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Things To Do in Kijkduin
This page doesn't try to tell the whole story itself: it points you to the full guide on each topic instead.
Beach and nature
Kijkduin Beach
Kijkduin's beach is reached through five numbered dune crossings (strandslagen 3, 4A, 4B, 4C and 5), with the boulevard and Deltaplein sitting on top of the dune behind it. A naturist zone starts at beach pole 108, separate from a second zone in neighbouring Westduinpark. Walk south past strandslag 5, or north toward Westduinpark, and the crowds thin out fast. Full beach guide.
The Sand Engine (Zandmotor)
Built in 2011 for €70 million, the Sand Engine is an artificial sand peninsula just north of Kijkduin that feeds this stretch of coast through natural currents instead of repeated dredging. It's popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing, and open to walkers via the Zandmotorpad, but the tidal channel into its bay carries real risk on the incoming tide. Full Sand Engine guide, including safety notes.
Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen
Kijkduin sits at the southern edge of the Netherlands' newest national park, official since 28 April 2026. The officially designated area covers just over 18,000 hectares from Hoek van Holland to Hillegom, including the neighbouring Westduinpark & Wapendal reserve and the Sand Engine. Full national park guide.
Westduinpark
Kijkduin's northern neighbour is a 235-hectare dune reserve with a 33-metre summit (De Vulkaan), dune-oak woodland found almost nowhere outside the Netherlands, and Scottish Highland cattle grazing freely to keep the landscape open. Full Westduinpark guide.
Watersports
Kitesurfing concentrates around the entrance to the Sand Engine's bay; wave surfers prefer its seaward north side in south-westerly swell; windsurfing runs along the same stretch of coast. Full watersports guide.
History and heritage
History of Kijkduin
From an independent municipality until 1923, through wartime demolition and 1920s modernist architecture, to the still-ongoing Nieuw Kijkduin rebuild: the full timeline, with dates and sources rather than a vague summary. Full history.
Atlantikwall bunkers
Building Germany's Second World War coastal defences led to the demolition of roughly half of Kijkduin. Widerstandsnest 67, in Westduinpark, is a still-intact bunker you can visit; V2 rockets were later launched at London from neighbouring Landgoed Ockenburgh. Full Atlantikwall guide.
The Roman fort at Ockenburgh
A 2nd-century Roman fort and civilian settlement once stood at Ockenburgh, on the site of today's campsite and bungalow park: the largest known Roman find anywhere in The Hague. Full Roman fort guide.
Landgoed Ockenburgh
Laid out around 1650 by poet and physician Jacob Westerbaen, bought by the municipality in 1931, and now managed by Zuid-Hollands Landschap as a resting spot for walkers. Full estate guide.
Jan Duiker's modernist villas
In 1923, before the wartime destruction, Kijkduin's first modern villas were designed by Nieuwe Bouwen pioneer Jan Duiker and Bernard Bijvoet, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. Full architecture guide.
Plan your visit
Getting to Kijkduin
HTM buses 24 and 26 run to Kijkduin year-round, line 23 in summer only; tram 12 plus bus 22 reach Westduinpark. We link to HTM and 9292 rather than publish a timetable that goes stale. Full transport guide.
Where to stay
Hotel on the boulevard, holiday park in the dunes, beach house on the sand, or a B&B in the village: what to expect from each type of stay. Full accommodation guide.
Kijkduin with kids
Short walking distances, numbered beach access points that are hard to get lost between, the beachcombers' museum, and Highland cattle next door in Westduinpark. Full family guide.
Events
The Duinenmars walking event has started and finished in Kijkduin since 1952, typically the first or second weekend of April. Scheveningen's fireworks are also visible from Kijkduin's beach. Full events guide.
Kijkduin vs. Scheveningen
Around 1900, Kijkduin was not much smaller than Scheveningen. The growth that followed happened there, not here: which is exactly why the two feel so different today. Full comparison.
Questions answered
23 specific questions (from parking to nudist beaches to whether V2 rockets really launched from here) each answered in a few sentences with a link to the full page. Full FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
What can you do in Kijkduin in one day?
A one-day visit to Kijkduin can comfortably cover the beach, Deltaplein and a walk into Westduinpark or along the Sand Engine's Zandmotorpad. Start at the boulevard, cross to the beach at one of the numbered strandslagen, then walk north toward the dunes or the Sand Engine. Heritage sites such as the Roman fort and the Atlantikwall bunkers add roughly a half-day each if you include them.
What can you do in Kijkduin for free?
Kijkduin's beach, boulevard, and the dune paths through Westduinpark and Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen are free to walk at any time. The Sand Engine's Zandmotorpad and Widerstandsnest 67, an intact Atlantikwall bunker in Westduinpark, also cost nothing to see. Museums, guided tours and paid parking are the main costs to budget for instead.
Is Kijkduin worth visiting outside summer?
Kijkduin stays open and walkable outside summer: the dunes, the Sand Engine and the boulevard don't depend on beach weather. Autumn and winter bring quieter paths and clearer views from viewpoints such as De Vulkaan, and the Duinenmars walking event traditionally takes place in April. Beach pavilions and some seasonal facilities may have reduced hours outside the summer months.
In what order should you see Kijkduin's heritage sites?
There is no fixed order for Kijkduin's heritage sites, but a practical route works outward from the centre: the modernist villas and Landgoed Ockenburgh sit closest, the Roman fort site is nearby at Ockenburgh, and the Atlantikwall bunkers, including Widerstandsnest 67, sit furthest out in Westduinpark. Walking between all four in one day is possible, but taking it unhurried is more realistic.
Can you combine the beach, the Sand Engine and Westduinpark in one visit?
The beach, the Sand Engine and Westduinpark sit close enough to combine in one visit: walk from Kijkduin's beach north along the coast to the Sand Engine, then loop back through Westduinpark's dune paths. Each stretch has its own character, from open sand to a working coastal-defence project to dense dune woodland, and the whole route stays walkable without a car.