Texel
The largest Wadden island, with Ecomare, Kaap Skil and endless dunes.
Route by public transport ↗
Naval town at the tip of North Holland, with lifesavers and submarines.
2 museumsFor more than two centuries Den Helder has been the home port of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Here you can board a submarine, hear the story of the country's most famous lifesaver and catch the ferry to Texel.
Den Helder is approx. 1 hour 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam. The Navy Museum on the Willemsoord site shows ships, uniforms and the history of the navy; you can board a submarine and an old ironclad. Next door is the National Lifeboat Museum Dorus Rijkers, about the people who sail out in storms to save others. Willemsoord itself is an old naval dockyard with monumental sheds. Then take the ferry to Texel, or walk up the dyke and look out over the Marsdiep.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
Centuries of naval history, with real ships: board the submarine Tonijn and the ironclad Schorpioen.
Lifeboats, storms and the stories of rescuers, with interactive displays for young and old.
The old naval dockyard with docks, sheds and a harbour, now full of museums, restaurants and events.
A fort from the French period in the dunes, with views of the sea and the story of coastal defence.
One of the tallest cast-iron lighthouses in the world, a landmark at the tip of North Holland.
Buy your tickets online and plan the rest of your day around them.
All museums in Den Helder. Click a museum for the route.
Den Helder sits at the tip of North Holland, between the North Sea, the Wadden Sea and the Marsdiep.
The largest Wadden island, with Ecomare, Kaap Skil and endless dunes.
Route by public transport ↗Cheese market, Weigh House and the story of the 1573 siege.
Route by public transport ↗Beach and the Zwanenwater nature reserve, with spoonbills in spring.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
Den Helder has hotels in town and on the coast at Huisduinen. The ferry to Texel runs all day, every hour. If you love beaches and wind, you will find long, quiet beaches here.
Restaurants, shops and hotels near the museums, picked for museum visitors.