Discover Den Helder: Holiday Apartment for Naval History and Routes

Den Helder offers naval history, special places and active routes. Willemsoord, forts, the Naval Museum, Hortus Overzee, as well as cycling, canoeing and long-distance hiking options offer you various possibilities for planning your days when staying in a holiday apartment in Den Helder.

Naval history in Willemsoord and the forts

Willemsoord was formerly a shipyard for the construction and maintenance of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Today, it is a monumental, publicly accessible district of Den Helder that is being developed further step by step. The information centre provides visitor information and sells regional products, cycling maps, as well as cycling and hiking routes. The Museum Harbour includes more than 30 special ships, various workshops, a slipway, a restoration hall, an equipment quay, a dock and ’t Schipperscafé; it is an outstanding part of the maritime district at Willemsoord.

The Stelling Den Helder is one of the oldest surviving military defence lines in the Netherlands. Commissioned by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, it was built to protect the Willemsoord naval shipyard and is still largely present in the landscape. Fort Westoever was built around 1825 to defend the newly constructed North Holland Canal against attacks on the harbour of Den Helder. Fort Dirksz Admiraal was built in 1811 as the central fort of the Stelling Den Helder.

Fort Harssens was built around 1885 on the sandbank “de Harssens” at the mouth of the Nieuwe Diep. The coastal armoured fort had two towers, each with two guns—the largest ever installed on a fort in the Netherlands. The Naval Museum presents the history of the Royal Netherlands Navy from the Golden Age to the Cold War.

At the Naval Museum, you walk through the former Rijkswerf and visit historic ships such as the Tonijn submarine. Navy Games, naval battle games and driving simulators make the visit interactive and appeal to young and old alike.

Gardens, cycling routes and waterways

Hortus Overzee is a botanical greenhouse complex and tourist attraction in the city centre, five minutes’ walk from the railway station. The Japanese garden features running water, stone bridges and turtles; it was designed by experts from Kyoto.

At De Helderse Vallei, visitors can pick up a free cycling route. Cycling routes of 12, 18 and 26 kilometres pass various noteworthy places in Den Helder. The Den Helder canoe route is a continuous waterway with route lengths of 3 to 14 kilometres.

Het Ziltepad runs along churches on the Wadden coast in Noord-Holland, Friesland and Groningen. The route leads from Den Helder to Termunten or vice versa and comprises 22 stages of 15 to 25 kilometres, which can be completed on foot or by bicycle.

The De KlimVallei recreation area in Mariëndal features an eco-friendly climbing park with four courses and obstacles at heights of 4 to 9 metres. Canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and Klootschieten are also available there.

Getting to the TESO ferry port

The TESO ferry port in Den Helder is easily accessible by car, bicycle and public transport. Bus route 33 connects Den Helder NS railway station with the TESO ferry port and stops at the entrance for pedestrians, cyclists and moped riders.

For other destinations in the area to include in your travel plans, you can also view Julianadorp, Huisduinen and Julianadorp Aan Zee.

To the overarching travel overview: Den Helder.