The nicest Dutch (children's) campsites
Nowadays it is almost a must: you have to go out with your family. And then, sometimes, just sometimes, we are disappointed that we are no longer a child ourselves. Not because we miss math lessons so much, but because there are campsites that focus entirely on the offspring. Where they can romp and run and scream and where you can hide behind a tent with a good book. Because you are no longer a child.
It's okay, the minis are on an adventure and they don't need you there at all. You don't have to go far: we think this is the the nicest (children's) campsites, and you can find them in the Netherlands. Ha!
Here you'll sleep like royalty in the most charming, handcrafted cottages. From small (sleeps 2) to larger, to extra-large (sleeps 12). There's plenty to do on the estate near Beverwijk. There's a vineyard, bistro "zachttaal," restaurant "zachttaal," several animals on the grounds, and plenty of play space. Pure enjoyment! And all that close to the beach and the city (hello Haarlem). A real treat!
Wake up in the Achterhoek nature, sleep in a bungalow, lodge tent, luxury group accommodation, or just your own tent (with private sanitary facilities with sauna, yes)? Welcome to the holiday park The Two Bridges. On the grounds itself? Indoor and outdoor pool with slides, wellness, playgrounds, bootcamp sessions and restaurant De Schoppe – while you drink your latte, the kids build sandcastles. The surroundings? Green, green, and more green.
Furthermore: Winterswijk, Book Town Bredevoort, wines at Hesselink or climbing and sliding at Ketteler Hof. Honestly: you don't even have to leave the park to have a good time.
At Farmer's Bed you will stay on the most beautiful farms in the middle of nature. Kids disappear between the hay bales, feed the animals and collect eggs, while you enjoy the peace. That means: discovering, romping, learning, and – when you want – really relaxing. You will sleep in a tent house with box bed, wood stove and running water – back to basics, with a touch of luxury. In the evening a hot tub under the stars and those pizzas from the wood oven? They taste like more!
This place is so nice, in the green landscape of West Friesland, near the historic IJsselmeer (where you by the way in for swimming, kite surfing, kayaking and sailing). Camping Dijk&Meer offers a wide range of accommodations such as furnished bell tent, tiny houses, retro caravans, nissen huts and also a circus wagon. At the campsite itself they also offer creative workshops, yoga classes and live music around the campfire.
The campsite is created in collaboration with volunteers. Yes, okay, there we are: we love it. You notice that love really goes into it, and that everyone is happy to roll up their sleeves. The kids can help with the camping radio 'Radio Tent', which can be heard every week.
On the wonderful Ameland you will find the even more wonderful glamping Little Canvas Escape. In the middle of the dunes, close to the beach and a stone's throw from Nes, this is the place where nature, comfort and the hort are combined to the max. Entrepreneurs and adventurers Astrid and Carina have bundled all their ideas after their many travels around the world in this new glamping baby, a place where you can enjoy the outdoors in a unique place and that combined with the experience, the service and the stylish furnishings of a small boutique hotel and with a small kitchenette. When you say glamping, you say Little Canvas Escape.
No time to dig through this entire list? Then click here for 10 of the best campsites in the Netherlands.
A place where the kids can get dirty? Say de Blue Rooster. There is a playground in the middle of the field, so that parents can stay in front of their own tent. This campsite has really thought about the little ones; climbing and clambering equipment, slides, a castle with an underground goose maze, trampolines, go-karts, paddling pools and a sandpit with a water doll. Don't feel like cooking after these endless hours? Take-away meals are simply possible at the Blauwe Haan.
In the months of July and August there is a special camping field for single-parent families.
This is so sweet and cozy, and also a camping option that does not necessarily require good and sunny summer weather: there is always something to do in the forest!
This initiative by Staatsbosbeheer selected a large number of (nature) campsites and put them – oh so conveniently – in one overview. You can scroll through it yourself, but we fell asleep earlier De Lange Paal on Vlieland and that was really fun (also because it is Vlieland of course, always a party). Also camping Groesbeek (See below) is included, and the campsite in the Leenderbos tastes like more! Enjoy.
