Sandy beach with wooden posts, a large building in the background, and a partly cloudy sky. People are visible in the distance. Wooden posts stand in the sand, with several colorful beach houses and gentle dunes in the background under a bright blue sky.
Netherlands

Cadzand: The Sunniest Place in the Netherlands

Breakwaters, Sand, and Colorful Cabins by the Dunes.
 Cadzand, Netherlands, July 2022

Cadzand—or more precisely, Cadzand-Bad—has 180 residents, five kilometers of sandy beach, and two million visitors per year. But today, the crowds are nowhere to be seen. Everything feels far more relaxed than the numbers suggest.

The beach stretches wide, the water remains shallow, and like many Dutch coastlines, rows of wooden breakwaters stand firm against the force of the sea. Just beyond them, small beach huts line the shore, their brightly colored doors adding a cheerful contrast to the soft dunes.

Cadzand is known as the sunniest place in the Netherlands, and of course, there’s a windmill—because how could there not be? But my visit doesn’t begin at the windmill. Instead, I start at Border Marker No. 369, the final stone of the Belgian-Dutch border. The first stands at Vaalserberg, just past Aachen. A trip along the entire border would certainly be an adventure. But I’m here to follow the coast—so after a long, unhurried visit to the beach, I continue northward.

Map of Cadzand
A conical stone post marked N°369, surrounded by sandy ground and benches in the background.
A tattered flag with red, white, and blue stripes gently waves in the wind on a tall flagpole.
Green dunes surround a large building with an orange roof, with a winding path below and people walking.
Two cyclists ride on a concrete path between sand and tall grass, with modern buildings and a blue sky in the background.
Cyclists ride past the dunes and new beachfront apartments in Cadzand. The Dutch coast isn’t just about nature—modern development is part of the landscape too.
Three beach cabins stand on a sandy shore. In the background, people are walking on a hill.
Three beach huts with yellow doors stand on sandy ground, surrounded by green dunes under a clear sky.
Wooden posts stand in the sand, with several colorful beach houses and gentle dunes in the background under a bright blue sky.
A wooden building with a steep roof sits on the beach, surrounded by sand dunes. Bicycles are parked nearby and people are relaxing.
A modern beach building with wooden details stands on stilts in the sand, surrounded by blue skies and white clouds.
A beach pavilion in Cadzand: Raised on stilts, this structure blends into the sandy landscape while offering a sheltered spot by the sea.
A couple stands on the beach surrounded by wooden posts; the sky is cloudy and the sea is visible in the background.
Wooden breakwaters on the beach in Cadzand offer a glimpse of the vast North Sea, where two people stand at the water’s edge.
Sandy beach with wooden posts, a large building in the background, and a partly cloudy sky. People are visible in the distance.
Wooden breakwaters stretch along the sandy beach, protecting the coastline.
A wooden deck with white railings and pink umbrellas, overlooking the sea under a blue sky with a few clouds.
A wooden beach restaurant with pink umbrellas, surrounded by sand dunes and large buildings in the background.
Wooden posts in the foreground with beachgoers walking along the shore. Clouds drift above the water in a blue sky.
A family walks on a path; one adult carries a child on their shoulders while another child sits on a different back.
Walking and cycling trails along the Dutch coast offer a perfect way to explore nature.
A historic windmill stands near a wide open field under a clear sky, surrounded by trees and grasses.