I had been longing to get back to Netherlands after falling in love with the country years ago. Since my best friends are Dutch, it made absolute sense to stop over in the country as part of our epic trip through Europe.
With our base in Goes, Zeeland, we found that our friends had planned a rather exciting itinerary for us. One of the places that we stopped at on the way was a gorgeous city called Zierikzee. The fun part about visiting the city was that we were exploring our friend’s neighborhood, one that we had heard a lot about when they lived in India and we were taken around by locals.
The big bonus… That was seeing them after a gap of two years. Life in Bangalore has never been the same after they left. We were really curious when our friends told us that they had found the perfect city to start our tour of Zeeland from.
At 24 kilometers away from Goes, it was a short drive away. Normally the distance wouldn’t have been a problem except for the fact that we were travelling with a seven-month-old and we wanted an easy place to visit. Plus there are an insane number of things to do in Zierikzee, all of which we did not have the time to explore!
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Zierikzee
Zeeland is one of the provinces of Netherlands. While it does fall on the radar of Dutch and German tourists, it isn’t on many tourist’s radar as it is rather far away from the country’s capital Amsterdam. Zeeland is compromised of many islands.
Zierikzee lies on an island called Schouwen. One interesting fact about the Schouwen-Duiveland municipality of Zeeland is that the two islands were originally four islands (Schouwen, Duiveland, Dreischor and Bommenede).
Time, nature and man changed the landscape and the four islands merged to form the topography that we know so well.
The historic town of Zierikzee has over 500+ historical monuments in its boundaries, this city is one popular the popular tourist hubs in the south and caters primarily to Dutch and German tourists. It is isn’t a wonder though. There are a number of things to do in Zierikzee that draw people here every year.
Not only is the city really scenic as you will see in the photographs, it is also very close to many of Zeeland’s famous beaches. You can see where the appeal lies.
History Of Zierikzee
Zierikzee was one of the important port cities of Netherlands. Like many villages and towns in Zeeland, Zierikzee too suffered due to the North Sea floods. The worst however came in 1953 where the islands flooded from the 31st of January to the 1st of February. The flood was so bad that it tore down the dykes that the Dutch had erected to protect themselves. 873 people in the province died in that flood.
The Dutch ever known for their ingenuity when it came to water management (Kinderdijk is another great example), came up with a solution. They built the Delta works which was a massive project that aimed at conserving the natural ecosystem as well as keeping the flood at bay.
I digress though. A creek that entered into the Gouwe attracted the attention of a few fishermen and farmers in around 976. Yes! Way back then! The creek was important because it helped connect the settlement to other places. Holland, Zeeland and Vlaanderen being some of them. Today the port mostly caters to tourist vessels.
How To Get To Zierikzee
The closest railway station to the city is another city called Goes which is connected to the bigger cities of Netherlands. Getting from Goes to Zierikzee however requires some mode of transportation.
We were lucky. Our friends had their own vehicle which made travelling from Goes to Zierikzee really easy. When asked about the transport to the city, they said that most tourists rented a car if they wanted to travel through Zeeland extensively. There is however a bus (B132 according to Google Maps) that can get you from Goes to Zierikzee.
Once you are in the city, you will find that everything is accessible by foot. Zierikzee is a very small city and you can explore it rather quickly unless you want to head into all 500+ monuments that is.
The city is pretty chill and laid back. I can see why it is such a popular place to spend a holiday. With so many cool things to do in Zierikzee, I feel like going back again too!
Things To Do In Zierikzee
As I mentioned before, there are loads of things to do in Zierikzee. This largely because the city has a lot of monuments that have some historical significance. Just walking through the city will give you the impression that you are walking back in time.
We visited it during a low tourist season, so it wasn’t too crowded. Our friends however told us that the number of people in the area multiplies during the peak season.
We sent the morning wandering through the streets and taking in the gorgeous architecture of the city. From the cobbled streets to the boats floating in the canals, you will find that it is as Dutch as Dutch gets.
1. The Bridge
One of the things to do in Zierikzee is to click photographs at the bridge next to Noordhavenpoort.
The first thing that caught our eye as we started our walk from the parking lot to the city was the bridge. Like so many other Dutch cities, Zierikzee also has its own set of waterways. The bridge at the entrance of the city makes for a nice dramatic entry.
With a large number of boats entering and exiting the city on a daily basis, this bridge is not fixed. The Bridge in fact marks the entrance to Zuidhavenpoort which we will talk about in just a bit.
2. Zuidhavenpoort
If you are looking out for things to do in Zierikzee then you definitely should add a visit to Zuidhavenpoort to your list. My friend Janet and I spent a little while sitting besides the harbour. The quiet spot gave us a chance to catch up while the guys got back to us. Zuidhavenport is beautiful in a rustic sort of way.
It is the perfect spot to click pics for the gram and ones for your memories too. I would highly recommend going down on the ramps and walking at the side of the docked boats. You get some interesting perspectives for your photographs when you view them at a different angle.
If you love photography then this is probably one of the things to do in Zierikzee that will attract your attention. This is especially true if you visit in the low season when there are no crowds. It does get cold though.