At Camping de Vliert you are camping in the middle of a natural oasis, but you are also in Utrecht in no time, just a 20-minute bike ride! Camping without compromising on comfort; that is exactly what you will find here. No more hassle with toilet rolls. At the camping pitches, everything is taken care of down to the last detail, including private sanitary facilities (optional). The facilities are also simply top, and it also looks good. We like that! For the kids there is enough space to run wild and a surprising playground to keep them busy the entire holiday. They lie exhausted in bed every night!
There you are with your tent among the green meadows, and if you fancy some excitement, you can easily reach Utrecht and Houten! In short, at Camping de Vliert you experience the best of both worlds: peace and quiet in nature and the conviviality of the city.
Don't feel like lugging a tent around? Then the campsite offers unique glamping options such as a dome with sky view and a modern gypsy wagon. Read more here.
At Country estate camping Het Meuleman, in the Lutterzand nature reserve in Twente, the pitches are spread over the semi-open forest terrain. In the middle of nature, and with a good mix of peace and romping. The campsite itself gives you the feeling that there is a lot of space, because it is spacious, while the campsite is small but nice. Het Meuleman has a luxury yurt, which is made entirely of natural materials with its own kitchen and sanitary facilities (and we really like the latter). What else is possible? A tipi tent! Equipped with everything you need, but still a camping experience. Sounds good, right?
Country estate camping Het Meuleman
The name of this campsite already appeals to the imagination: The Forest is Calling. And it does. The Robbenoordbos to be precise. Also for comfort seekers, who are also called DZT'ers (The Without Tent'ers, that's us) by the people of Het Bos Roept. Everything is ready, you just have to be there. With the whole group you are guaranteed to sleep well in the furnished tents. Including a made bed, table, chairs, cooking utensils and so on. A small extra camping bed is available on request. No back pain from a bad mat, or a nasty tasting cold macaroni ... at Het Bos Roept you cook like at home, if you don't order take-out, because that can easily be done a little further away. Although we prefer to stay 'at home', in the summer months on our own wooden veranda for a while.
For the kids there is a playground with a sandbox and wooden structures to climb on. And there is electricity, and even a great internet connection! Are you still somewhat in civilization?
Do you already have a tent, but has it been gathering dust in the shed for a few years? Bever is happy to help you with it repair of your tent – sustainable! Whether you are dealing with a broken zipper, a water-permeable fabric or a lost part, Bever has the solution. They not only repair tents, but also backpacks, winter sports gear, and a whole bunch of other outdoor gear.
Do you have gear that really needs replacing, but no desire, budget or space to buy something new? At Bever you can also buy stuff whore. From tents and sleeping bags to backpacks and more. Ideal if you want to try something out! If you really like a tent, you can buy a new one afterwards.
And if your belongings really can't be saved, hand them in and donate your tent a second life – maybe as a toiletry bag or even slippers. Beaver keeps everything until they have found a nice destination for your old junk. Pretty cool, right? Read more here.
A children's campsite, it is called Lolotte themselves, but here there are no animation teams running loudly past your cottage or tent at eight in the morning or overcrowded white water paradises (thank god). This campsite is for adventurous nature explorers and frolicking scouts and of course also for their parents. From experiencing nature, outdoor activities to simply getting dirty. Rinse them off in the swimming pool and rent a mountain bike to get their hair dry again. If you think you can just sit back and relax, you are very wrong. In high season, all kinds of activities are organised in which the parents can join in. So get your scouting outfit out of the closet and learn to make fires together or look for creepy crawlies in the forest. If you spontaneously get itchy from this, fortunately there is always free will: it is a holiday and you really do not have to do anything. As long as you are there, because that is simply fun. Leave the getting dirty to the kids and have (another) glass of wine.
The best are the La Lo Lotte huts, conceived and designed by the owners of the campsite themselves and, with a little help from a carpenter, now a sturdy wooden house of 18 m2, where - finally - you can relax. It can accommodate two to four people, but open the doors and the campsite is your backyard: loads of space.
