Getting to Egmond aan Zee: Road, Bus and Air Routes Compared

Egmond aan Zee sits directly behind the dunes of the Noord-Holland coast, and how you arrive shapes the trip as much as where you sleep.

By car: the A9, the N512 and where to leave the vehicle

Driving is the simplest option if you are coming from Amsterdam or Schiphol. Follow the A9 north towards Alkmaar, leave at the Castricum or Heiloo exit, and pick up the N512 through Heiloo and Egmond aan den Hoef before the final run down to the coast. From the airport allow roughly 45 to 55 minutes outside rush hour; from central Amsterdam around 45 minutes. The N512 narrows after Egmond-Binnen and gets slow on sunny summer weekends, when the beach car parks on Boulevard Zuid and near the Strandplein fill by mid-morning.

Parking is metered in the village core and paid at the larger beach lots, with summer rates noticeably higher than spring or autumn. Many smaller hotels along the Voorstraat and Schoolstraat have no private parking at all, so ask before booking if you are arriving by car. My advice: book a hotel with its own spaces if you can, otherwise park once at the beach and walk everywhere. A car is worth it for combining Egmond with Alkmaar, Bergen or the tulip fields near Limmen in April and May.

By train and bus: the Connexxion connection from Alkmaar

Egmond aan Zee has no station of its own. The standard route is the train to Alkmaar, roughly 35 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal and 20 minutes from Haarlem, then bus 165 from Alkmaar station to Egmond aan den Hoef and Egmond aan Zee. The ride takes around 25 to 30 minutes and drops you within a few minutes' walk of most hotels on and around the Voorstraat. In summer a second service runs via Egmond-Binnen and the beach, which is handy if your accommodation is at the southern end of the boulevard.

Buy a single or day ticket on board or use an OV-chipkaart; contactless bank-card tapping works on Connexxion buses. Buses run roughly twice an hour and finish in the evening, so a late arrival means a taxi from Alkmaar, which is a real cost to factor in. For a two- or three-night stay the bus is genuinely practical, and you avoid the parking question entirely. I would choose the train-and-bus combination over a car for a short beach break between June and September.

By air: Schiphol is the only realistic gateway

Schiphol is the airport you want, around 50 minutes by road and the arrival point for almost every international visitor to Noord-Holland. From the terminal, take the train to Alkmaar and continue by bus, which is cheapest but adds a change, or pick up a rental car from the terminal forecourt. A taxi or pre-booked transfer direct to Egmond aan Zee is the fastest option after a long flight but the most expensive; for a family of four it can be comparable to a week's car hire. Rotational schedules mean late-night arrivals often miss the last bus.

If you are flying into Rotterdam The Hague or Eindhoven instead, add well over an hour of driving and treat it as a separate road trip rather than a simple transfer. My recommendation is to fly into Schiphol, spend the first night in Alkmaar or Haarlem if you land after 20:00, and travel onward in daylight. If your trip combines Egmond with wider Noord-Holland, hire the car at Schiphol and keep it for the whole stay; for Egmond alone, skip the car and book a hotel within ten minutes of the Voorstraat bus stops.

When to come, and how the journey changes with the season

Late April to early June and September are the sweet spots. The dunes behind the village are at their best, the boulevard is not yet packed, and hotel rates along the Egmond coastline are gentler than in July and August. The bus timetable is also fuller in summer, when extra services run towards the beach. Avoid the first warm weekend of the season if you are driving: the N512 and the approach to the Boulevard Zuid become a queue, and the beach car parks close once full.

Winter is quiet and cheap but the village largely shuts down outside weekends. If you are booking for a spring or autumn stay, prioritise a hotel with parking or a stop close to the bus route rather than sea view alone; the difference in convenience is larger than the difference in outlook. The same logic applies if you are travelling without a car at any time of year, so check the walking distance from the bus stop before you confirm the room.

Questions, answered

How do I get from Schiphol to Egmond aan Zee without a car?

Take the train from Schiphol to Alkmaar, then bus 165 towards Egmond aan Zee. Allow around 90 minutes in total including the change, and check the last bus time if you land in the evening.

Is parking difficult in Egmond aan Zee in summer?

Yes. The beach car parks on and near Boulevard Zuid fill by mid-morning on warm weekends, and village-centre spaces are metered. Booking a hotel with private parking removes most of the stress.

Which is better, staying in Alkmaar or Egmond aan Zee?

Alkmaar suits station access, restaurants and rainy days; Egmond suits the beach and dunes. For a short coastal break I would book Egmond and use the bus to Alkmaar for an afternoon.

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