By Expedia Team, on June 1, 2016

The Best Beaches in & around Amsterdam

“Visiting Amsterdam during the summer? It’s a great time to go out to festivals, outdoor dinners or to chill in one of the many parks. But did you know that Amsterdam also has some beaches? When the weather gets hot, us locals love to hang out at the beach, but we don’t like to travel far. So here it is: the guide to the best beaches in and around Amsterdam.

Best beaches in Amsterdam

Image credit: Angenent.

Blijburg

Blijburg is the most well-known city beach in Amsterdam. After opening the first beach in 2003, you can now visit Blijburg 4.0, only a few hundred metres from the original location. The beach is located in the east of Amsterdam and looks out over the Ijsselmeer.

On the beach you’ll find a restaurant, you can swim in the lake and there are several events, such as live music, markets, festivals, workshops and art projects going on on any given day. There are also facilities for watersports. You can even take surf or SUP classes.

You can reach Blijburg by taking tram 26 from Amsterdam Central Station all the way to the final stop (and then walk for about 15 minutes) or bus 66 from Station Bijlmer/Arena. The beach is open seven days a week and all year long.

Pllek beach in Amsterdam

Image credit: Marion Golsteijn.

Pllek

Pllek is a restaurant, beach and event location in the north of Amsterdam. The best thing about Pllek might just be the view, but that is because the view is unbelievable, not because the rest is not almost as great.

Pllek is a restaurant that only uses biological and local ingredients. During the weekend, it organises several events. In the evenings, you can usually settle in to enjoy live music; on Sunday mornings there is yoga and in the afternoon there’s a free programme for children and also live music. In the summer, Pllek has film screenings on Tuesdays.

From Amsterdam Central Station, take a ferry to the other side of ‘t Ij (the canal). From there it is only a few minutes’ walk to Pllek.

Strand Zuid

Head to the south of Amsterdam for Strand Zuid – a fancier event location. Leave your bikini at home (you cannot go swimming here anyway) and come to enjoy the weather and some drinks with your friends or colleagues.

Despite not going for a swim, you can still relax. Strand Zuid has hammocks tied to trees, you can have BBQ and there are DJs on the weekends. Strand Zuid is also a great event location, so if you have a party coming up, you should definitely check out Strand Zuid.

Amsterdam Roest

Amsterdam Roest has three areas:

– The Roest CafĂ©, where you go to have a drink or where you can dance the night away.
– The Roest Loods, where you can find the best treasures on the markets that are held here. Film screenings, festivals and theatre performances are also held in the Loods.
– The outside area, where you can relax on the beach.

Creativity thrives at Roest, which describes itself as a creative city oasis: “Roest stands for carefree enjoyment and invites you to join.”

Roest is located east of Amsterdam Central Station. You can walk, or take tram 10 or 26 or bus 22.

Zandvoort beach

Image credit: Helfmann.

Zandvoort

Not feeling a city beach and you would actually like to swim in the sea? Head to Zandvoort, only half an hour away from Amsterdam’s city centre by train. The beach is 9 km long and about 80 to 100 metres wide. Enough space to lie down and enjoy the weather!

Surrounding the beach are several shops and restaurants. You can rent a windscreen, parasol and sun bed at the beach. Cool down by swimming in the sea, or join in on one of the many activities at the beach: beach volleyball, badminton or surfing for example. Thanks to the length of the strand, it is also the best location for a walk on the beach.

From Amsterdam Central Station, take the train to Zandvoort aan Zee. From the station, you can already smell the salty sea and it is only a few minutes’ walk to the beach.

Which beach are you heading to during your visit to Amsterdam? Start planning your summer getaway by checking out our Amsterdam hotel deals.”