeland 6, 1796 BS De Koog, ☏ +31 222 327 222. Including a large wellness area double from €105, Grand Suite from €170.

5 Strandhotel Nordzee, Badweg 200, 1796 AA De Koog, ☏ +31 222 317 365. On the outermost row of dunes directly on the beach double €140.

6 Grand Hotel Opduin, Ruijslaan 22, 1796 AD De Koog, ☏ +31 222 317 445. Directly at the dunes double from €110, Panoramasuite Superior from €165.

7 Herberg De Zeven Provinciën, De Ruyterstraat 60, 1792 AK Oudeschild, ☏ +31 222 312 652. They claim it dates back to 1666 and thus the oldest hotel on the island. double from €50.

8 Hotel Oranjerie Molenbos, Postweg 224-226, 1795 JT De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 316 476. from €110.

▸De Cocksdorp487 chars

9 Hotel Pension 't Anker, Kikkertstraat 24, 1795 AD De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 316 274. A very nice but relatively small hotel aimed at families double from €88.

Holiday-Park de Krim, Roggeslootweg 6, De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 390112. With spacious bungalows, luxury chalets, a five-star campsite and many other facilities.

Vacation home Rabbit, Roggeslootweg 393, De Cocksdorp, ☏ +49 2261 41495. Check-in: Friday, check-out: Friday. Vacation home in Holidaypark De Krim, online booking.

▸Den Burg227 chars

Vakantiebungalow Leeuwwitje, Gerritslanderdijkje 284, Den Burg, ☏ +31 6288 36956. Check-in: Friday, check-out: Friday. Holiday home Leeuwwitje, luxury bungalow, sleeps six, private forest, whirlpool, fire place, online booking.

▸De Koog215 chars

Hotel De Branding, Boodtlaan 6, De Koog, ☏ +31 222 317-233. This hotel has 30 modern rooms, each with their own bathroom seating area and television. Only the rooms on the ground floor have outdoors seating. €45-77.

▸Connect94 chars

There is a post office in the centre of Den Burg, at the corner of the Burgwal and Parkstraat.

▸Go next431 chars

During the summer a special touristic boat service to the neighboring island of Vlieland, is available. This boat leaves near De Cocksdorp. The Wadden Sea sealife is also seen on this trip. From the village of Oudeschild, which has a harbour that is mainly used for fishing, a boat called Texel 44 can take you to the island of Terschelling. You can go back to Den Helder by boat and explore the rest of the Netherlands from there.

[edit] The name Texel is Frisian, but because of historical sound-changes in Dutch, where all -x- sounds have been replaced with -s- sounds (compare for instance English fox, Frisian fokse, German Fuchs with Dutch vos), the name is typically pronounced Tessel in Dutch.

History

[edit] The All Saints' Flood of 1170 created the islands of Texel and Wieringen from North Holland. In the 13th century Ada, Countess of Holland was held prisoner on Texel by her uncle, William I, Count of Holland.[citation needed] Texel received city rights in 1415.[citation needed] The first Dutch expedition to the Northwest Passage departed from the island on 5 June 1594.[citation needed] Texel was involved in the Battle of Scheveningen (1653) during the First Anglo-Dutch War and the Battle of Texel (1673) during the Third Anglo-Dutch War.[citation needed] The shallow waters around Texel have been responsible for many shipwrecks, including in February 1643, the loss of a ship (the 'Palmwood Wreck') containing the household of Queen Henrietta Maria of France. Later wrecks included the British ship HMS Hero, sunk on the sands off Texel in 1811. Dutch ships in the roadstead of Texel, 1671 HMS Hero wrecked at Haak Sands near Texel 25 December 1811 De Hors at Dunes of Texel National Park During the American Revolutionary War, Texel was used as a port by Continental Navy officer John Paul Jones after the battle of Flamborough Head off the Yorkshire coast in September 1779. In the battle, Jones captured the Royal Navy frigate Serapis, which he sailed to Texel for desperately needed repairs. This event further complicated Anglo-Dutch relations. In 1797, Texel was involved in the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars. During the First World War in 1914, the Battle off Texel took place off the coast of Texel. On the night of 31 August 1940, the sea to the northwest of Texel was the scene of the sinking of two Royal Navy destroyers and the severe damage of a third by German mines in what is known as the Texel Disaster. At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Georgian uprising on Texel took place on the island. Following a German decision to redeploy Georgian soldiers to the mainland, they revolted and killed hundreds of their German comrades while they slept. The uprising lasted from 5 April 1945 until 20 May 1945, two weeks after V-E Day. At that point, Canadian troops arrived and arranged for the two sides to separately leave the island. For that reason, the uprising is often referred to as the final battle of the Second World War in Europe. Hundreds of Georgians who died fighting against the Germans are buried in a special cemetery on Texel commonly known as the "Russian cemetery".

