Along with its numerous museums, stunning architecture, various restaurants and beautiful canals, Amsterdam is also home to many urban beaches. Unfortunately, for a beach vacation, Amsterdam is not the first place to come to mind, which is a big mistake. More than that, Amsterdam has many beaches within its city limits. You don’t have to take a long trip to get to the beach and have a beautiful day of fun and leisure. No matter what the purpose of your outing is or with whom you are traveling with, a beach day on one of Amsterdam’s beaches is one of the best activities during summer.
1. Zandvoort aan Zee
Zandvoort aan Zee is definitely one of the best beaches next to Amsterdam. It’s also the nearest one and can easily be reached by train. The endless beaches with warm sand bathed by waters of the North Sea attract people from all over. As far back as 1100, Zandvoort was a fishing port. Later on, it became a popular seaside resort town with plenty of natural beaches to lay a towel down on and visit the huge variety of beachside bars and restaurants.
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2. Bloemendaal aan Zee
Bloemendaal aan Zee is a beach resort that lies next to Zandvoort Beach. It is famous for its beach parties. There is a brilliant selection of cool beach bars and clubs that offer you the best of foods and flavours. The beach is also characterized by its extremely beautiful sunset view. Bloemendaal hosts live bands who perform regularly and the DJs create open-air parties that run late into the night.
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3. Pllek
Just a 20-minute ferry ride from Centraal Station, Pllek will give you the feeling of a beach holiday. The front of the restaurant opens to a beautiful view of the IJ, with picnic tables and the beach. The space also hosts music, parties, films and a variety of cultural activities like outdoor films, art exhibits, kids programs, morning yoga and Tai Chi. Every Sunday afternoon there’s live music!
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4.Strandzuid
Strandzuid in Amsterdam is located between the Amsterdam RAI exhibition center and the Beatrixpark and boasts over 2000 m2 property. Strandzuid is famous for drinks, weddings, meetings, company parties and group dinners and falls under the top beaches of Amsterdam, even during winter! The beach offers countless hammocks and lounge chairs as well as a volleyball court. There are also a great variety of activities geared toward kids.
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5. Sloterpark
Sloterplas is one of the most excellent beaches in Amsterdam – truly a great place to be. The swimming beach is surrounded by the leafy Nieuw-West vicinity and has been transformed into a lovely urban beach. There are plenty of things to do: volleyball, sports and other games programs. There is also a sailing school and a water sports center, where you can hire equipment and take some lessons. You can enjoy delicious food and drinks from the local bars to complete your perfect beach day.
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6. Blijburg aan zee
Blijburg beach is the best known urban beach in Amsterdam. Easily reachable by public transport within several minutes, it is a real beach, with sand along the water where you can swim. The water quality is monitored by the provincial authorities. The beach welcomes all ages to come hang out and escape the city life. The beach lounge offers surprisingly nice food for a beach bar. In the evening the fun goes on with parties on the beach or inside the bar.
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