Hands on each other Moerslag estate, there you can enjoy a-l-l-o-v-e-e-r-e-s-t in the middle of the Limburg landscape. That is nice anyway of course, but camping is possible everywhere and you probably don't always feel like it with your kids. No, this is where you have to go for one of the five eco-neutral nature lofts on the site. It may sound a bit like a tree-hugger, but thanks to all the smart gadgets, from solar panels to heat boilers, the lofts lack nothing. Expect luxury and a downstairs area with sleek lines and lots of wood.
There is plenty for the kids to discover, with lawns and forests as far as the eye can see. Put on wellies and go explore. This can be done from the backyard, you just have to open the doors and you are in the middle of the forest. One of the lofts is particularly equipped for (hobby) chefs: all the latest kitchen gadgets are available and there is a real cooking island. Collect eggs together at the chicken coop, go wild in the outdoor kitchen and make your own pizza in the special wood-burning oven. And then later sleep very deeply.
We close the list with a real Pearl, Glamping de Parel. You will find peace and greenery, you will be inspired by the cozy interior of the really (really) very nice tents, lodges and other accommodations, and it is just very cozy. At your own sleeping place, and certainly also at the restaurant in the middle of the terrain (next to the horse and donkey field). A trip to the largest deciduous forest around the corner is also easily made. To Horst beach or Wilgenhorst wine estate? All around the corner from this Glamping.
There are several unique escapes; the Culinary Escape for the gourmets, the Wellness Escape for those seeking peace and quiet or the City Escape for the adventurers. Something for everyone! Just book and do your own thing: of course that is also possible.
If we go to Zeeland, and we like to go, we like to go near Cadzand (because that is where the Strandhotel and Pine House, and is close to Cadzand White House Zeeland – circle around). Fortunately, we also found a very nice and very affordable campsite here: Campsite Wulpen. Both the beach and nature reserve are a stone's throw away (borrow a handcart and hop from one to the other), and by car you'll be in the lovely Belgium in no time. Knokke-Heist is really recommended.
What is it about the beach? Every time we blow out, we come back feeling nicer. Or so we think. Reason enough to leave everything as it is and go to Vlieland to leave. Vlie-biza, the semi-hip types chatter to each other. We get it, the small island is predominantly white and wonderfully relaxed. And our favorite spot for a few days a year, a few times a year. And that can also be done last minute: the forest houses of Campsite Stortemelk are rented all year round. The camping site is intended for tents and is located more or less by the sea, but there are also cottages for rent that you will find in the middle of the dunes. Although the forest cottages in particular stole our hearts. All that greenery in combination with the North Sea beach that is within reach, is nothing but a win-win situation. All eighteen cottages have a spacious terrace and are sustainably built. Always good. The cottages are relatively small, but everything is included.
Okay, if you're looking for a weekend in nature with enough luxury, then this is it Freeport Zwier in Vinkeveen the place to be. Here you 'camp' between quotes, while you enjoy a nice meal comfy bed sleeps in a pre-set tent. Children are also more than welcome at Vrijhaven Zwier – a separate Zwier children's tent is available for them (for two kids). Even better: dogs are also welcome at Zwier!
At restaurant De Huiskamer you can get takeaway meals that you can enjoy at your leisure in your own tent. The name of the restaurant actually gives it away: feel at home in the Living Room. Curl up behind the bar and grab your own drink. There is no shortage of fun activities here - go sailing with the family or SUP/canoe on the Vinkeveense Plassen!
Nice: a cot or high chair can be booked for free. Please pay attention to which type of house you reserve, because not all bedrooms have enough space for a cot. Also nice: just a 4-minute bike ride from the camping site you will find Gestrand Vlieland, a beach pavilion with a sea view and a perfect terrace for getting a tan. Although in colder times hot chocolate is not a punishment here either.
