20 Best Beaches in the World

Noordwjk Beach, The Netherlands

Past the tulip fields in south Holland, between Amsterdam and The Hague, the seaside town of Noordwijk has a separate dog beach for wild gambols by the North Sea. There are walking routes for human-canine bonding, and pooch-friendly restaurants and lodgings, including Take2 Beach & Bungalows, near the entrance to the dog beach.

Noordwijk is a town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 51.45 km2 (19.86 sq mi) of which 15.97 km2 (6.17 sq mi) is water and had a population of 25,600 in 2014.

The municipality of Noordwijk consists of the communities Noordwijk aan Zee and Noordwijk-Binnen, separated by a narrow green belt.

Besides its beaches, Noordwijk is also known for its bulb flower fields. It is located in an area called the “Dune and Bulb Region”.

Noordwijk is also the location of the headquarters for the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), part of the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA’s visitors’ centre Space Expo is a permanent space exhibition.