Zeeland is the secret for budget travel and rest in the nature of the Netherlands. This region is one of our favorite holiday destinations since we go to Zeeland three to four times in a year. Despite the long travel time, around 2.5 hours by car from the middle of the Netherlands, we enjoy going to this place without feeling guilty of long travel. Why? It’s because the holiday destinations in Zeeland are a lot cheaper as compared to other nature areas in the Netherlands, such as the beaches of the North Holland and Dutch Wadden islands in the North. Going to the latter places will cost you double or even triple of the price that you will pay in Zeeland. If you have 200 euros, you can find a place to stay in Zeeland for 3nights/4days while you need to spend at least 500 euros for that amount of stay in North Holland or Wadden islands. If you are interested to see the beaches of the Netherlands, check-out my blog about Family holidays in the Netherlands beaches. Another thing that we appreciate in Zeeland is that you can get the rest that you need without competing for space with other tourists. There will be enough space to play volleyball, fly your own kite, or lay down in the beach while having less crowded view of tourists. In North Holland beaches, parking spaces are often full before lunch during beautiful weather and findingg a place to set-up a tent in a beach is a challenge due to many locals and tourists in the area.

I have written a few blogs about Zeeland. First is about the things to do when you visit Zeeland the Netherlands and the second is about spending your Easter holidays in Zeeland. For this blog, I will discuss about the best places to visit in Zeeland to make the most out of your stay.

Places to visit in Zeeland Netherlands

1. Oosterschelde National Park, Zeeland

The 37 hectares Oosterschelde National Park is considered as the biggest national park of Zeeland. You can find here many floras, faunas, and bird species in the Netherlands. While in Oosterschelde, there are many activities to do such as collecting mussels, walking along the strand, snorkeling, nature boat trip, and beach combing. If you bike along the Oosterschelde, you can also find historical monumental sites, such as the Plompetoren tower, which is the remaining structure after the sea swallowed twenty villages in Oosterschelde.

2. Burgh-Haamstede, Zeeland

Burgh-Haamstede consists of two villages, namely Burgh and Haamstede, in the Western part of the Netherlands. This part of Zeeland feature beautiful sand dunes and beaches, such as the Westerschouwen-Duivenland. This beach has a long stretching view of the North sea in the Burgh Haamstede region and features beautiful sand dunes of Oosterschelde.

3. Breskens aan Zee, Zeeland

Breskens aan Zee is a little island located in the north part of Southernmost island of Zeeland, close to the border in Belgium. This town is facing the Vlissingen city in the other part of the island of Zeeland. Breskens aan Zee is like a secret paradise from tourists because of its secluded, less touristic and beautiful strand, light tower, and sand dunes. It is also possible to take a ferry from Breskens aan Zee going to Oosterschelde and vice versa. There is a maritime museum in the town and some restuarants to enjoy your visit in Breskens aan Zee.

4. Vlissingen, Zeeland

Vlissingen is a small city in the Southern part of Westerschelde. It is a city that has hundreds of monuments surrounding the cities. Compared to Breskens aan Zee, Vlissingen is more developed and richer. Historically, this city is once the headquarter of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which is a group of Dutch companies that navigated the world at the beginning of the 17th century. This city is also the birthplace of the famous Dutch navy admiral Michiel de Ruiter, who is considered a hero during the English-Dutch wars. Vlissingen boasts beautiful beach with white sand in front of the hotels and city centers. It also has enough space for visitors due to fewer tourists as compared to other beaches in the North and South of Holland.

5. Middleburg, Zeeland

Middleburg is the capital of Zeeland and has play a historical role in the Golden Age of the Netherlands. Middleburg is once a shipyard of VOC, catering 300 vessels, that sail across the ocean to reach Asia in order to trade spices, textiles, and porcelains. This city is second with the most number of historical ciiities in the Netherlands. There are various activities to do when in Middleburg. These include Abbey tours, visiting Zeeuws museum, and climbing the Lange Jan.

6. Zierikzee

Zierikzee is a rich city located in the Schouwen-Duiveland region. This city showcases monuments, walls, gates, churches, towers, and windmills that have existed for many centuries. There are various places to do when in Zierekzee, such as visiting the Dikke Toren (Sint-Lievenmonstertoren), Nieuwe Kerk, Citygates (or harbours), and Stadsmuseum.