Geography

[edit] 2014 map of Texel The municipality lies north of the mainland of the province of North Holland and west of the mainland of the province of Friesland. The island of Texel is situated north of the city of Den Helder, northeast of the uninhabited island of Noorderhaaks, which is part of the municipality, and southwest of the island of Vlieland. The island of Texel was originally made up of two islands, Texel proper to the south and Eierland to the northeast, which were connected by shoals. In the early seventeenth century, the islands were connected by a dyke to keep the North Sea from ravaging the coastal areas of Texel proper. In the mid-nineteenth century a polder completed the northern half of the island. Today, Texel forms the largest natural barrier between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. The dune landscape along the western coast of the island is protected as Dunes of Texel National Park. Landscape[edit] The island is 23.7 km long and 9.6 km wide, its surface is 162.00 square kilometres. The highest point of the island is the dune "Bertusnol" (also "Nol van Bertus"), which is situated in the Dunes of Texel National Park, at 19.6 m. The dune landscape on Texel is an important habitat for wildlife. Notable areas include De Slufter, where the tide comes in and meets the dunes, forming a marshy environment rich in both fauna and flora. In winter, birds of prey and geese take up residence. About a third of Texel is a protected nature reserve. A wetland called Utopia has been designed for birds to nest in. Climate[edit] Texel has an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) that is heavily influenced by its offshore position. The annual average high oscillation is between 5 °C (41 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F). While winters are similar to mainland areas, summers remain cooler. The relative proximity to the mainland still renders heat bursts to reach Texel with five months having recorded temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F). While the island is relatively rainy, the precipitation is generally quite even and moderate throughout most of the year although there is a dry peak in late spring and a rain peak in autumn. Climate data for Texel Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 13.7(56.7) 14.9(58.8) 20.5(68.9) 27.9(82.2) 31.0(87.8) 31.7(89.1) 34.6(94.3) 33.8(92.8) 32.6(90.7) 24.8(76.6) 17.7(63.9) 15.3(59.5) 34.6(94.3) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.5(41.9) 5.5(41.9) 8.3(46.9) 11.7(53.1) 15.4(59.7) 18(64) 20.3(68.5) 20.6(69.1) 17.9(64.2) 14(57) 9.7(49.5) 6.4(43.5) 12.8(54.9) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.2(34.2) 0.8(33.4) 2.8(37.0) 5(41) 8.6(47.5) 11.3(52.3) 13.8(56.8) 14(57) 11.7(53.1) 8.5(47.3) 4.9(40.8) 2(36) 7.1(44.7) Record low °C (°F) −18.8(−1.8) −18.5(−1.3) −14.5(5.9) −4.8(23.4) −2.1(28.2) 1.5(34.7) 5.2(41.4) 5.6(42.1) 3.0(37.4) −4.6(23.7) −10.8(12.6) −12.3(9.9) −18.8(−1.8) Average precipitation mm (inches) 66.2(2.61) 44.4(1.75) 52.4(2.06) 33.7(1.33) 45(1.8) 54.1(2.13) 59.8(2.35) 76.8(3.02) 83.7(3.30) 95.9(3.78) 83.5(3.29) 69.8(2.75) 765.3(30.17) Mean monthly sunshine hours 64.1 91.1 134.8 194.2 235.2 219 228.2 208.2 148 114.2 63.1 51 1,751.1 Source 1: Source 2:

Notable people

[edit] Imme Dros, 2010 Alice Blom, 2010 Willem Eduard Bok (1846 in Den Burg – 1904), a Dutch-born South African Boer politician, civil servant and statesman Rene Daalder (1944 – 2019), a writer and director Cornelis de Jager (1921 in Den Burg – 2021), an astronomer who predicted solar variation Imme Dros (born 1936 in Oudeschild), a writer of children's literature Hans Kamp (born 1940 in Den Burg), a philosopher and linguist, introduced Discourse Representation Theory Willem Hendrik Keesom (1876 on Texel – 1956), a physicist who first froze liquid helium Sim Visser (1908 in Eierland – 1983), a politician Henk Zijm (born 1952 in Driehuizen), a mathematician from the University of Twente Sport[edit] Denise Betsema (born 1993 in Oudeschild), a cyclo-cross cyclist Alice Blom (born 1980 in Oudeschild), a volleyball player Dorian van Rijsselberghe (born 1988 in Den Burg), a sailor, gold medallist at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics

Economy

[edit] The tourism industry forms a substantial part of the economy on Texel. Approximately 70% of activities are in some way related to tourism. Popular forms of tourism on Texel include cycling, walking, swimming and horse riding. Farming (sheep, potatoes, dairy, tulips, and grain) and fishing (primarily from Oudeschild) are traditional. Eierland Lighthouse in 2013

Local government

[edit] The municipal council of Texel consists of 15 seats, which are divided as follows (from the most recent election results in 2026: Hart voor Texel – 4 seats VVD – 3 seats Texels Belang – 2 seats PvdA – 2 seats GroenLinks– 2 seats D66 – 1 seat CDA – 1 seat

Transport

[edit] Ferry MS Dokter Wagemaker (2) [nl] from Den Helder to Texel in 2005 Transport around the island is typically by bicycle, bus (Texelhopper) or car. The island has an extensive cycle path network. It is connected to the mainland via a ferry operated by Royal TESO from Den Helder, and by air via Texel International Airport. The ferry Texelstroom uses 80% compressed natural gas.