By ferry to Texel

Unless you can afford a private plane or are a good swimmer ;-), the ferry is the only means of transport to get to Texel. From Den Helder, the ferry to Texel leaves every hour between 6.30 and 21.30. The crossing takes just twenty minutes. You can take your car to Texel; there is even room on the ferry for 350 cars at a time.

How much does the ferry to Texel cost?

The ferry to Texel is the cheapest overseas ferry in the Netherlands. As a pedestrian, the price is just €2.50 for a return trip. If you want to bring your bicycle, it costs €2.50 extra. If you come over by car, it costs €42,50 regardless of the number of occupants. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the lower fare applies and the crossing costs €28,30. That's a big difference from the other islands. Thus, for a return trip to Terschelling, you pay €174.22 for a car, without even counting the passengers.

Need a reservation?

You don't need to book the boat to Texel, in fact; you can't even make a reservation. What you can do is buy a ticket in advance. It is not tied to a date. So if your travel plans change, your ticket remains valid. You can also buy a ticket at the ticket office.

To Texel without a car

Want to go to Texel by bike or public transport? On Texel, the villages are all within cycling distance of each other. This makes it easy to explore the island by bike or public transport. A ticket for a pedestrian costs € 2.50 per person. With a bicycle, the crossing costs a total of €5. You can take the bus from the train station to the ferry port in Den Helder, or park your car (free of charge) at the TESO ferry terminal.

How long does the crossing to Texel take?

With a sailing time of 20 minutes, "you'll be there in no time". On the upper deck of the ferry is a buffet with takeaway sandwiches, coffee, chilled drinks and snacks. You may also sit in the saloon without consuming. On the ferry, you may stay in your car.

Departure times from Den Helder

The ferry is overnight in the harbour on Texel. The first boat from Texel goes at 6am. The first boat from Den Helder at 6.30am. Then the boat sails from Den Helder every hour, so 7.30, 8.30, etc to Texel and back again at 7, 8, 9, etc. The last boat leaves from Texel at 9pm and from Den Helder at 9.30pm. The boat then arrives at Texel at 10pm. On popular travel days, an extra ferry is used and a boat sails every half-hour. View TESO's timetable >

Taking waiting time into account?

It used to be normal to wait 6 hours for the ferry, thankfully that is no longer the case. The regular ferry is huge and can take many cars at once. At popular travel times, a second boat is used and the timetable is every half hour. On popular arrival or departure days (around holidays and weekends), it can be busy in Den Helder on the way to the ferry port. In that case, allow for a longer travel time. On www.teso.nl you can check the traffic forecast for your travel days. On the day itself, you can also see the current waiting time here.

Is the dog allowed on the ferry to Texel?

Is your dog coming on holiday too? Dogs are welcome on the boat to Texel. During the crossing, you may stay in the car and you can also walk freely around the ship. In the saloon, on deck and on the docking areas, dogs are welcome (on a leash). If you want to avoid climbing stairs, the boat also has a lift between all floors.

Ticket for the return trip

The ferry from Texel leaves every hour from 6am to 9pm. The ticket in Den Helder counts as a return ticket, so you do not need to buy another ticket on Texel.

For all information about the ferry and current departure times, check the TESO website: www.teso.nl.