Kijkduin — The Hague15h · 17 kt
81GOKitesurfing atKijkduin
NetherlandsPick your slot
Min. level
Intermediate
Optimal wind
14-32 kts
Season
May to September
Live · now
What to check
Tide-sensitive (North Sea, Scheveningen reference station 4 km to the north; typical range about −0.8 m to +1.2 m). The beach is very wide at low tide and the walk to the water gets longer; at high tide it narrows and the shorebreak moves up. The offshore sandbanks shift from season to season: depending where you are, standing depth reaches further out or not at all.
Discover the spot
The spot
Discover Kijkduin
Kijkduin is The Hague without the Scheveningen crush: a wide beach facing north-west, waves and current in normal conditions, and schools open year-round. The Zandmotor and its flat-water lagoon sit 2.7 km further south, along the same sand.
Kijkduin is The Hague's second beach, the one locals head to when Scheveningen is packed. Same open North Sea: shorebreak, waves that build fast, a current running along the coast and sandbanks that move from one season to the next. That's what makes it a riders' beach rather than a learning one — the Dutch federation and the local guides rate it for confident kiters, even though you can start here with an instructor. What really sets it apart is the neighbour: the Zandmotor begins 2.7 km to the south, and the school based on Kijkduin beach moves its lessons between the two depending on the tide and the day's wind. So you come here for the waves and the space, and walk south to the lagoon when you want flat water. Beach season changes things: from May to September the lifeguard service is on duty, swimmers occupy the shoreline and the launch zones are marked out.
Who & when
Level and best time
Who it's for
Supervised beginner, then intermediate and advanced riding solo. The Dutch guides describe a wide beach with shorebreak, waves and current, and rate it mainly for confident kiters; the water gets deep quickly, even if shifting sandbanks sometimes leave standing depth a long way out. A beginner comes here with a school, not alone: the Zandmotor lagoon, 2.7 km south, is the real learning ground around here.
source : kitegids.nl ↗Best time
Directions that work: north, north-west, west and south-west, from onshore to side-shore. East wind comes off the land and pushes you out to sea: pack up. For wind, autumn, winter and spring are the rich seasons; summer brings warm water, long light and crowds. Tides read off the Scheveningen station, 4 km to the north.
source : kitesurfvereniging.nl ↗On site
Arrival guide
Access & parking
Kijkduin is the terminus of bus lines 24 and 26 from The Hague. By car, parking is paid: the Deltaplein centre car park and surface spaces around it, with a Park+Beach option from €7.50 a day between 1 April and 1 October. Expect a one to two hour maximum on many street spaces from 10:00 in season.
source : denhaag.nl ↗Eat, drink, rinse off
The Kijkduin beach pavilions open in season, terraces facing the sea. The kite school based on the beach runs a shop, changing rooms and showers, and shares catering with the neighbouring Boca Grandi beach pavilion. Public toilets and showers by the Deltaplein.
source : kiteboardschool.nl ↗School on site
Kiteboardschool.nl has its base on Kijkduin beach and also teaches at the Zandmotor and in Scheveningen. The school presents Kijkduin as its best learning base in the Netherlands and switches between the two stretches of water depending on tide and wind.
source : kiteboardschool.nl ↗Before you go
Safety
Rip currents
The number one local hazard, named by every Dutch guide on this coast: rip currents form between the sandbanks and pull out to sea. The banks move from season to season, so where it happens changes. Look for the darker, foam-free strips and don't ride downwind of one without a margin.
source : kitegids.nl ↗Groynes, often submerged
The Dutch federation flags groynes along this coast, often covered by water and therefore invisible from the beach. At high tide you ride over them without seeing them; on the ebb they break the surface. Ask where they are before your first session here.
source : kitesurfvereniging.nl ↗East wind = offshore
The coast faces north-west: anything from the east arrives over the dunes and pushes you out to sea. Local guides list strong offshore wind among the spot's hazards, alongside the current. In those directions, you don't go out here.
source : kitegids.nl ↗During beach season
From May to September the lifeguard service is on duty on The Hague's beaches and swimmers occupy the shoreline. Launch and landing zones are marked out and the zoning is set by the municipality: read the signs at the beach entrance, they are the authority and they change.
source : denhaag.nl ↗Community
Soon, by the riders
These spaces will fill up with the community’s feedback.
Where are the sandbanks this season?
Session reports: Kijkduin or the Zandmotor today?