Beverwijk is defined by two things at opposite ends of the aesthetic scale: the Bazaar (De Bazaar Beverwijk), the largest indoor-outdoor market in Western Europe, running every Saturday and Sunday and drawing 20-40,000 visitors a weekend, and the vast Tata Steel plant with its smokestacks dominating the horizon south of town. Between them, Beverwijk is an unpretty working town of 40,000 with a functional centre and cheap hotels. Trains from Amsterdam take 25 minutes.
This suits weekend market-lovers — the Bazaar is genuinely enormous, with Middle Eastern, Turkish, Surinamese, and Dutch stalls selling everything from spices to carpets to tools to street food. It is best in the morning; by 3pm the crowds are thick and the food stalls run down. It does not suit anyone wanting Dutch quaintness — this is industrial-suburban Netherlands. One night for the Bazaar and a coastal trip to Wijk aan Zee is enough.
Where to stay in Beverwijk
Around the station and central Breestraat, $70-$110. A couple of chain hotels near the ring road with parking, $80-$120. Nothing atmospheric — this is a functional stay. If you want more charm and are here for the Bazaar, base in Haarlem (15 minutes by train) and day-trip in. Beverwijk hotels fill on Bazaar weekends so book at least ten days ahead for Saturday nights.
Hotels in Beverwijk
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Things to do in Beverwijk
- De Bazaar BeverwijkMontageweg 35, Saturdays and Sundays 8am-6pm. Free entry, $6 parking. Two halls plus outdoor sections — Turkish market, Oriental market, food courts. Come hungry: baklava, kebabs, Surinamese roti, Dutch stroopwafels. Best 10am-1pm.
- Tata Steel viewpointThe steelworks (formerly Hoogovens) dominates the coast south of Beverwijk. Not open to visitors, but the Wenckebachstraat industrial viewpoint gives a proper look at the smokestacks and blast furnaces. Photogenic in a Blade Runner way, especially at dusk.
- Wijk aan Zee beachBus 74 from Beverwijk station, 15 minutes. Small beach village 4 km west, with the Tata Steel plant looming beside it — a genuinely strange juxtaposition of dunes, sea, and heavy industry. Beach pavilions Sonnevanck and De Zeemeeuw.
- Museum KennemerlandNoorderwijkweg 2, $6, small local history museum in a 17th-century farmhouse. Regional focus, not extraordinary. Good on the Beverwijk fires and the growth of the steel industry. Weekends only outside July-August.
Getting there & around
Bus to Wijk aan Zee, walk south along the beach with the Tata Steel plant growing on your left, up onto the dune path at the southern end where the sea meets industry, along the plant boundary via Wenckebachstraat, and back into Wijk aan Zee village for a beer at De Zeemeeuw pavilion.
Trains from Amsterdam Centraal every 15 minutes, 25 minutes, $6.50. From Haarlem, 12 minutes, $3.50. From Schiphol, 35 minutes with change at Sloterdijk. Bus 74 to Wijk aan Zee (15 min) and Heemskerk. The Bazaar is a 20-minute walk from the station or bus 3 (5 min). Parking at the Bazaar is $6 a day and fills by 11am on Saturdays — take the train.
Questions answered
How busy is De Bazaar and when should I go?
Very busy — Saturday afternoons see 30,000+ visitors and the parking is chaos. Go Saturday or Sunday morning, ideally between 9am and noon. Sunday is slightly quieter than Saturday. Bring cash for the food stalls (most take cards now but some do not). Leave the car at home.
Is Beverwijk worth staying overnight?
Only if you specifically want the full Bazaar day (two mornings) or you got a very cheap rate. Otherwise base in Haarlem or Amsterdam and take the 25-minute train. Beverwijk is a place you visit, not a place you settle into.
Nearby areas
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