Holiday apartment in Castricum: dunes, culture and sea

Castricum combines the landscape of the Noordhollands Duinreservaat with hiking trails, water sports, archaeology and special sites connected to the region's history.

Dune landscape and nature in the Noordhollands Duinreservaat

East of Castricum, dunes and beach ridges form part of the Noordhollands Duinreservaat. The dunes, beach and dune forests there are protected and have been made accessible to the public. The reserve covers more than 5,300 hectares and has paths through dunes, forests and wet valleys for hiking, cycling and horse riding. According to PWN, the Noordhollands Duinreservaat is home to the only known population of rhinoceros beetles in the area.

De Zanderij shows a varied side of the landscape: the former agricultural and sand-extraction area was transformed into a nature and recreation area. Gentle dunes, open grassland, bodies of water and winding paths characterize the terrain; wooden walkways lead through wet dune valleys. De Zanderij is accessible at several points. One possible starting point is the bicycle parking area on Duinenboschweg, from where you can go directly into the hiking area. From Castricum railway station, you can reach the dunes via the Duiningang Zanderij entrance in five minutes on foot.

Hikes and routes for different days of your holiday

A Duinkaart is required to visit the Noordhollands Duinreservaat. The De Hoep visitor centre provides route tips and sells Duin- and hiking maps. There you can also learn how plants and animals live in the reserve and how drinking water is extracted with the help of nature. A hiking route runs along the Meertje van Vogelenzang, also known locally as Karpervijver; it begins at De Hoep and passes through the former Bakkum estate.

“Rond de Kerk” is a 1-kilometre audio tour through Castricum's Kerkbuurt and begins at the Dorpskerk Castricum. “Hildes rondje” is a roughly 3-kilometre treasure hunt for children starting at Huis van Hilde. The “Tijdpad” route begins at Castricum railway station, is 10 kilometres long and offers 33 viewpoints of the dunes and their history. An 8-kilometre hiking route marked with green triangles officially starts at Johanna's Hof and can also be reached from the railway station. Another 8-kilometre hike begins at the railway station and follows the inner edge of the dunes, through extensive polders and a village area to the centre of Castricum.

The “Op zoek naar het Oer-IJ” app also contains a northern and a southern route. Both begin at Huis van Hilde and are each approximately 25 kilometres long.

Water sports on the coast

At Sports at Sea in Castricum, you can go kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, volleyball, rugby and stand-up paddleboarding. The affiliated clubs run workshops, clinics and lessons throughout the summer season. Surfschool Castricum offers surfing and kitesurfing courses, excursions and surf camps. From Castricum station, you can reach Castricum aan Zee by bicycle via the Zeeweg in about 20 minutes; an OV-Fiets can be rented at the station.

Archaeology and history in Castricum

Huis van Hilde is an archaeological museum of the province of Noord-Holland and presents 10,000 years of regional history through lifelike reconstructions. “Hildes rondje” also begins at Huis van Hilde. Kasteelplaats Cronenburg contains the foundation remains of Kronenburg Castle (Cronenburg), as well as settlement traces from the late Iron Age, the Roman period and the Middle Ages. Kasteelplaats is the province of Noord-Holland's first archaeological monument.

De Kunstbunker is an art repository in the dunes of Castricum dating from 1939 to 1940. During the Second World War, Rembrandt's “The Night Watch” and art treasures from the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum and other museums were stored there. An 80-metre-long German anti-tank wall from the Second World War forms part of the Atlantic Wall; seven surviving fragments have been designated municipal monuments.

Landgoed Duin en Bosch is a historic estate in the municipality of Castricum that developed from an institution into an estate over the course of a hundred years. On a walk, the paths pass residential buildings, monuments and green spaces. The former Oer-IJ was the northernmost tributary of the Rhine and flowed into the North Sea at the level of Castricum.

Getting there and local impressions

Castricum has its own NS railway station with direct connections from Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Haarlem. At Korenmolen De Oude Knegt, visitors are welcome to tour the mill and watch the millers at work when the flag is raised. When there is sufficient wind, the mill grinds spelt and wheat into fresh flour products every Saturday and regularly on Wednesdays as well. At Duintuin Castricum, you can taste honey from a local beekeeper.

Discover more places

In addition to Castricum: De Woude, Akersloot and Limmen.

For the overarching travel overview: Castricum.