The island of Schiermonnikoog

Schiermonnikoog is the most easterly lying of the Dutch Wadden islands. The entire island is a designated National Park. Its name is derived from the monks who lived there in the Middle Ages and wore grey habits (‘schier’ means grey). It is well-known for its tranquillity and there are car restrictions (almost car-free) in place, and that will not escape your notice.

You can take the ferry that departs from the fishing village of Lauwersoog to Schiermonnikoog. The ferry crossing Wagenborg takes approximately 45 minutes. The island has one village with authentic island builds along the, for instance, Langestreek and Middenstreek, with their 17th and 18th century commander houses. The white tower of the village is a striking landmark, this is the former lighthouse. The village also boasts shops, bars, terraces and restaurants.

Island habitat
Schiermonnikoog has a typical island habitat; the north side boasts the North sea beach (widest stretch of beach in Holland), dunes and some woodland and heath. A part of the polder up to the Wadden dike is located to the south and east side of the village. This area has a rich variety of birds. The marina of Schiermonnikoog lies to the south of the village. The Westerplas and the Berkenplas are two fresh-water lakes in the woodlands and dunes area.
The Balg is located on the east side of the island. This is a magnificent rugged area of dunes and marshland and is home to the Willemsduin dune.
The lighthouse of Schiermonnikoog sits in the dunes to the north of the village. The dunes here are home to (thatched) holiday homes.

Schiermonnikoog in numbers
Schiermonnikoog has approximately 950 permanent residents. The island is 18km long and has 30km of bicycle lanes. The marina is sometimes home to approximately 120 vessels between the months of April to November. It is a real tidal harbour, vessels can sail in or out 2 hours before and after high tide. After which the water mark is too low to accommodate sailing. Beaching, vessels can be beached to the east of the marina. The island has about 400 privately rented holiday homes.

The location of the accommodations
A number of (with regards to size, quite modest) apartment complexes and hotels are located along the Badweg. The dune camping site (Seedune) is close to the Badweg. Most of the holiday homes lie in the dunes to the north of the village. While the dunes to the west of the village house the small holiday park Klein Zwitserland. Bungalowpark de Monnik is located close to the village on its eastern side, and the village itself has hotels and holiday homes/apartments. The group accommodations are mostly situated in former farmhouses in the polder. There are also private rooms to rent in the village.

Schiermonnikoog and its environs
The Wadden islands of Ameland and (desert island) Rottum lie respectively to the west and to the east of Schiermonnikoog. While to the north is the North Sea and the Wadden sea lies to the south. The Wadden Sea is the largest tidal area in the World and is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Schiermonnikoog and its weather
As with the rest of the Wadden islands, Schiermonnikoog sees on average more sun hours than the rest of the Netherlands. The almost always ever-present wind scatters the clouds quicker than in the rest of the country. The island climate has soft summers and a long autumn.

How to arrange a holiday on Schiermonnikoog

renting a holiday home

Which type of accommodation are you looking for and in which period? You can search on the desired type, desired period and amenities. For instance, whether it has Internet or whether pets are allowed. This site has an abundance of holiday homes available for rent on the island. Each accommodation has its own mini-site containing detailed information such as; location, floor plan, special features, photos of the interior as well as outside, accommodation details, current availability and prices. Last-minutes are also given, if there are any. You can request an accommodation directly using the request form on the mini-site. There are various selection criteria to find the right accommodation that you want. See the Search & Rent-tab for all the options.

More arrangements

Once you have found your accommodation, then you can start getting some arrangements out of the way, like the crossing, as well as renting the linens and/or some bikes. However, these should only be arranged once you have received confirmation of your reservation from the owner. See for more on this, the additional tab sheet of Schiermonnikoog Vacation planner

To Schiermonnikoog
The car-restricted island of Schiermonnikoog can be reached by ferry from Lauwersoog. Rederij Wagenborg operates the ferry crossing and the ms Rottum ferry will take you there in approximately 45 minutes. The service has summer and winter times, and the actual times and any additional crossings are given on the website.

Arrival on Schiermonnikoog
The ferry docks at the causeway where busses and taxis are on-hand to take you to your destination. It is also possible to rent a bike from here.

To your accommodation on Schiermonnikoog
The village is approximately 3.5km or a good 30-minute walk from the causeway. We recommend you take a bus, taxi or bicycle to get to your destination!
Click her for the bus routes; Arriva busroutes.