Oudeschild-Texel Island (Netherlands North Holland)

Oudeschild is a Wadden Sea/North Sea cruise port and town on Texel Island, part of Netherlands' Noord-Holland/North Holland province (Texel municipality), with population around 1300. The region Waddeneiland (Wadden Islands) is marked by Waddenzee (Wadden Sea) - a natural inland waterway between Holland (Den Helder) and Denmark (Esbjerg).

All cruise ships and riverboats to Texel Island stop at Oudeschild. The island has total land area approx 162 km2 (63 mi2) and total population around 14,000. Texel Island has 7 settlements. The villages have population around 500 (each) and are named De Cocksdorp (northeastern coast), De Waal (central-inland), and Den Hoorn (south-inland). The towns are named Den Burg (central-inland/pop ~7,000), Oudeschild (principal port, central-eastern coast, pop ~1300), Oosterend (central-eastern coast/pop ~1200), and De Koog (central-western coast/pop around 1300).

During the 17th-century, the small village Oudeschild developed as a ship provisioning port for Rede van Texel - an important anchorage for cargo ships, many of which were owned by VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie / Dutch East-India Company, 1602-1800) and homeported in Amsterdam.

Oudeschild town's best-known tourist attractions include Ruyterstraat (1-km long main street lined with traditionally-facade houses, De Traanroeier (1902-built windmill, relocated here from Zaandam), Kaap Skil (maritime-themed museum), Wezenputten (two water wells from where VOC ships were supplied with fresh water), Texelse Bierbrouwerij (Texel Beer Brewery, since 2015 - the 9th member of Nederlandse Brouwers). The brewery produces the popular Texel beer labels Skuumkoppe, Goudkoppe, Wit, Eyerlander, Dubbel, Tripel, Vuurbaak, Bock, Stormbock, Noorderwiend, Springtij, and Seumerfeugel.

As cruise port, Oudeschild was included in the 2019 schedules of Saga Cruises (riverboat Filia Rheni 2) and Phoenix Reisen (ship Amadea). The next tables show both itineraries.

(Saga) 7-day itinerary themed "Tulips and Delights of North Holland", prices started from ~USD 1250 pp.

(Phoenix Reisen) 3-day itinerary (mini-cruise theme "Schnupper und Erlebniswochenende")

Cruise passengers in Oudeschild are tendered to the boat marina, which generally serves mega-yachts, sailing ships, and pleasure boats.

Texel Island

Texel Island is a municipality in North Holland (Netherlands) with a population of around 14,000. Texel is the largest of the West Frisian Islands. Texel is located in the Wadden Sea (North Sea), north of Den Helder, northeast of Noorderhaaks Island (uninhabited), and southwest of Vlieland Island (population around 1,000).

Texel was originally two islands connected via shoals (submerged bank/sand bar). Until the early-14th-century, Texel Island's northern part once was part of Vlieland Island. Both islands were further separated by erosions and floods. On Texel are located 7 villages and 18 small townships, of which Horntje (Veerhaven Texel) and Oudeschild are the island's main ferry ports. Regularly scheduled passenger ferries (by the company Royal TESO NV) link Texel with Den Helder (distance approx 12 km / 7 mi). TESO Line offers several daily crossings with hourly departures (between 6:30 am - 9:30 pm) and crossing time ~20 min.

The island's dune landscape is a unique habitat for migratory birds of prey and geese, with ~1/3 of the land being designated as a nature reserve (including the Utopia wetland designed for nesting birds).

Oudeschild-Texel Island cruise terminal