Hulst

Hulst is a historic fortified city (vestingstad) in Zeeland, in the Southern Netherlands, near the border with Belgium. With its entirely intact fortifications, Hulst is often seen as one of the finest and best-preserved national examples of a vintage fortified city. The main church in the middle of town was voted as the nation's most beautiful church.

Being very close to the Belgian border (just 3 km), the town has a lot of influence (and visitors) from Flanders. Hulst promotes itself as the 'most Flemish city' in the Netherlands. Its border location, cosy atmosphere and nearby beaches attract lots of day-trippers. Hulst is still missing from the average guidebook and thus very authentic, with very few foreigners (other than Belgians) having already discovered this hidden gem.

Understand
Hulst is the centre of the eponymous municipality, which makes up the entire eastern part of Zeelandic Flanders. The latter is essentially the northern fringe of the medieval County of Flanders which then became part of the Netherlands.

Zeelandic Flanders is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland, and separated from the rest of the province by the Westerschelde (Western Scheldt), which is an estuary of the Schelde (Scheldt) river towards the open North Sea. The Westerschelde is 5 (at some places even 8) km wide, thus forming a formidable geographic barrier. The only road connection to the rest of the Netherlands is the 6.6-km-long Western Scheldt Tunnel (the longest road tunnel in the whole Benelux). But this tunnel is located near Terneuzen, which is the wrong direction for traffic between Hulst and e.g. Amsterdam. And the ferry crossing the Westerschelde up north from Hulst (at Perkpolder) was discontinued after the opening of the tunnel. Therefore, Hulst actually lies in an isolated, remote corner of the Netherlands. The shortest and fastest connection to other major Dutch cities goes through Belgium.

At the same time, Hulst is adjacent to the so-called Vlaamse Ruit (Flemish Diamond), the densely populated area between the Belgian cities Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels and Leuven. Major Flemish cities like Antwerp and Ghent are very near. This explains the rather 'Flemish' character of Hulst, offering an interesting mix of Dutch and Belgian atmosphere. Flemish flags can be seen at several places around town, including one on the city hall. The local dialect of Hulst is also much closer to the Flemish dialects than to the Dutch as spoken in Holland.

After the 2003 municipal reorganisation, the municipality of Hulst came to include all the surrounding polder villages, from the Belgian border all the way up to the Westerschelde. Since then, Hulst has its own access to the beach.

History
During the Middle Ages, Hulst was part of the County of Flanders, which was part of the Kingdom of France. During the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648 - essentially the Dutch War of Independence from Spain), Hulst was on the frontline between Spanish and republican Dutch forces. It was repeatedly conquered and reconquered by both sides, until it finally came under control of the Dutch Republic. Its strategic importance was great, because whoever controlled Hulst also controlled access from the sea to the port of Antwerp. All this explains why the city was turned into such an immense fortified military bulwark. The military frontline between Spanish and Dutch troops running immediately south of Hulst eventually solidified into the border between the Southern (Spanish) Netherlands and the independent Dutch Republic. After 1830, when the Southern Netherlands gained their independence as the new country Belgium, the old frontline became the Belgian-Dutch border.

In the 1950s, Hulst became a magnet for Belgians, who came there to park their black money in Dutch banks (NL had bank secrecy at that time) and to buy things which were cheaper in the Netherlands. Butter was a classic example, as it was way cheaper in the Netherlands than in Belgium and a lucrative source of income for many people living near the border. The butter smuggle across the border was legendary, often via small trails through the forest (these trails have proven to be very useful once again during the 2020 Corona lockdown border closure, to cross the border without running into police checkpoints). Now in the EU context, smuggling has disappeared (or simply been renamed 'cross-border shopping'), but the local economy (shops, bars, restaurants) in Hulst continues to thrive on visitors from Belgium.

Get in
Hulst is much easier to access from Belgium than from other parts of the Netherlands.

By plane
The nearest airport is Brussels. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is considerably further and harder to reach, but might have better connections.

By car
Highways connect Hulst with the North Sea Coast in Western Zeelandic Flanders (Cadzand, Breskens) and, through the Western Scheldt Tunnel (subject to toll), with Middelburg (the provincial capital of Zeeland) and the rest of Zeeland across the Westerschelde. From Amsterdam, Rotterdam or other major Dutch cities, it is faster and cheaper (toll-free) to drive via Belgium (Antwerp). A highway connects Hulst with Sint-Niklaas, crossing the E34 motorway right after the Belgian border (connecting to Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent) and reaching the E17 motorway in Sint-Niklaas.

