Zierikzee is a super quaint little town in the Netherland’s Dutch province of Zeeland (literally “sea land”). No train station, no big fanfare — just a hidden coastal hideaway, tucked away like a secret.
We arrived the best way possible: by bicycle. Our Belgium–Netherlands cycle route swept us across the grand six-kilometer Zeelandbrug bridge, from the National Park Oosterschelde, and into the medieval city gates of Zierikzee via a wooden drawbridge. If not for my bike, I’d have felt like a princess arriving at her kingdom.
Think fishing boats bobbing in the old harbor, windmills standing watch, medieval gates, quiet squares, and water views at every turn. Zierikzee is wrapped in a moat and canals that circle the city, guarded by three ancient gates — Zuidhavenpoort, Noordhavenpoort, and Nobelpoort. Each one feels like stepping through a chapter of a storybook.
Zierikzee may be known for its medieval tale, but it surprised me with chic shopping streets and stylish little boutiques. For a town of 12,000 residents, it has unexpected elegance. We dropped our bikes and bags at Boutique Hotel Zeeuws Meisje, where the hostess personally escorted us to a private garage by the windmill to tuck away our trusty wheels. Then we were free to wander, hand in hand, through cobbled alleyways and crooked old houses. I adored the glossy lacquered doors painted in black, forest green, and crimson — and learned that historic councils actually reimburse 30% of homeowners’ paint costs (so long as you pick their approved colors).
Lunch was Bon Vivant, a French café with a chic interior and a dreamy courtyard on Plein Montmaertre, where a fountain of cheeky stone frogs spat streams of water. Crusty baguette sandwiches piled high with pork belly or tuna and Brie, a Dutch blond beer for him, a French Viognier for me — the kind of simple, perfect meal for our big bike appetites, having cycled 25-miles from Veere to here.
Wandering toward Zierikzee’s landmarks, Zuidhavenpoort and Noordhavenpoort city gates stood tall and proud, reminders of the town’s fortified past. And then — the “Fat Tower,” or Sint-Lievensmonstertoren. We had spotted this unfinished 15th-century hulk from miles away as we pedaled in. It was meant to soar 160 meters, but only made it to 90 before ambition, budget, and fire got in the way. Still, it’s a beast of a tower. Climbing its 200+ steps for sweeping views of sea, the Zeelandbrug, and the city feels like conquering a giant.
The Stadhuis, Zierikzee’s City Hall, was more elegant — its carillon bells chiming over the town square frequently. Inside, it’s a museum of fishing, boating, and medieval hardships. Next door, the spooky old Gravensteen jail lurked, a reminder that history isn’t always charming or kind.
On a mission to try the famed “Zeeuwse Bolus” I wanted Zeeland’s sticky cinnamon bun that everyone raves about. Alas, the bakeries all sell out by midday. Oh bollocks on the Bolus!
So, we indulged in other “Dutch treats” – beers at Concordia Café in Haven Park. We could watched boats glide the cozy harbor, while locals gathered at nearby tables, sipping coffees and sharing apple tart piled with “slagroom” (a clunky name until you learn it means whipped cream). Some folks ordered Weiner Melange — a decadent coffee milkshake topped with chocolate sprinkles, served with its own little biscuit. Zierikzee invites you to slow down this way: one cobbled street, one pastry, one beer at a time.
A canal boat ride or evening schooner cruise might have been more enticing had we not been already entertained by the sea all day on our bikes. From the water, you can admire the mighty Netherlands dikes, the estuary’s seal colonies, and the open sweep toward the North Sea.
The only “crowd” we encountered was the Zierikzee Triathlon, where locals cheered swimmers in the canal, before hopping on bikes to race the cobbled lanes, and finish strong running into Haven Park square. It was the perfect snapshot of community life — tall fit Dutch people, enthusiastic, and determined.
Zierikzee is everything the bigger Dutch and Belgian cities are not. There are no jostling tour groups, no trains pulling in with hundreds of day-trippers. Just an island town with a friendly feel, medieval gates, and carillon bells that seem to ring as a “pinch me” reminder.
We lingered longer than planned, spending one night at Boutique Hotel Zeeuws Meisje on the harbor, and another at Pension Montmaertre, a private residence tucked in a quiet neighborhood. Both were welcoming, both left us feeling like part of the place, not just visitors passing through.
Zierikzee had cast its spell with its crooked houses, cobbled streets, fat old tower, and friendly cafés. It’s a place that whispers, not shouts. And if you arrive, like we did, by bicycle across the great Zeeland Bridge, it feels less like a destination and more like a reward.
Next morning, we got on our bikes before a single café was open in sleepy Zierikzee. We were off to explore more of the Netherlands, on our way to Willemstad, Breda, Bergen op Zoom, and Venlo, to Roermond and Maastricht, before biking back to Belgium and Brussels where we began. We’d already biked through Leuven, Mechelen, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, and Middelburg, on a 20-day Belgium Netherlands bike tour.
See our Belgium bike tour and Netherland bike tour itinerary.
Also see our 12 Day Holland Friesland Bike Tour Itinerary – Amsterdam to North Holland, The Friesland and back, remote spectacular places that remain largely unchanged along the Zuiderzee waterways.
Our 8 Day Holland Cheesy Bike Tour takes you from Amsterdam to Gouda, Delft, The Hague, Leiden, Haarlem, Alkmaar, and Edam, and back to Amsterdam, on a pleasing cheesy tour of wonderful cities and windmill-dotted bike paths.
“Travel and vacation are two different pastimes”
See more on Visiting the Netherlands
More Self Guided Bike Tours in Europe
Bike Tour: Amsterdam to Friesland and back – self-guided cycle tour
Cheesy Bike Trip Amsterdam to Gouda, Delft, Leiden, Alkmaar, Edam, Volendam and back
Bike Trip of Austria’s Danube River – self-guided tour
France Bike Tour of the Loire Valley – Self-Guided-cycle itinerary
How to Pack for a Bike Trip in a Pannier