Scheveningen, long Beach and a Herring Festival, The Netherlands.

The Dutch love their beaches and the sea.

Although the weather in the Netherlands is not always as lovely as in southern parts of Europe, the crafty Dutch have managed to make their seaside resorts attractive to visit all year round.

Activities on an 11-kilometre-long beach

Scheveningen has 11 kilometres of beach; every year, in early spring, pavilions are erected along the beach.

Although these structures are only temporary, they do not lack diversity or style.

They are stylishly white, have an Asian or Mediterranean feel, or are rustic and welcoming.

All of them are specially designed to enjoy the first sunshine of spring by providing sheltering glass screens to protect you from the wind.

In summer, the beach transforms into a real Eldorado for sunbathers.

But Scheveningen is not only a resort for sunbathers.

There are many beach sports to participate in or watch.

Besides windsurfing and flying kites, you can bungee jump or climb the climbing wall on the beach.

There is also a Beach Stadium where international events such as Grand Slam Beach volleyball and FIFA Beach soccer matches occur.

Food and drink

As per usual in the Netherlands, the food and drinks are of the highest quality; hot chocolate and homemade Dutch apple pie, a hearty pea soup with smoked sausage, a classy cocktail with a snack, or a culinary feast like crayfish in cantaloupe as a starter and a big boy steak as a main, you name it, and they serve it.

If you visit Scheveningen on a day when the sun does not shine, you do not have to worry, as plenty of restaurants are on the boulevard.

Herring and its Festival in Scheveningen

Historically Scheveningen is a fishing village with a harbour with a fishing fleet.

If you like to eat good fresh fish, Scheveningen is the place to be. The local speciality, which is enjoyed all over the Netherlands, is salt herring.

The Dutch love it, and if you are not too scared of eating salted but raw fish, you should try it.

Every June, a festival honouring the first herring caught occurs in Scheveningen. It is named “vlaggetjesdag” after the cocktail sticks; the small flag in Dutch is “vlaggetje”.

The festival webpage: vlaggetjesdag.com