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Kites lined up along the BrouwersdamPhoto: Norbert Reimer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Netherlands

Flat freshwater and North Sea chop split this scene down the middle across 24 spots: Brouwersdam, a working Delta Works dyke, flips between the tideless Grevelingenmeer and the tidal sea depending on wind direction, Workum and Makkum hold the flat Frisian IJsselmeer lake country, and Zandvoort, Wijk aan Zee and Scheveningen work the open coast in waves.

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Texel adds an island trip with its own De Koog zone. Season runs the shoulder months, March through November. It's progression country - lake for learning, coast for freeride and waves - not a warm-water holiday.

Seasonevery monthsomewhere in the country
How we count
Places
6 towns and 6 single spots
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
Best forBeginners5Flat water5Foiling8Waves and flat3Waves9

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan61
  2. Feb54
  3. Mar45
  4. Apr57
  5. May26
  6. Jun38
  7. Jul48
  8. Aug35
  9. Sep32
  10. Oct44
  11. Nov55
  12. Dec68

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Brouwersdam, 68% of days in December, from the Oostvoornse Meer series.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

Grouped by region, the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

North Holland

Wijk aan Zee Established4 spots · 12 schools · every monthflat water waves beginner-friendly buzzing scene car helps gear rental mid-range Texel Established2 spots · 2 schools · March to Junebeginner-friendly sociable car needed gear rental mid-range Zandvoort Established1 spot · 4 schools · March to Maywaves advanced sociable no car needed gear rental mid-range

Frisia

Workum – Makkum, IJsselmeer Local favourite3 spots · 10 schools · every monthflat water beginner-friendly buzzing scene car helps gear rental mid-range

South Holland

Brouwersdam Established5 spots · 11 schools · March to Novemberwaves beginner-friendly buzzing scene car needed gear rental mid-range Den Haag coast Local favourite3 spots · 7 schools · March to Junelagoon waves beginner-friendly sociable gear rental expensive

Standalone spots

Single spots with no town of their own

Frisia

Ameland (Hollum / Noordzee)1 spot · March to Novemberwaves advanced Lauwersoog (Waddenzee)1 spot · March to Octoberflat water advanced Midsland aan Zee1 spot · September to Januarywaves advanced Schiermonnikoog1 spot · January to Maylagoon beginner-friendly

Zeeland

Cadzand-Bad1 spot · March to Mayadvanced Domburg / Westkapelle1 spot · March to Maywaves advanced mid-range

By region

The country's regions, the most spots first

North Holland8 spots · 4 placesFrisia6 spots · 1 placeSouth Holland6 spots · 2 placesZeeland4 spots · 1 place

Best for

Pages that pick the places in Netherlands for one kind of riding

Beginners in Netherlands5 placesFlat water in Netherlands5 placesFoiling in Netherlands8 placesWaves and flat in Netherlands3 placesWaves in Netherlands9 places

Destinations

All 12 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

BrouwersdamWorkum – Makkum, IJsselmeerTexelWijk aan ZeeZandvoortDen Haag coastMidsland aan ZeeSchiermonnikoogCadzand-BadDomburg / WestkapelleLauwersoog (Waddenzee)Ameland (Hollum / Noordzee)

Visa & entry

EU passportFree movement, no restriction (Netherlands is EU/Schengen).
US passportVisa-free Schengen short-stay: 90 days within any 180-day period, for tourism/leisure. ETIAS pre-travel authorization is planned for Schengen entry but has been repeatedly delayed past 2025; not yet mandatory as of research date.
UK passportVisa-free Schengen short-stay: 90 days within any 180-day period (post-Brexit third-country rules apply to UK passports).
Entry or eco taxesNo national entry/eco tax. Individual municipalities levy a local 'toeristenbelasting' (tourist tax) per overnight stay, set independently by each city/gemeente (e.g. Amsterdam charges a percentage-of-room-rate tax plus a flat day-tripper fee; smaller coastal towns like Zandvoort or Texel set their own, generally lower, rates) - so this is NOT uniform across destinations and should be re-checked per town.
Digital nomad visaNo dedicated digital-nomad visa exists (confirmed against IND.nl navigation, which lists no such category). The Netherlands does offer the DAFT (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty) self-employment residence permit, but that is US-citizens-only and requires registering a Dutch business, not a remote-work/nomad visa.
Tax residency daysNo fixed statutory day-count; Dutch tax residency is decided on a facts-and-circumstances test (center of vital interests), but 183 days present in a 12-month period is the commonly cited practical threshold used in tax treaties.
NotesStandard EU/Schengen rules apply; the only country-specific wrinkle is DAFT for US citizens and municipal (not national) tourist taxes.

