Coastal route through Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Zeeland »

Located in the Netherlands, at the border with Belgium and in the province of Zeeland, you can find the region of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. A region with beautiful beaches, historical towns and vast polders. And a perfect getaway in the Netherlands. In this post I’d like to share some ideas on a coastal route through Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

About Zeeuws-Vlaanderen

Zeeuws-Vlaanderen is the most southern region of the Dutch province Zeeland. The regions in Zeeland consist out of north- and south-Beveland, Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen & St. Philipsland, Walcheren and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

Zeeuws-Vlaanderen is the perfect destination for beach and nature lovers. There’re also some beautiful areas where you can have a nice walk or bike trip. As the region is located at the border of Belgium, it has a Burgundian atmosphere. Zeeuws-Vlaanderen offers magnificent beaches, dunes and vast polders. During our time in Zeeland, we drove a coastal route during which we visited some of those magnificent places.

Breskens

Breskens is a harbor town in which we stayed at during our time in Zeeland and therefor it also was our starting point of the coastal route. It has its own fishing port, a marina with 850 moorings, many beach pavilions, a variety of shops and fantastic terraces. Since the 20th century the fishing industry has declined, but its memory lives on in a fishery museum in the harbour.

Would you like to read more about Breskens? We’ve written an extensive guide to this harbor town which you can find by clicking here.

Groese Polders

Are you a fan of nature? If yes, than the Groese Polders is the place to be. It’s a beautiful nature reserve where you can have a nice walk or where you can go biking. On your way, you can come across a diversity of animals, like sheep, horses and cows.

The visit to the Groese Polders can be combined with a visit to Groede Podium, which is a former World War II military site turned into a woodland recreation area. Here you can check out the bunkers and call in at the visitor center, while there’s a hands-on playground and a farm park for children.

Verdronken Zwarte Polder

Going on with the next nature reserve. The “Verdronken Zwarte Polder” literally means “drowned black polder”. It thanks its name as a result of a situation which has happened in the past: the Black Polder was built in 1623, but in 1802 it flooded, or ‘it drowned’.

Nowadays, it’s a beautiful nature reserve with beach, dune and thicket. The Verdronken Zwarte Polder is the habitat of many bird- and plant species. It’s nice to have a short walk here or to pay a visit to the beach.

Cadzand-Bad

We end the route with a seaside town called Cadzand-Bad. It’s the most southern seaside town of the Netherlands. Actually, the town ‘Cadzand’ is devided in two smaller towns: Cadzand-Bad and Cadzand-Town.

Cadzand-Bad has a nice atmosphere and offers several lively beach pavilions where you can have a drink and a bite. Cadzand’s also part of the Zwinregion, which is well-known of its restaurants with Michelin stars, like Pure C. If you’d like to make a reservation in one of these restaurants, don’t wait too long as often they’re fully booked.

Additional option: Het Zwin or Sluis

The route from Breskens to Cadzand-Bad doesn’t take that long. If you drive it in one go, it’s only a 20-minute drive (16 kilometers). So.. depending on the time you take at the other places, there are some places you can add to the route.

A recommendation would be to add nature reserve ‘Het Zwin’ to your route, which is located partly in the Netherlands and partly in Belgium. A beautiful nature reserve where you can have some lovely walks. Another recommendation would be to add the fortified town of Sluis (which is not located at the coast, but absolutely worth a visit!). With its rich history, city walls, shops and lively restaurants/cafés it makes Sluis a diverse and atmospheric town.

What are your tips on Zeeuws-Vlaanderen? Have you been here already?

Author: Tamara