Terschelling
The neighbouring island, with the Brandaris lighthouse and the 't Behouden Huys museum.
Route by public transport ↗
One village, no cars, plenty of quiet.
Vlieland has just one village, and visitors are not allowed to bring a car. You arrive by boat from Harlingen and get straight on a bike. After that the island is yours: woods, dunes and a beach that seems to go on for ever.
Vlieland is small, but its past lies close to the surface. At Tromp's Huys, the oldest building on the island, you hear about whalers, the lost village of West-Vlieland and the treasure ship Lutine. At De Noordwester you see what lives in the North Sea and on the mudflats. You can walk round Oost-Vlieland in a quarter of an hour, and by bike the dunes are minutes away. Start in the village, cycle up to the Vuurduin and finish on the beach.
How to get to Vlieland. Always check current sailing times with the ferry company.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
The oldest building on Vlieland, now a museum about the island, whaling and the Lutine. The Norwegian painter Betzy Akersloot-Berg lived and worked here.
A nature centre with a sea aquarium and a whale skeleton. A good place to understand how the Wadden Sea and the North Sea work.
Climb the island's highest dune, with the lighthouse on top. You look out over the village, the woods and the Wadden Sea.
Ride a big truck across the Vliehors, a bare sand plain in the west. With some luck you will see seals.
Hire a bike and ride west through the woods and dunes. With no cars about, the paths are quiet.
The long main street of Oost-Vlieland, lined with old captains' houses, terraces and small shops. Almost every day starts and ends here.
From Vlieland you can go further. A day on Terschelling or in the harbour town of Harlingen fits well into a few days on the island.
The neighbouring island, with the Brandaris lighthouse and the 't Behouden Huys museum.
Route by public transport ↗An old harbour town with canals and warehouses, right by the ferry.
Route by public transport ↗The bare sand plain on the western tip, left to sand, wind and seals.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
Vlieland has hotels, holiday flats and campsites, from simple to comfortable. You will not miss a car: everything is within reach by bike or on foot. In summer and the school holidays, book your boat and bed well ahead. In the evening the village is quiet and the stars come out over the dunes.
Restaurants, shops and hotels near the museums, picked for museum visitors.