A charming campsite (that's what they call themselves, we didn't come up with it) in North Brabant. You don't have to pitch a tent yourself (although you can of course), because there are various options for staying overnight on the site. For example, there are bell tents and tiny houses. The best part: everything is already there when you arrive, you just have to be there yourself. Saves a lot of years of our lives. From the campsite you can roll straight into the Maashorst, the largest nature reserve in North Brabant where you can walk and cycle. If you feel like a car ride: the Efteling and Toverland are both less than an hour's drive away. As are various zoos and nature centres. And then we haven't even mentioned the play area on the site itself. Party.
The Netherlands has a few really great campsites where it is really cool for both young and old and De Lievelinge in Vuren in Gelderland is one of them. It is, we have to say this first, an immensely popular place and they actually prefer us not to write too much about them. So don't tell anyone. Shhh.
Right on the beach of Bloemendaal in North Holland you will find Camping de Lakens and besides camping the old school way you can rent 'houses' inspired by the well-known silver Airstream Caravans, book a yoga weekend, explore the sauna, reserve one of the luxury tents - beach lodges -, dive into the backpackshack (for backpackers, brilliant of course), join one of the small-scale festivals that are organised there or just spend a day in the beach tent of the campsite, Gestrand. There is a fireplace for bad days and a gigantic play area for the kids. The most brilliant thing is the height of the wooden pavilion: it is built in such a way that it really captures all the sunlight. De Lakens falls into the same group as Camping Geversduin near Castricum and the immensely popular camping Bakkum (a household name among Amsterdammers in particular), let that be a sign.
In any case, we would like to travel into the Far North with the small stuff (just read here), and it is therefore not surprising that you will also find very nice campsites there. Like It Dreamlân – a supreme combination of quintessential Dutch and down-to-earth Frisian and, precisely, a camping dream. You can choose here: are you going for die hard nature camping? Or do it at its chicest and go for the glamping tents of It Dreamlân? There are even holiday homes and a lovely family home, although that of course has nothing to do with camping anymore ;-)/ Everything is not far from the Lauwersmeer National Park and the Wadden Sea.
image via @itdreamlan
We took Camping With Us in Groesbeek, under the cream of the ever-fun Nijmegen, already in our first Little Escapes book that we wrote in 2018 (here you can score the 2025 edition), and the campsite is still one of the nicest in the country.
Did you actually have a beach campsite in mind? Then don't stop reading just yet: that 'Groesbeek' is (also) a stream and that stream naturally flows past the campsite: splash, splash and jumping fun!
Ok, not quite the Netherlands. Very nice indeed. And that is at least as important. Camping De Nachtegaal is located on the top of the Rodeberg in Belgium.
This campsite radiates peace and greenery and that is all we need. You can come here with your own tent, caravan, trailer tent or van, but you can also book a retro caravan. During the day you can enjoy walking, cycling or spend time in the associated café.
The campsite checklist is also promising: bring your own wood, cooking equipment, hiking boots, enough warm clothes, blankets, hiking map, running shoes, flashlight and of course your camping mode.
On to Overijssel. A magical place where fairytale characters walk around and dance. Relax completely while the children are playing, without losing sight of them, in one of the many playgrounds on the campsite. Playing in the playground, splashing around in the water play paradise or enjoying the theater shows - these are just a few fun activities that the Fairytale campsite offers. This campsite even makes brushing teeth a party. You will have your own camping pitch here, where you can pitch your own tent as it should be.
Enjoy with the kids in restaurant de Castle kitchen! Kabor the Gnome has helped come up with the tastiest dishes for you to enjoy. With a play castle in the corner, mom and dad can eat in peace and have a drink me myself and I take a moment. There is a special children's buffet for the kids where they can pick up their own food.
Crossing the ferry from Texel to Terschelling in search of seals is a good start to the holiday in your own country for the kids. You will find the quiet family campsite in the village of Hee Cupid. The campsite is surrounded by nature and in front of the entrance there is a small lake where you can swim in the summer. The campsite organizes sports and summer activities for young and older kids. On almost every field there is a playground where the kids can hang out.
