Dunes at the National Park Duinen van Texel
Netherlands,  Texel

Cycling on Texel: routes and renting

April 9, 2021 / 56 Comments
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Texel is a beautiful island in the Northwestern part of the Netherlands. It’s a favorite vacation destination for people from the Netherlands and Germany. We’ve visited a few times over the years, just the two of us, but also as a family vacation. Cycling is the easiest way to explore Texel. The island is 463,2 km² (178,9 square miles), so cycling around Texel is easy. It’s our favorite way to spend our time on the island as a family.

Cycling on Texel: How to get there

Texel is an island, you have to take a ferry from Den Helder. There’s no bridge, the ferry from Den Helder is the only way to reach the island. From Den Helder the ferry takes you to the town of Het Horntje on the island. Den Helder is in the province of Noord-Holland. The ferry is accessible by car, bike or on foot. Each has its own rate. Prices and timetables can be found here.

Ferry from Den Helder to Het Horntje, getting to cycling on Texel
Ferry from Den Helder to Het Horntje

Den Helder is reachable by train, car, bike and on foot. There are no trains running on Texel. But you can take the bus. If driving an electrical car, there are several charging points scattered around the island.

Where to stay

We stayed at Appartementencomplex Bosch en Zee at De Koog twice. Simple, small and great appartments. Suited for couples and families. You have a kitchen which makes it easy as a family. The first time on Texel, Paul and I stayed at Stayokay Hostel Texel at Den Burg. Other great options are staying in a yurt on Texel, Hotel de Lindenboom at Den Burg or at one of the 3 Landal resorts on the island.

Cycle routes Texel

We cycled every time we visited Texel, here’s our list of biking routes on Texel. All suited for couples and families.

Route 1:

  • Starting at De Koog.
  • Bike towards the beach at Paal 20. Get some coffee at the beachclub, go for a walk on the beach or build a sandcastle, which is what we did.
  • Bike on the Boodtlaan, Ruigendijk to the Postweg. On the Postweg is Texel Airport. Stop here to visit the museum and watch skydivers.
  • Continue on the Postweg and stop at Ijsboerderij Labora, for some delicious ice cream.
  • Go back a little on the Postweg and take the Oorsprongweg and then take the biking path through National Park Duinen van Texel to De Koog. Enjoy the dunes and their changing colors. De Koog is the end of the biking route.
Sandcastle, Cosette and Yuri are building a sandcastle
Sandcastle
Skydivers watching them while cycling on Texel
Skydivers

Route 2:

  • Starting at De Koog.
  • Bike through a wilderness area (natuurgebied), several biking paths to De Waal.
  • From De Waal bike on the Laagwaalderweg to Oudeschild. You’re on the other side of the island now. Visit De Texelse Visspecialist for some fresh fish. Try the kibbeling, a traditional Dutch food.
  • Bike to the Texelse bierbrouwerij on the Schilderweg, a brewery with delicious beer. Kids are welcome on tastings. (They get a non-alcoholic beverage.) This isn’t the only Dutch brewery you can visit with kids in tow in the Netherlands, there’s also the Hertog Jan Brewery in Arcen.  
  • From here go further to Den Burg. A beautiful, quaint town with beautiful old buildings. Have a stroll through the picturesque old town.
  • Via the Pontweg bike back to De Koog. The end of the route.
Biking in the direction of De Waal, Paul and Yuri on the tandem to the left
Biking in the direction of De Waal
Den Burg. Vacation close to home
Den Burg

Route 3:

  • Starting at De Koog.
  • Via Pijpersdijk, Nieuwlanderweg and the Kogerweg to Den Burg.
  • From Den Burg take the Hallerweg and the Schilderweg to the harbor in Oudeschild.
  • Go shrimp fishing, which is lots of fun. You get some background on shrimp fishing in this area and can taste cooked shrimp. Our son loved this trip.
  • Bike back via Bolwerk, Redoute and then the Pontweg, to De Koog.
Shrimp fishing, you see a ship in the sea
Shrimp fishing

Route 4:

  • Start at De Koog.
  • Bike through National Park Duinen van Texel North to the top of the island, where the lighthouse is. Visit the lighthouse, it has quit some history and on a clear day you can see the island Vlieland. Take a stroll on the beach.
  • Visit De Cocksdorp, the northern most town on Texel.
  • Then make your way to Klimmen enzo at Vakantiepark De Krim. Get climbing and have lunch here.
  • Then sit down at Ijsboerderij Labora, have their homemade ice cream, let your kids play at the playground and admire the cows that provide the milk for the delicious ice cream.
  • Take the Postweg home to De Koog. Watch the skydivers on Texel Airport on your way back.
Lighthouse, a red colored lightshouse against a clouded sky
Lighthouse
Adventure park Klimmen enzo, a good stop while cycling on Texel. An overview of the adventure park on a grass field
Adventure park Klimmen enzo

Route 5:

  • Start at De Koog.
  • Bike the Pontweg to Juttersmuseum Flora and visit it. Kids can do a scavenger hunt. But just walking among all the finds is a scavenger hunt on its own. It’s all the finds from the beachcombers and the history of it on the island, what’s on display.
  • Bike further on the Pontweg towards the schapenboerderij Texel. Visit this and cuddle with the animals, play in the playground and enjoy a cookie or some cake.
  • Bike back to De Koog.
Maritiem- en Juttersmuseum (Maritime- and Beach combing museum), Paul and Yuri are entering the museum
Maritiem- en Juttersmuseum (Maritime- and Beach combing museum)
Sheepsfarm Texel (Schapenboerderij Texel)
Sheepsfarm Texel (Schapenboerderij Texel)

Route 6:

  • Starting at Den Burg.
  • Follow the Kogerweg and then the Pontweg to the Maritiem- en Juttersmuseum Flora.
  • Take the Californiëweg and then follow the Ruijslaan until you reach Ecomare. A nature museum and animal shelter. They rescue seals, porpoises and birds.
  • Bike back to Den Burg.
Ecomare, Paul sitting on the side of one of the pools from Ecomare
Ecomare

Other routes for biking on Texel

There are many more routes for cycling in Texel, here are a few of them:

  • Cycling route Thijsseroute from the VVV (tourist office). Downloadable here. A route through the southern part of Texel.
  • A ‘rondje Texel’, a whole round of biking around Texel.
  • The dunes between De Koog and Den Hoorn.
  • The biking path following the coast on the Waddenzee.

Renting bikes

Yuri and Cosette in the dunes on bikes
Yuri and Cosette in the dunes on bikes

Renting bikes is possible on the whole island. We can recommend Fiets Inn Texel, we rented bikes here twice. A tandem bike for Paul and Yuri and a regular woman’s bike for me. They also rent out e-bikes and e-scooters. On our first time on the island we hired bikes from the hostel.

Where to eat

Cycling on Texel De Koog makes you hungry. We can recommend Ijsboerderij Labora, restaurant De Krim and beachclub Faro 2 at De Cocksdorp. Viswinkel De Texelse Visspecialist and De Oude Vismarkt van Texel at Oudeschild. At De Koog: Echte Bakker Timmer, Brasserie Wuinty’s, Beachclub Bries20 and Restaurant La Casserole.

Cycling on Texel is fun!

You can experience that yourself with any of these biking routes. Texel is perfect to include on your road trips.

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