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Information about Katwijk

For a great day out on the coast of Zuid-Holland, Katwijk is very popular, with its beach and beautiful young dune areas. The centre of Katwijk still has narrow little streets to offer protection from the strong sea breeze. Katwijk is an excellent place to visit for sun, sea and sand, of course, as well as endless strolls across the dunes. The town has many museums and historical places of interest, with shops just behind the promenade. After a fun day’s activity, relax with a drink or snack at one of the many outdoor cafés or dine out in a first class fish restaurant or restaurant. Katwijk also has plenty for children to do.

The location and surrounding area of Katwijk

Katwijk lies on the North Sea coast of Zuid-Holland and is easy to reach by car. Katwijk does not have its own railway station but you can get there easily by bus from Leiden or Haarlem, for example. Katwijk has a fantastic beach, with its own character, approximately 4.5 kilometres long, and a promenade, approximately 2 kilometres long. Katwijk is well-known for its fishing tradition. Next to the Vuurbaak lighthouse, is an old boomschuit or boom, a traditional seagoing boat used by fishermen and a reminder of times gone by.

All the things to do in Katwijk

The area around Katwijk is ideal for cycling and walking; and there are plenty of activities for water sports enthusiasts. Katwijk has a bustling marina. You can swim in either the North Sea or go to Aquamar subtropical swimming pool.

Monuments

Katwijk has more to offer than sea, sun and sand. It has a few magnificent monuments that are definitely worth a visit, such as the Nieuwe Kerk church dating from 1885, with its famous organ built by organ builder Jan van den Heuvel. Other monuments are:

The Andreaskerk, a white plastered church, and the Andreas inner courtyard are a splendid sight to behold;
Museum het Spinozahuis, the house where philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza lived and worked from 1661 to 1663;
The Vuurbaak lighthouse has been a beacon on the promenade of Katwijk since 1605 and is one of the oldest conserved lighthouses in the Netherlands;
De Geregtigheid, a former corn mill more than 250 years old located in Katwijk aan den Rijn, which is open to the public.
If you wish to see the best places in Katwijk, you can do the cycling route from the Freebee Map in the brochure that you can order from this website by means of an SMS service. Then you can be certain that you have seen all there is to see in Katwijk.

Art and culture

Katwijk has a rich cultural history as a fishing village, which you can find out about in the museums. The Katwijks Museum is accommodated in a shipowner’s house built at the beginning of the 20th century, and kept in its original state. Here you can visit various exhibitions about the history of Katwijk.

Enjoying the sea and the beach

The beach at Katwijk is a wonderful place to enjoy the fresh sea air. Take a stroll along the shore line or down the promenade. Where the promenade ends, the vast dunes begin. After the walk, you can relax with a drink at one of the beach pavilions, which are open from 1 March to 1 November. Or you can enjoy a delicious dinner there, with a view of the sea and the beach.
In the summer, sun worshippers can spend a relaxing day at the beach. There is no need to bring any books to read, because in the months of July and August, in Katwijk you can borrow a book from the beach library. It is free to borrow novels, read-aloud books, comics, travel memoires and detective novels. The beach library is located on the beach opposite the lighthouse.

Shopping in Katwijk

Enjoy the congenial atmosphere of shopping in Katwijk, with its indoor shopping mall or the shops on the Princestraat, Emmaplein, Badstraat, Voorstraat and the Zwaaikom on the Prins Hendrikkanaal. The centre of Katwijk aan Zee has more than 150 shops to choose from.
In the months of July and August, from 1 pm to 9pm, the shopping mall holds a tourist market with more than 130 stalls, where you can take your time to look round at all the beautiful things for sale.

Eating out in Katwijk

In Katwijk you can enjoy a delicious lunch, dinner or a cup of coffee at one of its outdoor cafés, or a mouth-watering piece of fish. The town has a variety of restaurants and cafés, either on the promenade or throughout the town, to suit everyone’s tastes, for an enjoyable meal, bite to eat or a drink. You can also go to the beach pavilions for a tasty snack or a drink.

Nightlife in Katwijk

There are things to do in the evening too in Katwijk, such as a visit to Tripodia theatre for music, theatre, cabaret and performances especially for children. There are countless charming pubs and cafés that are open until the early hours.
Katwijk organizes numerous annual events, such as the Flower Parade, village festivals and sporting events.

Events in Katwijk

In August, the North Sea Summer festival is held which includes, among other things, the Shanty choir festival and many children’s activities. During the festival there is a spectacular rescue demonstration by the Katwijk rescue and emergency services, when the beach is taken over by helicopters, rescue boats and emergency service vehicles

Known locally as the Kattukse Nuwjaersduik, the Katwijk New Year’s Day swim attracts many visitors every year. From the Vuurbaak lighthouse, you can enjoy a spectacular view over Katwijk aan Zee, the beach, and the surrounding area.

The events calendar in the Freebee Map gives an overview of events happening in Katwijk.

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