I’m going to be deadly seriously honest here, pals, and say right away that whenever I’ve been living on a ship that docks at Ijmuiden, this tiny town in the Netherlands has not been everybody’s cup of tea. So you can call me crazy, but I for one, love Ijmuiden port.
And this is for three main reasons: firstly because it’s not a bustling busy city (the journey time from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam is about an hour). Secondly, because despite the fact that it Ijmuiden port is right next to a beach, this is not the Caribbean, and we always docked there in spring. It is far too freezing cold for any sensible human being to be plunging themselves into the frigid waves of the North Sea in springtime. And lastly Ijmuiden port lacks the presence of a ginormous shopping mall, which is the main selling point of new places for a great number of my ship colleagues.
But for me, Ijmuiden is an absolute hidden gem of a location which I looked forward to every time it was included on our route. The distance from Ijmuiden port to the beach- Strand Ijmuiden- is nothing, meaning that it’s possible to get off the ship and breathing in fresh air within mere minutes.
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An introduction to Ijmuiden Port
My pal Rachel describes the sound of the Dutch language as ‘like hearing squiggles,’ and I’d say that’s a pretty good analogy. The name Ijmuiden is pronounced something like ‘Eye Myuy Den’ which is as squiggly a pronunciation as you could hope for, and literally translated it means ‘mouth of the Ij’, which is exactly what it is. The Ij river opens up into the North Sea here, as does the North Sea Canal, which connects Amsterdam with the outside world.
In fact, Ijmuiden is the newest town in the whole of The Netherlands- it only came into existence with the building of the canal in the late 1800s. Add to that the fact that the town suffered heavy bombing during the Second World War, and you can imagine the town itself isn’t the most picturesque.
Strand Ijmuiden – aka Ijmuiden Beach
The reason I loved the Ijmuiden port so much is that within ten minutes of stepping off of the ship, you could be on the beach, surrounded by peace and quiet and wide open space. Living on a ship means that you can always hear something- whether it’s other people, machinery below you, the waves slamming against the side of your cabin (true story, and that can be pretty scary sometimes), or even just the consistent humming of the air conditioning.
A day trip from Ijmuiden to the tulip gardens at Keukenhof
Ijmuiden beach is a seemingly endless sandy coastline, flat and expansive next to the sea, and sheltered on the land side with dunes and rushes and reeds. It’s got the vibe of other windswept North Sea beaches, although it’s a little more rugged than the German Riviera further north.
Whether it’s a sunny-but-cold or just-plain-cold day, a walk along that beach is enough to get rid of the cobwebs of machinery and air-conditioning for sure. Even on the most blustery of days, there’s something so beautiful about seeing the wind blowing low clouds of sand across the rest of the beach and creating a strange mist, that I really don’t care if it also means that I can no longer feel my actual ears.
Extreme sports at Strand Ijmuiden
It’s also the perfect location for kitesurfing and windsurfing, and it’s pretty insane to stop and watch the kite surfers in the distancing looping in the air again and again before they tumble into the sea. I myself wasn’t brave enough to give the kitesurfing a go (having had a very raging experience with normal surfing in Gran Canaria). And even the kite buggy hire which is always set up at one end of the beach never managed to tempt me.
Alas. I am a chicken who prefers cozy cups of coffee to freezing my hands off in the wind. Soz.
The Ijmuiden beach huts
Rows of beach huts look out towards the sea, and these little guys are downright cute. Each one is decorated in its own style, with glass windows. And outside the bigger ones are little wooden platforms surrounding the front door. To stay in one of the beach huts at Strand Ijmuiden must be really, really cool- check out The Twins That Travel’s blog for their stay in a beach hut at Kijkduin, not far away from Ijmuiden.
The Ijmuiden Bunker
Weirdly, the only traditional kind of tourist attraction here (if you can call it that), is the Ijmuiden’s Bunker Museum, not far away from the beach. Back in World War II, the location of this sleepy little place meant that the Nazis were rather excited about the prospect of gaining control of the whole shebang. They destroyed the majority of the fledgling town in order to build a fortress and a selection of concrete pens in which they could house torpedo-boats and submarines- which slept in their concrete beds during the day, and came out under the cover of darkness to blast the Allies to smithereens.
Nowadays whilst strolling over the sandy hills surrounding the beach, it’s possible to every now and again run into some relic of that horrific time in the form of an Ugly Concrete Something, or obviously for a more in your face reminder you could of course take a trip to the Bunker Museum itself.
Ijmuiden port- home to the best dog cafe I have ever seen
Now I’m just gonna get down to it. The best place in the whole of Ijmuiden? Without a doubt, hands down, The Beach Inn.
There’s a whole selection of beach cafes, restaurants and ice cream shops at the entrance to the beach, but it was pretty rare that anyone from the ship would ever venture as far up as this place; which made the walk and the distance all the more satisfying. It felt like we’d truly discovered a hidden gem of priceless value.
The Beach Inn is a large-ish wooden building with a seating area outside, and some flags announcing its existence to anyone who might stumble past in a salty sandstorm. Inside is a fireplace in one corner, surrounded by sofas, a selection of wooden tables and chairs, and an eclectic mixture of decorations hanging from the ceiling- ranging from old signage to giant wheels and old lampshades. The cozy vibe makes it perfect for enjoying a hot chocolate on a chilly day, and they also serve insanely delicious food (I always went for soups or salads, mainly because the freshness of these was unlike anything we’d ever be able to obtain in crew mess).
And for a snack, not just here but anywhere in The Netherlands, you should 100% most definitely try Bitterballen: deep fried crispy meatballs served with mustard. They are INSANE. (When I say anywhere in the Netherlands, I truly do mean anywhere; I’ve had these on the beach on the Dutch island of Bonaire, and they were equally as delicious.)
But the most awesome thing of all about the Beach Inn, is that it is the only cafe on the beach that allows dogs to roam freely, both inside and out. I’m pretty sure the only other place you will ever see such a wide selection of dogs is at an actual dog show. The Beach Inn is clearly known to dog-owners all around, and I even became very good friends with one particular lass named Sasha (that’s the dog, not the owner), who introduced herself by stealing the biscuit from my very plate and then clambering up onto the sofa next to me.
Sasha and me are approximately the same size, might I add.
The best day trips from Ijmuiden Port
Strand Ijmuiden is basically Amsterdam’s beach (kind of)- it’s super quick and easy to get from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam either by hire car or public transport. It’s also very easy to get a bus between Ijmuiden and Haarlem, a much smaller city than Amsterdam but also filled with canals, cathedrals and windmills. And if you’re visiting The Netherlands in Spring, a trip from Ijmuiden to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse is well worth it. You’ll drive past plenty of tulip fields to get there, and the gardens are downright splendiferous I tell ya.
So pals, Ijmuiden port might not be the most adventure-filled place to dock, but its beauty is something I still very much appreciate and want to share. If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam (or any other city in The Netherlands, let’s face it, the country is not a ginormous one), then don’t rule out a trip to the seaside for a bit of wild windiness and a breath of fresh air.
Logistical Statisticals
- With a car, it’s only around 35 minutes from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam, and 20 minutes from there to Haarlem.
- It’s possible to get two buses from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam (taking just under an hour), or one forty minute bus to Haarlem.
- Just FYI, people from the Netherlands are some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. Maybe it’s just the places I’ve chosen to hang out, but many a stranger has struck up a conversation with me out of the blue, and their level of English has always been amazing. Which I’m not gonna lie, helps massively.
