Clasped between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea you will find the lighthouse on the most northern tip of Texel, the symbol of Texel. The lighthouse was built in 1864 and still does its work every night. Read what a visit to the lighouse is like.
The lighthouse has 153 steps, 118 of which are accessible to visitors. You climb the six floors of the tower via a spiral staircase. But with 47 metres above sea level, you will be rewarded with the most beautiful view of the entire island! The Texel lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the Netherlands where you have a view of the sea on three sides. In clear weather you can even see Vlieland, Wieringen and Den Helder.
The lighthouse was under heavy fire in 1945. The blasted tower remained but a new tower wall was built around the lighthouse. You can still see the bullet holes by walking between the walls.
Address: Vuurtorenweg 184, De Cocksdorp
Website: Vuurtoren
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You can park your car or bike at the car park near the lighthouse, and with such a large, red beacon nearby, you can easily find them again later on. 😉
There are great views of the lighthouse from the car park so be sure to take some photos. The lighthouse is probably the most photographed building on Texel. We highly recommend climbing to the top of the lighthouse, but be sure to check its opening hours first. You can climb up the steps dating back to 1864, following in the footsteps of many people who climbed the lighthouse under different circumstances.
Once you reach the top, at a height of 47 metres, you are rewarded with a spectacular view. Please take your time to truly take it all in.
Tip: If you climb the lighthouse at dusk on a clear winter day, you will also see the other lighthouses in the area.
We don’t recommend returning to your car straight away but to rather go for a nice walk. The starting point of a lovely trail, which you can recognise from the National Park 'Duinen van Texel' sign on your right, is along the access road, 450 metres in the direction of De Cocksdorp. This is the direction you came from when driving to the lighthouse.
You can walk from the start through De Tuintjes in the direction of lookout post Texel Noord in less than fifteen minutes. De Tuintjes is the area where the vegetable gardens of the people who worked at the lighthouse used to be located, they are also referred to as Torentuintjes. These gardens no longer exist but have made way for a magnificent view of the Eierland dunes.
Once arrived at the lookout post, you can sit down on one of the benches to enjoy the beautiful view. You may have brought along some snacks for the road. It is particularly magnificent on a windy day. You can see the waves crashing against the coastline. Your camera will again come in handy.
You can, of course, walk much further through the Eierland dunes, but the route leads you from here along the beach back towards the car park. The lighthouse will show you the way! At low tide, the beach near the tower is the widest on Texel. There are often all kinds of activities such as kite flying or blokarting. Nice to take a break and watch all the activity. Children have fun looking for shells here. Dogs are also allowed on this beach and have a great time.
Right by the lighthouse are two catering establishments: Paal 30 and the Torenrestaurant, but a little further away are also Paal 33 and RJ. Would you rather have a picnic? Then the beach near the Wadden ferry to Vlieland is a nice place. You are often a bit more out of the wind here than on the beach near the lighthouse.
Editors De Krim Texel
Update: March 3, 2022 09:00