Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland

Zandvoort aan Zee has been associated with the beach and the race track for years. The small fishing village became known as a seaside resort in the 19th century. There was a Kurhaus grand hotel and the boulevards were given fancy names. The terminus of the railway used to be at the large spa hotel. In 1899, there was even an Amsterdam–Zandvoort tramline, the first long-distance electrified line in the Netherlands. Beach tourism really boomed and a day at the beach became a must for hordes of ‘ordinary’ Amsterdam residents. The tramline has since been replaced by a cycling and walking path.

• The Oud Zandvoort Walk (red) strings together the old village streets from the Boulevard de Favauge. It’s a nice walk to soak up the atmosphere of the fishing village of Zandvoort.
• On the Circuit Route (orange) you’ll get to see and hear the famous Zandvoort race track. You walk on high shell paths along the edge of the holiday park. The route continues on through the greenery and past the equestrian school and the allotments. You reach the station via the Visserspad and a shell path along the railway.
• The Trambaan Path (green) follows the route of the Zandvoort–Amsterdam tramline. You walk the former tramway to the new Natuurbrug over the Zandvoortselaan. De Blinkert lookout point gives a view of the continuation of the route. Near the railway you follow the old Visserspad. Countless fishermen's wives used to lug baskets full of fresh fish to the market in Haarlem every day. Barefoot or in their stockings, they ploughed through the loose sand of the dunes.