By public transport
Buses connect Hulst with other towns in Zeelandic Flanders. Flemish transport company De Lijn operates a bus line between Sint-Niklaas and Hulst. Dutch transport company Connexxion operates a line to Breda via Antwerp, with railway connections available in both places.

Hulst used to have a railway station, on the line between Sint-Niklaas and Terneuzen, but passenger traffic was discontinued in the 1950s. The nearest railway station is now in Sint-Niklaas.

By bicycle
Parallel to the highways, excellent bicycle lanes connect Hulst to the rest of Zeelandic Flanders. To get there from the rest of Zeeland, use the bicycle and pedestrian ferry between Breskens and Vlissingen. The most scenic route from Hulst to the North Sea runs right along the Westerschelde once past the port of Terneuzen.

The track bed of the former railway line from Sint-Niklaas was transformed into a bicycle path. It cuts 13.5 km through the landscape in a very straight line, leading through the forests around the border and the beautiful Waas countryside before reaching Sint-Niklaas railway station, where it connects to the F4 cycling superhighway Antwerp-Ghent. The starting point of the railway bike trail in Hulst is not indicated (bike signs to Sint-Niklaas will direct you to the busy and ugly main highway), but it starts immediately south of the city moat, at the Van der Maelstedeweg, right next to the police office.

Get around
The city centre is small enough to be explored on foot. To reach other places of interest in the area (Perkpolder, Saeftinghe, the Belgian border, etc.), a bicycle or car will be needed. Buses around Hulst don't go to those places so much.

Inside the old town

 * Bierkaai. The former harbour, which has been restored, bringing water back into the city.
 * Bierkaai. The former harbour, which has been restored, bringing water back into the city.

Outside of the old town




Do

 * Bicycling along the Westerschelde. From Perkpolder Beach, bike paths run along the Westerschelde in both directions: eastwards to the Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe, and westwards to Terneuzen. The vistas over the wide waters of the Westerschelde are great, especially at high tide. The bike path towards Terneuzen passes by several small, secluded beaches which are a lot less crowded than Perkpolder. All along the Westerschelde coast, one can admire the massive ocean-going container ships passing by on their way to and from the Port of Antwerp. Near Ossenise, there is a 30m tall radar tower for maritime navigation which can be climbed any time, free of charge. It offers great panoramic views as well, and is located less than 2 km west of Perkpolder Beach.
 * Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe (Drowned Land of Saeftinghe). Nature reserve in the easternmost part of Hulst, on the Belgian border and near the ghost town Doel. Tidal swamp, a bit of a muddy tundra. It is the largest tidal mudflat and salt marsh of its kind in Europe. Except for a small area around Emmadorp and Paal, walking in the nature reserve is only allowed with a guide, as the incoming tide can be sudden and dangerous. The area is very treacherous since large patches of land can be consumed by the tides within seconds. It shouldn't be explored without an experienced guide for that reason. Prepare for lots of mud! On the western end of the nature reserve, in the hamlet Paal, there is a small tidal marina and a restaurant ('t Schor) with great views over the Westerschelde. In Emmadorp, there is another interesting little café (Het Verdronken Land) inside someone's house living room, as well as the national park's Visitor Centre. Some polder land at the far eastern end of the park and across the border in Doel (Belgium) is being 'given back' to the Schelde, thus creating the future 'Grenspark Groot-Saeftinghe' (Great Saeftinghe Border Park).
 * Mountain biking in the Clingse Bossen. The forests to the south of Hulst, along the Belgian border, are a unique landscape in Zeeland as they are the only place not consisting of sea clay polders but of sandy soil instead. The forested landscape looks very different from the windswept polders so characteristic of Zeeland. Lots of sandy mountain bike trails run through these forests. If you don't have a mountain bike, the (paved) former railway bike trail also crosses these forests.

Perkpolder Beach
Perkpolder used to be the place where the ferry across the Westerschelde departed, but has since been abandoned. However, in the late 2010s, the small sandy beach along the Westerschelde here has been gaining in popularity. A pop-up bar emerged, which was later turned into a permanent beach bar/restaurant: Bar Goed (open every day 10:00-01:00, closed during October). The food is light (e.g. street food, pizza, burgers, wraps, although they also serve the typical Zeelandic mussels and oysters), the emphasis is on drinking (including cocktails) and the atmosphere informal. Sometimes, they have live DJs playing.