The campsite has quite a few restaurants and terraces where you can relax. At the cafe de Millem you can sit down for affordable and local food. On the renovated terrace with a view of the Hee lake and the Arjensduin you can enjoy a snack and drink all day long. If you don't feel like cooking yourself or just fancy some fries and snacks then you walk along the snack corner at the camping.
Camping Bakkum It is not without reason that it has been one of the most popular campsites in the country for years. In winter, everything (and really everything) is shut down, nature is given space to catch its breath and sometime in March, regular guests can start building their own Bakkum refuge again. Of which: the country houses on the coast are often more beautiful than our own house. And that alone makes it so much fun. And: there is always a friend to play with. Fun creative and sporting activities are organized for the kids, as well as shows in the open-air theater.
At the campsite is pizzeria Op de Hoek. Here you can get a nice cup of coffee and eat a pizza from the wood-fired oven (they are really very good). During the day you eat tasty sandwiches and in the evening pizzas, pastas and salads.
A cozy campsite in the heart of Brabant. You sleep here in an attractive atmosphere bell tents for up to five people. While the children play outside or participate in fun activities, the parents can enjoy the Brabant cosiness on the outdoor terrace of Bistro The Good Life or take a moment for yourself by taking a yoga class. Don't feel like cooking yourself? No problem. You can also enjoy lunch/drinks/dinner at the bistro. If you feel like exploring the area around the campsite, you can go to Eindhoven or Den Bosch for a day. Or surprise the kids with the Efteling. They like it. Promise.
Who keeps you don't like alpacas? Those faces are just too sweet and trust us when we say that a holiday/week to Farmcamps Alpaca Vorstenbosch make children's dreams come true (secretly ours too). Glamping on an alpaca farm and sleeping in safari tents. What can you do here? Meet the animals of course. The kids can earn a BoerenKnecht diploma by carrying out assignments from the BoerenPaspoort. You will also find a play barn, mud kitchen, sandpit and more. And when you arrive, a cozy campfire will be organized and it is pizza night - yum! Breakfast will be delivered to your tent by farmer Anne or farmer Willem. Fresh eggs, bread and juices. In the evening you can enjoy yourself barbecuing with a real meat package from the butcher and of course all kinds of tasty treats for the kids. Oh and you can get one for the kids children's overalls rent. It is not only very cute, but also useful. You have to wash less often. We like it.
A wonderful spot in Zeeland where young and old can enjoy a holiday/weekend away. Picture this: a camping spot near the playground or a quieter location in the orchard. Or choose a luxury option and sleep in an outdoor suite with a real hotel feeling. But hey… For the real campers among us, you can of course also sleep in Bell tents (in the summer months). Sounds good to us. Our Outdoor is a large play paradise for the kids. Playing hide and seek in the tunnel, roasting marshmallows at the campfire in the evening and cooking in the mud kitchen, ha! And when the kids are so busy, the parents can enjoy the wellness with sauna, steam bath, follow a yoga lesson or enjoy the sun on the garden terrace of the Huyskamer. After a long day you can relax here or in the indoor area of the Huyskamer and try out the Zeeland delicacies. Kudos. The campsite tries to produce as little waste as possible and to be sustainable. We think that's good.
On to Arnhem where Camping de Rijnoever can be found in Oosterbeek. The atmosphere, the decoration, the whole thing vibe is everything you look for in a campsite. You can reserve a pitch for your tent, or you can sleep in a comfortably furnished gypsy wagon, retro caravan or boat on the shore. There are a number of beautiful places on the water for smaller tents. And why this should certainly not be missing from this list is the wide range of options available for children: there is a playground with climbing frames, a table tennis table, trampoline and a multi-field where various sports can be practiced. And the best of all is of course the Rhine, where you can swim in the summer because the river is not flowing because the dams are closed. The beaches where the campsite is located are only for camping guests, so you still have some privacy. You can get a small tent spot for 11 euros per night.
