Parking on Dutch beaches range from free to €33 per day; Bloemendaal the priciest
Parking costs are an often overlooked expense of a day at the beach, and they vary widely in the Netherlands. In several coastal towns, beach lovers can still park for free. But many others charge for the use of their parking. The top ten priciest beach parking towns all charge over 10 euros per day. Bloemendaal aan Zee is priciest at over 33 euros, on average, according to comparison site Gaspedaal.nl.
You can still park for free at 15 Dutch beaches, including Hoek van Holland, Callantsoog, and Oudorp. Nine other coastal towns charge less than 10 euros for a day ticket, including Renesse and Egmond aan Zee.
But several other coastal towns in both Zeeland and Noord-Holland are not hesitant to make a bigger profit from their parking revenue. Bloemendaal aan Zee is the absolute leader in this ranking, charging an average of 33 euros for a day ticket. Scheveningen also charges over 30 euros per day. Parking at the Texel beaches costs around 20 euros a day.
The researchers stressed that there are different parking options in each coastal town, and they vary in price based on how close they are to the beach, among other things. In Bolemendaal, for example, you can park at Parnassia further away from the beach for 19 euros per day.
“Find out in advance which parking facility best suits your needs. Keep in mind that rates can vary greatly per location,” said Jasper Verweij of Gaspedaal.nl. It is often better to park a little further away for cheaper if you can stand the walk.
The comparison site also warned beachgoers to follow all the traffic rules. Coastal towns are generally very strict about illegal parking.
“Those who rush to find the last spot often pay less attention. One mistake, such as overlooking the blue lines along the sidewalk or missing a traffic sign for a payment zone, can result in an average fine of 133 euros,” Verweij said. “So take your time, especially if you are late, and many spots are already gone. That is when people quickly make mistakes.”
Last year, the 22 studied coastal towns issued over 60,000 traffic fines, raising over 8 million euros for the treasury. About 41 percent of the fines were for parking in spaces where no parking is allowed.