On sunny summer days, Perkpolder Beach is packed with (mainly young) locals and visitors alike; the vibe is one of 'Ibiza on the Schelde'. As the bar cannot handle such mass invasions of people, it has an outside counter and lets people take their drinks and sprawl out on the dyke or on the beach. There is a general sense of anarchy on the beach, and enforcement of coronavirus rules is non-existent.

Swimming is possible, although you have to be careful of oyster shells. The beach is best visited around high tide, as the views over the wide waters are better, and the low tide line of the beach is a bit muddy (tide tables for nearby Terneuzen can be found online). Bar Goed provides toilets and showers to wash off the sand and salt afterwards, which anyone can use, also non-customers.

The only way to get to Perkpolder is by car or bicycle (excellent bike lane next to the mostly empty highway leading to the abandoned ferry jetty). During summer, a small bicycle and pedestrian ferry also crosses the Westerschelde to Hansweert on the other side from the former ferry jetty (60 minutes sailing time, very infrequent schedule, not daily, quite expensive as this service is operated by a private company which also organises seal spotting excursions). Hulst municipality is planning to build an entirely new village complete with (holiday) houses, a hotel and a marina in Perkpolder (Project 'Hulst-aan-Zee' -  'Hulst-on-Sea '), so transport connections might improve in the future.

 

The nearest place to sleep is Camping Perkpolder. The hotels in Kloosterzande are about 4 km away.

Buy
Gentsestraat is the main shopping street. A (small) shopping mall can be found outside the old town on. There are several large supermarkets around there such as Jumbo (one inside the shopping mall, and another one outside), Albert Heijn and Aldi. Albert Heijn has the longest opening hours (until 22:00; 20:00 on Sundays - in nearby Axel, Albert Heijn is open until 21:00 on Sundays). In contrast to Belgium, all the shops and supermarkets in Hulst are open on Sundays, attracting lots of cross-border shoppers.

If you need a bike shop (for repair or to buy extra gear), there is one in the city centre, right across from the basilica (Serpenti Cycling, specialised in sports bikes - race bikes, mountain bikes, electric bikes).

There are no night shops in Hulst, but there is one in De Klinge (Belgium) on Sint-Gillisstraat, a few hundred metres after the border from Clinge. It is popular among local youth who go there to buy booze, as alcohol age restrictions in Belgium are more lax than in the Netherlands.

Eat
Most of the pubs and restaurants are either inside the old town (Grote Markt, Gentse Poort, Bierkaai) or around the former railway station. For fast food, there are several Frituur (fries shop), including one on Grote Markt.

Drink
Hulst doesn't have much of a nightlife. Drinking is mainly done on pub terraces during daytime, and (especially) on Perkpolder Beach (on the beach itself and in Bar Goed). The pubs in the city are boring, so definitely head to PP Beach for proper drinking.

Sleep
Most people come to Hulst for the day, so the sleeping options are limited. There are also some B&Bs in the area, and a few hotels up north in the villages of Kloosterzande (Hotel van Leuven, Hotel De Linde) and Grauw (Hotel De Zandberg), as well as several camping areas in nearby villages like Ossenisse and Perkpolder, near the Westerschelde beaches.

Connect
Despite being sparsely populated, the 4G mobile phone signal is very good throughout the entire territory of the Hulst municipality, also on the remote dyke bicycle paths along the Westerschelde. If coming from Belgium, your phone might only connect to a Dutch network once you are far enough from the border (e.g. in Hulst city centre). The Belgian signal does not work past the NL border. In the other direction, when travelling back to Belgium, the Dutch signal will last until the Belgian border.

Go next

 * The Zeeland North Sea coast (Cadzand, Breskens, Vlissingen, Zoutelande, Westkapelle, Domburg, etc.): great sandy beaches and dunes, historic towns and places of interest.
 * Sluis: another - yet much smaller - historic fortified city in Western Zeelandic Flanders, very near the coast (Cadzand) and also right on the Belgian border.
 * Terneuzen: the largest city in Zeelandic Flanders, on the Westerschelde coast.
 * Doel: nearby ghost town in Belgium, right next to the Doel nuclear power plant (the 170-m-tall cooling towers of which can be seen from all over the territory of Hulst). Only 19 inhabitants remain in this largely abandoned polder village, with most of the houses in a state of decay and spray painted full of interesting graffiti. The 17th-century windmill on the river dyke contrasts nicely with the nuclear cooling towers looming in the background.
 * Antwerp, Sint-Niklaas and Ghent: nearby cities in Belgium