This trip really took me on a walk down memory lane because in my childhood my parents and I spent our summer holidays in Nieuwvliet every year. I hadn’t been there in over 20 years but this year was the perfect time to return because my family went there with their camping trailer and I popped in for a weekend. I love the Dutch province of Zeeland and the Dutch coast in general because it’s beautiful there everywhere you go, but this trip was very special of course. I remebered lots of details from back in the day and it made me feel so grateful and happy.

Mode of travel

This area of Zeeland is rather poorly connected to long-distance transport, so I went by car. As there’s quite a lot of traffic on Fridays (especially during autumn holiday season), it took me longer than planned to get to Nieuwvliet. It took me 4.5 hours to get there but the drive back home on Sunday afternoon was only 3.5 hours, which is the regular travel time by car from Düsseldorf.

Accommodation

I didn’t have to book an accommodation as I stayed in my family’s camping trailer. The camp site they were at is called Schippers. It is super close to the sea (only 250 metres away) and offers spots for tents, trailers and mobile homes. The owers deliberately choose not to provide wifi because they want their guests to unwind and enjoy nature – so keep this in mind if you consider booking. The camp site itself was very clean and has modern communal toilets and lavatories. A bakery as well as supermarkets and other stores are close-by but not on the camp site.

Im sure there are other nice hotels, b&bs etc. in the area but unfortunately I can’t recommend any because the last time I stayed there was very long ago.

Sunset by the beach

Nieuwvliet Beach is a beautiful and clean beach – in 2022 it received the international “Blue Flag” environmental award for the 19th time. The beach is not facing directly east, but you can still see the sunset very nicely from there, until the sun disappears behind the dunes in the direction of Cadzand. I took a walk, let the cool seabreeze blow in my face and simply enjoyed the moment – and of course I took some photos and videos of the stunning autumn sunset because I live for moments like this!

The town of Sluis

Sluis is a picturesque little seaside town with shops, a weekly market and a beautiful belfry. It’s perfect for a trip to do some shopping, sightseeing and grab a bite to eat. There are several restaurants, bistros and cafés to explore Zeeland’s culinary specialties (mainly fish and seafood) but also Dutch classics like Bitterballen or Frikandel. If you have a sweet tooth I recommend a local pastry called Bolus – the Zeelandish version of a cinnamon scroll.

For the nerds there is a museum called Bizarium, which exhibits bizarre inventions and for the animal lovers there is an ostrich farm in the suburbs that can be visited. Other than that you can roam the streets and marvel at the cute Dutch architecture, the amazing culture of decorating window sills and simply enjoy the Dutch people’s laid-back friendly vibes.

The town of Breskens

Another lovely little seaside town near Nieuwvliet is Breskens. As I was spending time with my family, we didn’t do much other than have coffees by the sea, go for a walk and do some more shopping. If you’d like to educate yourself there is a Fishing Museum but that’s about it. Otherwise Breskens and the surrounding area are ideally suited for bicycle tours, (Nordic) walking, bird watching and such. You can also find a ferry terminal there for the ferry to Vlissingen.

Crazy museum/café “Het Koekoeksnest”

This is one of the craziest places I’ve ever seen! This museum/café is filled to the brim with knick-knack, trinkets, taxidermied animals, musical instruments, antiquities and all sorts of curiosities but also offers coffee, cake, waffles and some really yummy Dutch style pancakes. Koekoeksnest translates to cuckoo’s nest and it’s basically an old barn turned into a café with a crazy collection of a little bit of everything – even a model sailing boat floating above the guests’ heads. To top it all off you can put a coin into some kind of jukebox and suddenly the whole place comes to life, figurines dance and the instruments play a tune. Absolutely crazy and amazing!

Walks along the beach

Of course I couldn’t visit the Dutch seaside without a long walk along the beach. Start at Nieuwvliet Beach and you’ll eventually end up in Cadzand if you keep going. My favourite thing to do is looking for pretty seashells and shark teeth – I wasn’t lucky this time though. It was a beautiful walk nevertheless because I can never get enough of the beach and the sea in general and I love taking photos of both.

Food and drink

There are lots and lots of options in and around Nieuwvliet but in this article I will only name the places I visited over my weekend trip. Maybe I will return at some point and try different spots but for now, these are the ones I visited and can recommend.

Strandpaviljoen De Boekanier is a five minute walk away from Schippers camp site, so we headed there on my first night. The atmosphere was relaxed but definitely a bit more upscale than your usual “beach shack”. Nobody made me feel uncomfortable in my very casual outfit though (leggings and oversized shirt plus beanie for the long drive). The staff was very friendly and the food was so good! I ordered Serrano Salad and believe me, I did not expect to actually get this amount of delicious serrano ham. So as you can see the portions are very generous. My family had shrimps and sea bass, which both were scumptious too.

Strandpaviljoen De Strandganger is a few hundred metres further up the beach and just as lovely as its neighbour De Boekanier. The modern Nordic style interior is so pretty and makes for a cozy evening after sunset – especially when you score a table by the big windows. Before we had dinner, we sat outside on the patio, sipped on a beer or five (whoops haha) and watched all the cute dogs around us (this seems to be a place-to-be for dog owners). For dinner we had the Classic Hamburger, Schnitzel and Iberico pork filet – everything was really fresh and tasty, thumbs up!

Museum/café Het Koekoeksnest – I already described it above, it’s crazy enough to get its own paragraph in this article. I had their pannenkoeken (pancakes) with cherries and whipped cream. Super delicious!

Other things to see and do

There are lots of options for families, couples and solo travelers in and around Nieuwvliet. You can hunt down antiquities in one of the many little stores that are scatterd around the area, take your kids to one of the animal farms with petting zoos and playgrounds (e.g. Speelboerderij Pierewiet), ride your bicycle around and enjoy the beautiful Zeeland landscape, go kite surfing, play a few holes on the golf course or book a wellness treatment at one of the many hotel spas. The possibilities are truly endless and make for an amazing short or long stay in this beautiful corner of the Netherlands.