Texel is an island in the West Frisian Islands region of the Netherlands.
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 center 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.
Both tourists and birds are abundant. The tourists visit mostly in the summer.
The islanders call their hilly area the Hoge Berg ("High Mountain"). Its highest point is about 15 meters 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 meters above sea level.
Originally, the locals spoke their own dialect, known as "Tessels". Nowadays it's dying out and is 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 Dutchmen pronounce it with an x-sound. The locals however always pronounce it as "Tessel".
The following villages are on Texel:
- De Cocksdorp. Home of the lighthouse and miles of beach
- Den Hoorn. Leafy village with pretty rustic cottages.
- De Koog. The town where the sun lovers go. Small place, but busy. A bit trashy, lots of night life. Two supermarkets, lots of bars/restaurants, and not much else.
- Den Burg. Largest town on island, home to about half the island's inhabitants. It has the most facilities and is the best shopping destination.
- Oudeschild. (southeast of the island) fishing harbour
The information center is located in Den Burg:
- VVV Texel, Emmalaan 66, Den Burg. Mo-Fr 9:00 - 17:30, Sa 9:00 - 17:00.
De Cocksdorp. Home of the lighthouse and miles of beach
Den Hoorn. Leafy village with pretty rustic cottages.
De Koog. The town where the sun lovers go. Small place, but busy. A bit trashy, lots of night life. Two supermarkets, lots of bars/restaurants, and not much else.
Den Burg. Largest town on island, home to about half the island's inhabitants. It has the most facilities and is the best shopping destination.
Oudeschild. (southeast of the island) fishing harbour
VVV Texel, Emmalaan 66, Den Burg. Mo-Fr 9:00 - 17:30, Sa 9:00 - 17:00.
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. Den Slufter is a tidal inlet with marshes and a lagoon.
- Eierland. Eierland means "egg land" in Dutch. This is a breeding ground for 1000s of birds.
Some other attractions include:
- Texel Lighthouse, 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, Barentszstraat 21, Oudeschild, +31 222 314-956. Jul-Aug M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su, hols 12:00-17:00, Sep-Jun Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su, hols 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.
De Slufter/De Muy. Den Slufter is a tidal inlet with marshes and a lagoon.
Eierland. Eierland means "egg land" in Dutch. This is a breeding ground for 1000s of birds.
Texel Lighthouse, 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, Barentszstraat 21, Oudeschild, +31 222 314-956. Jul-Aug M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su, hols 12:00-17:00, Sep-Jun Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su, hols 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.
There are many activities you can do on the isle of Texel. Just some of them include swimming, sunbathing, kitesurfing, golfing and go-karting. Cycling and hiking through the nature reserve is particularly popular. You can rent bicycles at the ferry pier 't Horntje and in the other villages.
There are numerous possibilities for cycling. English-language cycle routes are the Texel South Cycle Route and the Texel North Cycle Route, which can be combined into one long trip around the whole of the island.
Den Burg has the largest facilities for shopping.
- Bij Jef, Herenstraat 24, Den Hoorn, +31 222 319-623. Feb-Dec Su-F 18:00-late, Sa 19:00-late, Jan closed. This is a highly appraised French restaurant that has 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.
- 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.
- Texel Catering en Banket Service, Stoompoort 16, +31 222 313 791. 6am to 11pm. Catering food delivery company serving food for groups of 10 and above (up to 200 should not be a problem). Budget groups can have dinner from €6 p.p., more luxurious meals are also available. Ruud speaks only a little English, but their website shows many options - thus you should be fine. Booking several days in advance is recommended. However, ordering for the next day (or even later that day) is often possible for simple meals. €5-50.
Bij Jef, Herenstraat 24, Den Hoorn, +31 222 319-623. Feb-Dec Su-F 18:00-late, Sa 19:00-late, Jan closed. This is a highly appraised French restaurant that has 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.
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.
Texel Catering en Banket Service, Stoompoort 16, +31 222 313 791. 6am to 11pm. Catering food delivery company serving food for groups of 10 and above (up to 200 should not be a problem). Budget groups can have dinner from €6 p.p., more luxurious meals are also available. Ruud speaks only a little English, but their website shows many options - thus you should be fine. Booking several days in advance is recommended. However, ordering for the next day (or even later that day) is often possible for simple meals. €5-50.
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.
There is a post office in the centre of Den Burg, at the corner of the Burgwal and Parkstraat.
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.