Which island suits you?
Texel is the largest and the easiest to reach: the ferry from Den Helder takes twenty minutes and carries cars. Seven villages, a lighthouse, a seal sanctuary and enough on the island to fill a week without planning. That also makes it the busiest in summer.
Want car-free, choose Vlieland or Schiermonnikoog; want amenities, choose Texel.
Vlieland and Schiermonnikoog do not admit visitor cars at all. You arrive by boat and cycle from there. Both are small enough to ride around in a day and both have a single village. If you are travelling without a car, which suits anyone arriving by train or plane, these two are the easiest of the five.
Terschelling sits in between: thirty kilometres long, with West-Terschelling as its main village and a wide beach along the north shore. In June it hosts Oerol, a ten-day theatre festival that takes over the whole island. Ameland has four villages, a lighthouse and the quietest beaches of the five.
Getting there
Each island has its own ferry port on the mainland: Den Helder for Texel, Harlingen for Vlieland and Terschelling, Holwerd for Ameland and Lauwersoog for Schiermonnikoog. Crossings take between twenty minutes and an hour and a half. All four ports are reachable by train and bus from Amsterdam in two to three hours.
Tip
Book the ferry in advance, especially in summer and especially with a car. Foot passengers can usually walk on, but the car ferries to Ameland and Terschelling sell out days ahead in July and August. Coming without a car is the simpler option here and costs less.
What there is to do
Cycling is how you get around on every island. Distances are short and paths run through the dunes everywhere. Mudflat walking, wadlopen, is possible from the mainland to Ameland and Schiermonnikoog, always with a guide, because the tide does not wait.
Birdwatching is the other draw. The Wadden Sea is one of the most important migration stopovers in Europe, with millions of birds passing through in spring and autumn.
Who the islands suit
- Cyclists: all five islands are best seen by bike
- Anyone wanting beach without promenades and bars every hundred metres
- Birdwatchers, particularly in spring and autumn migration
- Travellers without a car: the islands are built for it
Less suitable with a lot of luggage. The weather is also less predictable than on the mainland: the wind comes off the sea and there is little shelter.
When to go
May and June are the best months: birds are nesting, the light lasts until late and the crowds have not arrived. July and August are peak season with full ferries. September is warm and quiet at once. Winter is bleak but the islands are at their emptiest, and plenty of accommodation stays open.