Money

CurrencyEuro (EUR)
Card acceptanceVery high; contactless/debit near-universal in shops, cafes, and kite schools. Some very small vendors, markets, or beach kiosks may be cash-preferred.
ATMs and feesATMs (geldautomaten) widely available even in small coastal towns. Foreign card withdrawal fees depend on the visitor's home bank, not the Dutch ATM; independent (non-bank) ATM operators sometimes charge a conversion markup - prefer bank-branded ATMs (ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank).
Paying by phoneiDEAL is the dominant Dutch payment rail (used for most online and many in-person/QR payments) but it is tied to a Dutch bank account/IBAN, so foreign tourists generally cannot use it directly. Tikkie (payment-request app) has the same Dutch-bank-account limitation.
Scams
  • Airport/station taxi overcharging - use metered or app taxis
  • Bike rental deposit/damage disputes
  • Pickpocketing in Amsterdam crowds (less relevant at coastal kite spots)
TippingNot obligatory; rounding up or 5-10% for good restaurant service is appreciated but not expected.
Cash tipsCommon practice when tipping (leaving coins/notes), though card tipping via terminal 'tip' prompts is increasingly normal too.

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • KPN (generally strongest rural/coastal network)
  • Vodafone NL
  • Odido (formerly T-Mobile NL)
eSIM options
  • Airalo
  • Holafly
  • Carrier eSIMs from KPN/Vodafone/Odido
ID needed for a SIMYes - Dutch law requires ID registration for prepaid SIM cards.
StarlinkStarlink operates commercially in the Netherlands (residential/roam plans available), though largely unnecessary given strong terrestrial 4G/5G coverage at all listed kite spots.
NotesCoastal 4G/5G coverage is excellent nationwide, including Brouwersdam, Wijk aan Zee, Zandvoort, Texel, and the IJsselmeer shoreline.

Insurance

Is kiting covered?Typically yes - most standard travel/health policies classify kitesurfing as a hazardous/extreme sport requiring an add-on or specialist rider.
RecommendedKitesurf-specific or adventure-sports travel insurance rider (e.g. via IKO membership insurance or specialist insurers).
Healthcare and evacuationEU citizens: EHIC/GHIC covers emergency medical treatment in the Netherlands but not repatriation. Non-EU visitors need standard travel medical insurance; medical evacuation is rarely needed given short distances to hospitals.

Health

VaccinesRoutine vaccines only (MMR, DTP, etc.); no special vaccination requirements for the Netherlands.
Mosquito-borne diseasesNo significant endemic mosquito-borne disease risk; temperate climate.
Tap waterSafe to drink nationwide, among the highest quality in Europe.
Emergency numbers112 (general emergency - police/ambulance/fire)
Hospital standardHigh-quality, Western-standard healthcare throughout the country.
Pharmacy notesApotheken (pharmacies) widely available; many medications require a prescription even for things sold OTC elsewhere.

Driving

International driving permitNot required for EU/EEA licenses. US/UK tourist licenses are generally accepted for short stays without an IDP, but an IDP is recommended and sometimes requested by rental car companies.
Road safetyExcellent road infrastructure; the main hazard for visitors is the very high volume of cyclists - extra caution required at intersections and when opening car doors.
Rental trapsHigh excess/deductible unless CDW/extra insurance purchased; some rental agreements restrict cross-border travel (e.g., into Belgium/Germany) without notice.
4x4 contextsNot needed - all listed kite destinations are reachable by normal roads.
Police stopsRare and routine for tourists; standard document checks.

Regulation

National kite rulesNo national kitesurfing law. Kite launching/landing and no-kite zones are set by local municipal beach bylaws (APV - Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening), which vary by town and season, especially at popular swimming beaches like Zandvoort and Wijk aan Zee during peak summer bathing hours.
Drone rulesEU-wide EASA drone regulations apply: registration required for drones ≥250g (or with a camera), no-fly zones near airports and nature reserves.
Protected areasThe Wadden Sea (UNESCO World Heritage Site, relevant to Texel) has strict nature-protection rules; kiting may be restricted or require awareness of seasonal bird-nesting closures in sensitive zones.

Calendar & costs

Holidays that move prices
  • King's Day (27 April) - nationwide crowds/price spikes
  • Summer school holidays (see below) drive coastal accommodation prices up
  • Christmas/New Year
School holidaysThe Netherlands splits into three regions (North, Middle, South) with staggered summer holidays, roughly mid-July to early September, to spread tourist/traffic load; each region's dates differ by 1-2 weeks.
Beer€6.00 (domestic draft, 0.5L, restaurant)
Meal€20.00 (inexpensive restaurant meal)
Coffee€3.72 (cappuccino)
One-bedroom rent, per month€1,158.61 (1-bedroom apartment, outside city centre)
CurrencyEURSee Money
Year2026

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Netherlands

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Netherlands:KLM

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 2 open questions
  • What does KLM charge for a sports bag, and what are its size limits?
  • When does ETIAS become mandatory for US and UK visitors?

Last updated September 2026