Coast, lakes and rivers
The coastline runs from Hoek van Holland to the Maasvlakte and on across the islands. Ouddorp has the widest beach in the province and is noticeably quiet outside the summer. Noordwijk is busier and better served, with a promenade and beach pavilions open into October.
Want the beach and you want Ouddorp or Noordwijk; want water without the sea and Reeuwijk or the Biesbosch suits you better.
Inland are the Reeuwijkse Plassen, fifteen connected lakes for boating and fishing. Near Dordrecht the Biesbosch begins, one of the few freshwater tidal areas left in Europe, which you can cross by whisper boat between the willows.
The cities from a holiday park
Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Delft and Gouda are all within an hour. The Hague holds the Peace Palace and the international courts, plus the Mauritshuis with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. Delft is Vermeer's own town and compact enough for an afternoon. Rotterdam was rebuilt after 1940 and is the one genuinely modern skyline in the country.
Tip
Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage site and fills with coach parties in high season. Go early morning or late afternoon and you will have the nineteen windmills close to yourself. A waterbus runs there from Dordrecht and Rotterdam.
South Holland with children
Duinrell at Wassenaar is the best-known theme park in the province, with an indoor water park that works in any weather. There is also Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam, Madurodam in The Hague and the seal centre near Stellendam. The beaches at Ouddorp and Noordwijk shelve gently, which suits younger children.
Who South Holland suits
- Anyone combining beach with city without long drives
- Families: theme parks, zoos and museums are all close together
- Watersports on the lakes at Reeuwijk and in the Biesbosch
- Off-season beach trips: Ouddorp is close to empty in September
When to go
April and May bring the bulb fields between Noordwijk and Lisse, when the Keukenhof gardens are open. Summer is peak season on the coast. September is the best beach month: the sea is at its warmest and Dutch schools have gone back. In winter the Biesbosch and the Reeuwijk lakes are at their best, with a chance of ice.
