Noordwijk mapped out
Noordwijk,all year round.
From flower fields and festivals to culture, art and space travel, there’s always something to discover by the sea. Combine your visit with lunch, drinks or dinner at Beachclub O.
What’s there to experience?
Planning a day out in Noordwijk? Make it complete with lunch, drinks or dinner at Beachclub O. Right on the beach, our spot is the perfect place to take in the sea view.
Millions of tulips in Lisse, about 20 minutes by car.
The ESA visitor centre, great on a rainy day.
A market of Ibiza style fashion and jewellery on the boulevard.
A free evening festival with fire, acrobatics and fireworks.
A flower parade from Noordwijk to Haarlem.
Living statues on the boulevard and in the Hoofdstraat.
Keukenhof near Noordwijk
Keukenhof in Lisse is the world’s best known flower garden, about a twenty minute drive from Beachclub O. Every spring, millions of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths bloom in the park and in the bulb fields around it. The garden opens each year from roughly mid March to mid May; Keukenhof announces the exact dates and opening hours on keukenhof.nl.
Buy your ticket online in advance and go early in the day or late in the afternoon, when it is quieter among the flowers. Then drive back to the coast past the bulb fields and end the day with a late lunch or dinner overlooking the sea at O.
- When: every spring, roughly mid March to mid May
- From O.: about 20 minutes by car
- Tip: buy your ticket online in advance
Space Expo in Noordwijk
Space Expo is the visitor centre of ESTEC, the European Space Agency’s centre in Noordwijk. You can touch a real meteorite, see André Kuipers’ Soyuz capsule and find out how space travel works. Great for children and adults alike, and a good choice when it is windy or wet outside.
Space Expo is open Tuesday to Sunday, and on Mondays during Dutch school holidays; check the Space Expo website for current times. From Beachclub O. it is about a ten minute drive. Pair a morning of space with lunch by the sea, and if you are coming as a group, book a table in advance.
- When: Tuesday to Sunday, also on Mondays in school holidays
- From O.: about 10 minutes by car
- Tip: ideal on a rainy day
Ibiza Festival on the Noordwijk boulevard
During the Ibiza Festival, the Koningin Wilhelmina Boulevard fills with stalls selling fashion, bags, jewellery and homeware in Ibiza style, much of it handmade. The market comes to Noordwijk in spring and summer, usually between May and July; the dates are in the Noordwijk events calendar.
Beachclub O. is on the same boulevard, so you are only a short walk from the stalls to the beach. Go early to browse in peace, then enjoy a glass of rosé or lunch on our terrace by the sea.
- When: spring and summer, usually between May and July
- Where: on the Koningin Wilhelmina Boulevard, the same boulevard as O.
- Tip: go early, while the stalls are still quiet
Cirque des Dunes in Noordwijk aan Zee
Cirque des Dunes is a free evening festival in and around the dunes along the Koningin Wilhelmina Boulevard. Performers from all over Europe put on around twelve acts, with fire shows, aerial acrobatics and roaming performances. A samba band warms up the crowd beforehand, and the evening ends with a laser show or fireworks over the sea.
The festival takes place every year on a few Saturday evenings in July and August, from around half past six. Book a table at O. for that evening and eat before the shows: in summer the kitchen is open until 22:00. Afterwards, the boulevard is just a few steps away.
- When: every year on Saturday evenings in July and August
- Where: in and around the dunes by the boulevard, within walking distance of O.
- Admission: free
Bollenstreek flower parade from Noordwijk
The Bloemencorso Bollenstreek is the best known flower parade in the Netherlands. Floats covered in hyacinths, tulips and daffodils travel more than forty kilometres through the bulb region in a single day, from Noordwijk to Haarlem. On the day of the main parade, the procession lines up in Noordwijk in the morning before setting off on a strict schedule towards Voorhout, Sassenheim, Lisse and Haarlem.
The parade takes place every year on a Saturday in April. Come early to see the floats up close in Noordwijk, then head to the sea for lunch at O. as soon as we open at 11:00.
- When: every year on a Saturday in April
- Route: from Noordwijk through the bulb region to Haarlem, over 40 km
- Tip: be there early, the parade leaves Noordwijk in the morning
Living statues in Noordwijk aan Zee
During the living statues festival, around thirty living statues take up their places along the coast, including on the Koningin Wilhelmina Boulevard and in the Hoofdstraat. With humour, emotion and the smallest of movements they draw the audience in, while roaming performers show off their skills in between.
The festival takes place on Sundays in summer, usually in July and August. Follow the route along the boulevard and the Hoofdstraat, and take a break on our terrace halfway, with something good from the menu and a view of the sea.
- When: on Sundays in summer, usually in July and August
- Where: on the boulevard and in the Hoofdstraat
- Tip: combine the route with a break by the sea
Shopping in the Hoofdstraat in Noordwijk
The Hoofdstraat is the shopping street of Noordwijk aan Zee, just behind the boulevard and within walking distance of Beachclub O. You will find shops and small boutiques, ice cream and coffee, and plenty of terraces along the way to sit down for a while. In summer it is pleasantly busy, in spring and autumn you can browse the shop windows at your leisure.
Perfect when the weather lets you down: first a stroll through the Hoofdstraat, then lunch or drinks inside at O., sheltered and with a view of the North Sea. Book a table in advance and it will be ready when you arrive.
- Where: the Hoofdstraat in Noordwijk aan Zee, just behind the boulevard
- From O.: within walking distance
- Tip: perfect in bad weather
Things to do in
When is Keukenhof open?
Keukenhof opens every spring, from roughly mid March to mid May. You will find the exact dates, opening hours and tickets on keukenhof.nl. From Beachclub O. it is about a twenty minute drive.
What can you do in Noordwijk when it rains?
Visit Space Expo, the ESA visitor centre in Noordwijk, about ten minutes away by car, or go shopping in the Hoofdstraat in Noordwijk. Or stay by the sea: at Beachclub O. you sit sheltered indoors, with a view of the North Sea.
Is there parking near the beach?
Yes. At Beachclub O. you can park on the boulevard or at the Vuurtorenplein (3 minutes on foot), the Wantveld (5 minutes) and the Palace Plein (7 minutes). In summer there is also the free Beach Shuttle.
All about parkingWhat can you do for free in Noordwijk?
The beach and the dunes, of course, and in summer the festivals on the boulevard. Cirque des Dunes is free, and you can simply watch the living statues and browse the Ibiza Festival market on the street.
When is the flower parade in Noordwijk?
The Bloemencorso Bollenstreek runs every year on a Saturday in April from Noordwijk to Haarlem. In the morning the procession lines up in Noordwijk.
Is Beachclub O. open all year round?
Yes, all year round from 11:00 to 00:00. From 26 October to the end of February we are closed on Mondays, and different hours apply around the holidays. The kitchen is open until 22:00 from April to September, and until 20:30 the rest of the year.
Opening hours
Make a day of it.
Start the day with a walk along the beach, explore Noordwijk and round it off with drinks or dinner at Beachclub O. By the sea, all year round.
