Highlights of Terschelling

Netherlands

Terschelling, the Wadden island of cranberries, the Boschplaat nature reserve and the Brandaris lighthouse. We have been there three times now and think it is a wonderful island, because on Terschelling every village surprises you. In this blog we take you to the highlights of Terschelling, village by village.

To get to Terschelling, you take the ferry from Harlingen. You can choose a fast ferry (which gets you there in 45 minutes) or a slow ferry (which takes an hour and a half). Is your crossing later in the afternoon? Then take the time to visit the charming harbour town of Harlingen too. Travelling by car? Then you can take your car on the boat, but you can also park your car near the harbour for a good price and rent bikes or take the bus on Terschelling.

West-Terschelling

After the crossing you arrive in West-Terschelling, the biggest village on Terschelling, where the famous Brandaris lighthouse stands in the middle of the village. From West you can book various excursions. You can join the Talisman on a seal-spotting trip for €10 per person. Just outside West is the Bunker Museum, where you can walk through the bunkers. The site consists of 100 bunkers, a number of which have been excavated. A ticket is only €7.50 per person. Also just outside the village is the Klimdaris climbing park, a unique climbing course in the treetops. The price for an adult is €21.50. Or rent a tuk-tuk, which you can also book from West-Terschelling, but you can also have the tuk-tuk dropped off at your accommodation. You can drive it yourself, how fun is that! The price is available on request from Eiland Tuk Tuk. In West you will also find lots of nice restaurants and shops. Go to the Heksenketel, for example: inside, the restaurant looks as if it is Halloween all year round. Want to try local island products? Then go to ’t Lokaal, where you can pick up all kinds of treats to take home.

Midsland

If you drive further east, you come to Midsland. Halfway there you pass the Bessenschuur. Once, after a heavy storm, barrels of cranberries washed up on Terschelling, and cranberries have grown in the dune valleys ever since. In the attic of the Bessenschuur you will find a Cranberry Museum. You can also enjoy cranberry heaven in the shop or on the terrace. Midsland is the lively heart of Terschelling. In summer there is a fair here almost every Wednesday. There are also plenty of nice restaurants and cafés, including Biercafé ’t Wapen, with 100 different beers on the menu and a Terschelling beer on tap. More of a coffee lover? Then go to the coffee roastery De Oude Smidte. You will also find remains of Second World War bunkers everywhere here, including in the dunes between Midsland aan Zee and Formerum Badweg.

Formerum

At the end of the Formerum Badweg you will find the beach bar Zandzeebar. A cosy, hip beach bar. There is one rule here though: you are not allowed to use your mobile phone, except for photos! In the village of Formerum you will come across the Koffiemolen (coffee mill), which, as the name suggests, is another good stop for a cup of coffee. Behind the mill there is a mini golf course. A little further on in the village is the Wreck Museum. Since 1975, the owner of the museum has been collecting pieces of shipwrecks from around the island. For a small entrance fee of €4.50 per person you can wander through the stories of the sea here.

Hoorn

The next village you come across is Hoorn. In Hoorn you can join a covered wagon ride with Terpstra, which takes you through the dune landscape or along the beach of Terschelling. Take a wagon ride in the evening, a completely different experience from during the day. At dusk you set off for the dunes, where you light a campfire along the way and drink a delicious Terschellinger Juttertje (a local herbal liqueur) to keep warm. An evening ride costs €27.50 per person. If you are on Terschelling with young children, Hoorn has lots of fun places to visit, such as the petting farm and agricultural museum ’t Hooivork, the gnome trail in the Hoornbos and the pick-your-own garden Groenhof. For adults, the favourite stop in Hoorn is often the music and dining café De Groene Weide. The music duo Hessel and Tess (father and daughter) regularly perform here, sometimes every evening during the holidays. They are hugely popular among returning Terschelling lovers and have even sold out the Ziggo Dome a few times. You are bound to have a fantastic evening here. Before the music starts, you can have dinner at restaurant De Reis, where you will find the best tapas on Terschelling.

Oosterend

The last village on the island is Oosterend, which borders the Boschplaat, the largest nature reserve in the Netherlands and a European protected area. From Oosterend you can book an excursion with the beach bus. It leaves from the car park at the beach pavilion Heartbreak Hotel. The beach bus drives you along the long, stretched-out beach to the Drenkelingenhuisje (castaways' hut). The price for this excursion is €15 per person. The Heartbreak Hotel beach pavilion is also worth a visit in itself: it is completely themed around Elvis Presley, which you can see in the décor and on the menu. You can also stay overnight here in 1950s/60s style.

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Practical tips for Terschelling

Preparation

By ferryFrom Harlingen you choose between the fast ferry (45 minutes) and the slow ferry (an hour and a half)

Bring the car or not?You can take your car on the boat, or park it cheaply near the harbour in Harlingen

Time to spare before departure?If you sail later in the afternoon, visit the harbour town of Harlingen first

On the spot

Bike or busOn the island you can easily rent a bike or take the bus

ExcursionsBook a seal-spotting trip from West-Terschelling; the beach bus leaves from Heartbreak Hotel in Oosterend

Fair in MidslandIn summer there is a fair almost every Wednesday

With childrenIn Hoorn you will find the petting farm 't Hooivork, the gnome trail in the Hoornbos and the pick-your-own garden Groenhof

Frequently asked questions about Terschelling

How do you get to Terschelling? +

By ferry from Harlingen. The fast ferry gets you there in about 45 minutes, the slow ferry in about an hour and a half.

Can you take your car to Terschelling? +

Yes, you can take your car on the boat. You can also park it cheaply near the harbour in Harlingen and rent bikes or take the bus on Terschelling.

What are the highlights of Terschelling? +

The Brandaris lighthouse in West-Terschelling, the Boschplaat nature reserve near Oosterend, the Bessenschuur with the Cranberry Museum, the Bunker Museum and the Wreck Museum in Formerum. On top of that, every village has its own nice restaurants and cafés.

Why do cranberries grow on Terschelling? +

Once, after a heavy storm, barrels of cranberries washed up on Terschelling. Since then, cranberries have grown in the dune valleys. You can learn more about it in the Cranberry Museum in the attic of the Bessenschuur.

What is the Boschplaat? +

The largest nature reserve in the Netherlands and a European protected area, on the east side of the island near Oosterend. The beach bus drives you along the beach to the Drenkelingenhuisje.

Can you spot seals on Terschelling? +

Yes, from West-Terschelling you can join the Talisman on a seal-spotting trip.

What can you do with children on Terschelling? +

In Hoorn you will find the petting farm and agricultural museum 't Hooivork, the gnome trail in the Hoornbos and the pick-your-own garden Groenhof. Near West-Terschelling you can climb at the Klimdaris climbing park.

Where is it fun in the evening on Terschelling? +

For example at the music and dining café De Groene Weide in Hoorn, where Hessel and Tess regularly perform, or at Biercafé 't Wapen in Midsland with 100 different beers. An evening wagon ride with a campfire is also highly recommended.