3. Exposities Noordhavenpoort
It is hard to miss Noordhavenport when you walk into the city. You will find it directly in front of you just as you pass through the bridge of Zuidhavenport. The large imposing double gate dates back to the 16th century.
The square towers that flank the gate on either side have an interesting design. My brother would call this the perfect frame for photographs! Then again, he looks at everything from a photographer’s point of view.
4. Mosselvisserij
Mosselvisserij or the mussel fishery is another iconic spot in the city. Fishing for mussels in the city goes back to the 10th century when Zierikzee was just a small fishing community/ settlement. The strategic location of the city and the rich fishing ground in the sea nearby, mussel fishing thrived.
5. The Scenic Streets
Visiting the scenic streets and old houses is one of the main things to do in Zierikzee.
One of the things to do in Zierikzee that I really loved was strolling through the old cobbled streets. It had been a long while since we had spent time with our friends and wandering around chatting with them was rather peaceful.
There are numerous places to sit and enjoy the scenery. From the port to the squares, the city is a perfect place to spend a quiet day.
6. The Old Houses
Given the history of the city, it is not surprising that one of the top things to do in Zierikzee is to look at the architecture of the old houses. As we mentioned at the start of the post, there are over 500+ historical monuments in the city.
Many of these are old houses that have stood the test of time. The tall buildings make a stark contrast with the cobbled paths. You can actually see what the city must have looked like in the days gone by.
7. Plein Montmaertre
If you are on the look out for scenic things to do in Zierikzee, then think of either stopping at or passing by Plein Montmaertre. Chances are you will cross it while walking around the city. The gorgeous little square has a fountain at its centre and seats all around.
I particularly noticed this spot in the city because I needed a comfortable place to breastfeed and we found a nice spot here. One of the things that I noticed was the beautiful mural on one of the walls. It is amazing how much you can take in when you stop for just a bit.
Very close by you will find another historic site called the Maarstraat Monumental. Again. Another place that was sadly not open when we visited.
8. Museums
There a number of museums that made it to our list of things to do in Zierikzee.
There are loads of museums and they definitely deserve a place on any list of things to do in Zierikzee. While we may not have visited them because of time constraints, we will still list them for those of you who will get the chance to visit.
- Stadhuismuseum or the city hall museum. The building in itself is really beautiful. So even if you aren’t too interested in visiting and wandering through the museum, I would suggest taking a look at the exterior facades of the museum. In fact, you probably will see its spire from the distance. Our first glance of it was when we stopped at Plein Montmaertre.
- Stitching Cameramuseum Zierikzee. This museum tells us about how cameras evolved over time.
- Stitching Burgerweeshuis is a museum that is run by the Burger foundation and it talks about over 250 plus years of history of how the Burger orphanage evolved.
- Maritiem Museum
- Huis Van Sinterklaas
- Sint Lieven Monstertoren also has a museum that may interest you. We will talk a little about this church in a bit.
9. Dikke Toren
One particularly interesting spot that made it onto our list of things to do in Zierikzee was Dikke Toren. Well, to be fair, we hadn’t really researched the city that much before heading out which was a first for us. Since we were going with our friends, we kind of went with the flow.
The Dikke Toren is an enormous tower (62 metres tall to be precise) that will immediately pull your gaze towards itself. We caught a glance of it from the distance and made our way to one of the sheltered nooks in the structure for respite from the cold wind.
The Dikke Toren is also known as the Fat tower or the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren which translates to Saint Livinus Monster Tower.
Sounds odd doesn’t it? Well Dikke Toren was never really completed. The free-standing church tower was once attached to a church which was burned down.
Today, visiting Dikke Toren makes its way to the top of most people’s list of things to do in Zierikzee.
Did I mention that it is also a rijksmounument? What’s that? Well a Rijksmounument is a national heritage in Netherlands and this is listed by an agency called Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed or RCE.
10. Nieuwe Kerk
Nieuwe Kerk next to Dikke Toren is another attraction in Zierikzee
Located right next to the Dikke Toren is a rather impressive building called Nieuwe Kerk. Remember we spoke about the Saint Livinus church that burned down? Well, its replacement was built between 1835-48 and was called the Nieuwe Kerk or ‘New Church’ which was built in the neoclassical style.
This church too has its own history. It was damaged in World War II and subsequently shut down in 1971. Restoration work took place from 1978 – 88 and the church was then reopened to public.
We unfortunately did not get a chance to enter the church as it was closed at the time. In retrospect, I found the history of Dikke Toren and Nieuwe Kerk very interesting. Hopefully the next time around we will get a chance to admire it properly.
11. The Scenic Windmill
To many nothing says Netherlands more than windmills and canals. The city has both. We caught a glance at one of the rather impressive windmills while we were heading back home.
Like most of the things in to do in the city, even the windmill was really old. We walked right up to it. The mud around it was rather squishy though considering that spring was drawing near and put an end to our explorations rather quickly.
Have you been to Zierikzee before? Which was your favourite attraction in the town? Let us know in the comments below.
Alexandra Booze
Friday 24th of April 2020
I would go to the Netherlands just for the windmills! They look amazingggggg! I didn't know about this province so thank you for the information!