The Amsterdam beach

There are a variety of urban or artificial beaches on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Although all have the amenities of a beach such as sand, sun loungers and beach bars, not all of them have swimming facilities.

Pllek beach can be reached by taking the ferry across the IJ from Amsterdam Centraal main railway station. Also located near to a lake are Sloterplas Swimming Beach in Amsterdam Nieuw-West and Dok Beach in the western city borough of Houthavens. Blijburg Beach is in the east of the city and can be reached by taking a 15-minute tram ride from Amsterdam’s main train station. Situated to the south of the city, StrandZuid (or South Beach) can be found between Amsterdam’s RAI Congress Centre and Beatrix Park.

How to get to the real Amsterdam beach (and sea)

For those willing to travel further afield outside the city, regular bus and train services run from Amsterdam Centraal station to beach resorts on the North Sea such as Zandvoort aan Zee and Bloemendaal aan Zee. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes. In the peak summer months, public transport runs directly to the coast without having to change train/bus at Haarlem.