Sea, Sun, Sand: Going to the Beach from Leiden

Even though the weather went back to ‘Dutch normals’ quite quickly, we all still live with the nice memories of the Sunday 2 weeks ago, 2nd of June when for the first time this year we have seen temperature over 30 degrees. As probably most of you did, I spent half of the day at the beach. However, I had no idea how easy it was to get to the seaside from Leiden until that day. With, hopefully, sunny and warm days of summer ahead, I would like to share my beach experience in case some of you are not aware, as I was.

Even though you can also consider other options like Scheveningen or Sandport up to the north, Katwijk aan Zee is the closest option if you want to spend a day at the beach with sea, sun and sand. It is ridiculously easy to get there from Leiden. All you need to do is to take the Bus line 31 from Leiden Centraal and have a bus ride of 15 mins. Yes, only 15! After you pass by Katwijk aan den Rijn, it only takes a couple of bus stops until you see the shore. After that, you can get off in any stop you feel like, they are all one of the last stops of the line.

However, note that if the weather is that nice, there are many people who share the same thoughts of coming to the beach. Our bus back to Leiden was so full that the bus driver didn’t stop at any of the stops on the way to Leiden. So don’t expect a comfortable ride as you may not be able to sit and it will feel like a sardine can inside. Still, it is only a 15 mins ride, so totally worth it. Just make sure you don’t plan a tight schedule and have the flexibility to wait for the next bus. There are many cafes right behind the bus stops, so you might very well enjoy a beer or a cocktail while doing so.

My last advice would be, as sunny and warm as it was, it was still crazy windy, especially at the beach. For the first time in my life, I felt the sand hitting against my leg and our towels were already buried under sand within just a couple of minutes. But of course, it is still quite early days of the summer and it will probably be more enjoyable in upcoming days.