Vlissingen Netherlands Zeeland
Frequently Asked Questions
At the Buitenhaven, steps from the railway station and about fifteen minutes' walk from the centre. The route follows basins and locks — a first glimpse of a town where water dictates everything, down to the layout of the streets.
Here the ships are the show. Every day more than a hundred cargo vessels move up or down the Western Scheldt, so close to shore that you can make out faces on the bridge wings. The benches along the promenade face seaward like theatre seats.
The seafront, about 2.6 km long and one of the longest in the country. It divides into three sections named after famous sailors: Evertsen boulevard on the beach side, Bankert boulevard in the middle with its terraces, and De Ruyter boulevard at the foot of the old town.
The most illustrious Dutch admiral, born here in 1607, the son of a beer porter. His statue still watches the estuary, hand on his telescope; from its plinth the view takes in container ships, pilot boats and yachts coming and going.
Zeeland's naval history, in former merchant warehouses behind the seafront: charts, models and objects recovered from wrecks. Nearby, the old Dok van Perry basin, dug in the eighteenth century, recalls when the East India Company fitted out its ships in the region.
Yes, Het Arsenaal, a converted former arsenal where you climb through rigging and where sharks and rays swim behind glass. Children often prefer it to the muZEEum.
On 1 November 1944, British commandos landed on a narrow strip of sand codenamed Uncle Beach at the foot of the dykes, to free the estuary and open the sea route to Antwerp. A plain monument and a few bunkers mark the site, a short distance from the centre.
Kibbeling, bite-sized pieces of fried fish served with garlic sauce, eaten standing up while the ships pass. The seafront kiosks have made it an institution.
Yes, at the Badstrand, the town beach tucked beneath the Evertsen section, as soon as the sun appears. Bathers share the view with ships waiting offshore. Walkers can continue to the wilder dunes of the Nollestrand.
Yes, Fort Rammekens, a few kilometres to the east, standing guard since 1547. Its brick casemates are considered among the oldest coastal works in Western Europe, and its ramparts give a fine view over the estuary.
