5x inspiration for a holiday in Zeeland

The pearl routes tell the story of Zeeland. This province is like an oyster full of hidden gems, which you can discover on different walking routes. Via an app, you experience an interactive walk. Each route focuses on a particular subject, from sustainability to art and from connection to history. On the Pearl Route 'Tears', for instance, you will learn more about the 1953 flood disaster and on the route through Zierikzee you will dive into the city's extensive past.

The route through Domburg follows in the footsteps of several great painters. It is said that the special Zeeland light led artists like Mondrian and Toorop to this town. I'd like to see that light myself! Just like the shetland ponies in Oosterschelde National Park, through which one of the pearl routes also runs. One thing is for sure: my walking shoes are going with me to Zeeland in any case.

For an overview of all the pearl routes, take a look at the VVV Zeeland website. You can download them in the Zeeland app or get a Pearl Route map at one of the VVV inspiration points.

Another activity on my list for a staycation in Zeeland is a bicycle tour along the Westerschelde. Here you cycle on coastal cycle paths, right along the water. On the cycle path between Breskens and Terneuzen, you'll ride through picturesque villages and see sea-going ships pass by from your bike. The tour is no less than 34 kilometres long, with entire stretches along water and through polders and many special gems.

How about the Braakman polder, for example. This former estuary was reclaimed in 1952, creating one of the youngest polders in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Since then, it has been a beautiful nature area with green deciduous forests, colourful flower meadows and the special Braakman Creek.

During the bicycle tour, you can make a small detour inland to IJzendijke, a picturesque village with characteristic buildings and an atmospheric market. For the history fans among us, a visit to Museum Het Bolwerk is definitely interesting. Here you will be updated on the unique defences of the State Spanish Lines and other defence techniques that have marked the area over the years. The museum and the area around it give a unique insight into much of the genesis of the Netherlands, which can still be seen and felt here.

Zeeland wouldn't be Zeeland if there wasn't always water around somewhere. I love waking up in the salty sea air and falling asleep to the sound of breaking waves and a murmuring sea. That's a bit different from the sounds of the motorway behind my house.

At Sand Pavilion Pier 7 in Vlissingen, the waves lull you to sleep. You can hardly sleep closer to the water than here. The beach pavilion was named the Netherlands' Most Sustainable Beach Pavilion in 2019. Thanks to modern techniques, heat and light use is super efficiently controlled here and for this, Sand Pavilion Pier 7 received a golden Green Key certificate. Staying overnight right on the beach with a sustainable touch: I'm excited!

Zeeland is also the ideal place for a back-to-nature experience, because there is no shortage of beautiful nature here. How about Joel's Campspace? On a Campspace, you camp in people's backyards and Joel's backyard is quite peaceful. I can just see myself pitching my tent among the chickens and sheep. From the shed, Joel sells second-hand books if you could use some reading material during your staycation in Zeeland. In short, a nice place to unwind.

One of my fondest childhood memories are the visits to the beach with my grandparents. Every time I came home with buckets full of shells and other special finds. But you don't have to be a child to look for treasures on the beach. Beachcombing is still possible and it seems to be an increasingly popular activity. And the nice thing is, it can be done wherever there is a beach. In Zeeland, there are a number of beaches where favourable currents give you a great chance of finding special treasures from the sea.

De Kaloot - the beach near Ritthem - is one of them. When the wind direction is favourable, you can regularly find shark teeth and other unusual objects here. Another well-known spot to find marine treasures is on the beaches between Cadzand and Breskens. Here too, unusual shells, starfish and even prehistoric finds regularly wash ashore. In an interview on the VVV Zeeland website, forester Paul Begijn tells more about beachcombing in Zeeland.

If footfishing does not immediately mean anything to you, you are not the only one; I had to look this up as well. The word footfishing is freely translated from the French term 'pêche à pied', which refers to searching for seafood by yourself along the coast. You are not going to find your mussels and other shellfish fresher than this, which is why it is wildly popular in several places in France. But to experience foot fishing yourself, you don't have to leave the Netherlands at all. Our Zeeland coast lends itself just as well to it.

And that is unique because Zeeland is virtually the only place in the Netherlands where you can experience this special activity. Yrseke is a well-known spot for foot fishing. Here, you can go out and pick and collect mussels, cockles, oysters and clams, for instance. The latter are famous for pasta 'alle vongole'. Good to know: You can bring a maximum of 10 kilos of shells per 24-hour period for your own use, so as not to harm nature.

Want to know more about collecting edible sea treasures? Honeyguide Laura tips you in this blog where to pick the best oysters in the Netherlands.