Discover Schagen: Culture, Flower Fields and Canoe Route

Holiday apartment in Schagen between history and nature

Schagen offers several ways to spend your stay in the town centre, the surrounding area and on the water. If you choose a holiday apartment in Schagen, you can plan your days around historical discoveries, colourful landscapes or a canoe trip. When choosing your accommodation, it helps to distinguish between culture in the town and routes that run through the fields or along the water.

Historic places in the town centre

The Boerderij-en Rijtuigmuseum Vreeburg is a completely restored 17th-century town farm in the old style, with a carriage museum in Schagen’s old centre. Today, the farm is a local history museum and provides an impression of life and living conditions around 1900. Slot Schagen also offers a glimpse into history: around 1440, the first lord of Schagen had an existing stone house converted into a square moated castle. The “Door het gezellige Schagen” route passes numerous historic buildings and the reconstructed Slot Schagen.

Churches and West Frisian traditions

The Grote Kerk was built between 1895 and 1897 according to a design by J.A.G. van der Steur in the Neo-Gothic style. It is a rare example of this architectural style in a Protestant church. Another historic landmark is the new Sint-Christoforus Church: it was consecrated on Sunday, 21 October 1883, by Mgr. C.J.M. Bottemanne, Bishop of Haarlem. Schagen therefore also offers a range of places and periods for a culturally focused holiday.

The region’s history becomes particularly vivid during the West Frisian Folklore festival. During the summer months, a procession with historic vehicles and people from Schagen in traditional West Frisian dress passes through Schagen’s centre on ten consecutive Thursdays. Typical West Frisian products are offered at the associated market on the Gedempte Gracht and in the Nieuwstraat.

Flower fields, walking trails and canoe trips

The “Bloemenvelden route” runs around Schagen along grassland and flower fields. During the blooming season, it offers an exceptional display of colour when the flowers are in bloom. The “Door het gezellige Schagen” route, by contrast, focuses on the town and passes numerous historic buildings as well as the reconstructed Slot Schagen. Different route lengths and landscapes help you adapt your daily plans to your preferred pace.

The “Kanoroute Schagen” allows you to canoe through Schagen. The route has several launch points from which you can take a circular tour. Along the route, you can enjoy views of the beautiful countryside. The Recreatiehaven Schagen is approximately a 500-metre walk from the town centre and provides useful orientation for anyone who also wants to connect their stay with the water.

Staying overnight in Schagen

Slot Schagen can be booked as overnight accommodation with breakfast served at the table. If you prefer a holiday apartment or holiday home in Schagen, you can use your own interests as a guide: historic buildings and churches for cultural days, the “Bloemenvelden route” for seasonal landscape impressions or the “Kanoroute Schagen” for a circular tour on the water.

Other places

Schagerbrug, Waarland

For the overview of destinations at the higher level: Schagen.