Tholen

Tholen (pronounced TOH-len) is a municipality and double peninsula in Zeeland, The Netherlands.

The town of Tholen is a small historical city, partly surrounded by a moat and partly bordered by a harbour for fishing boats and yachts.

Understand
There are three locations called Tholen, all of which are in the northeast of the Dutch province of Zeeland. These are the municipality of Tholen, which contains two peninsulas: Sint Philipsland is the smaller northern one, and Tholen is the larger, southern one. The peninsula of Tholen also contains the city of Tholen, home to about 8000 citizens.

The two peninsulas, Sint Philipsland and Tholen, were once islands located in the Northsea. In the 1800s, however, many acres of land got reclaimed from the sea, which ended up with both islands being turned into peninsulas, both consisting of mostly polders. Between the two peninsulas is the Krabbenkreek, a body of water that once was part of the Northsea. To the east of the Tholen municipality is the Scheldt-Rhine Canal (Dutch: Schelde-Rijnkanaal), which can be crossed by using one of three bridges. To the south of the municipality is the Oosterschelde estuary. To the west it borders the Mastgat and Krammer straits.

By car
When travelling from Amsterdam, use the A4 heading for The Hague and Rotterdam. At the end of the A4, head onto the A15 heading for Bergen op Zoom. Follow the signs to Bergen op Zoom, which will guide you via the A15, A29 and A4. Exit the A4 highway at exit 26 (Halsteren) and take a left at the end of the off-ramp. Following this road (N286) will take you directly to Tholen. Take the exit right after crossing the Scheldt-Rhine Canal to get to the city of Tholen, or stay on the road to get to Poortvliet, Sint-Maartensdijk or Stavenisse.

When travelling from Brussels, take the E19 to Antwerp. At the Antwerpen-Noord interchange, turn onto the A12, which will turn into the A4 once you cross the border. Follow the A4 and take exit 26 (Halsteren). Take a left at the roundabout at the end of the off-ramp, turning onto the N286. Following this road will take you directly to Tholen. Take the exit right after crossing the Scheldt-Rhine Canal to get to the city of Tholen, or stay on the road to get to Poortvliet, Sint-Maartensdijk or Stavenisse.

Get around
All major highlights in the city of Tholen can be visited by travelling on foot or by bike, which give the advantage of not having to worry about parking, as bikes can be parked just about anywhere, and cars can't.

The municipality of Tholen can best be travelled by car, though the flat terrain can easily be travelled on bike.

See

 * Krammersluizen: The Krammersluizen are the locks in the Krammer. These can be accessed through the N257 and N59, which connect the viewpoint to the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland, Tholen and Goeree Overflakkee.
 * The city/town centres of Tholen, Sint-Maartensdijk, Stavenisse, Sint-Annaland and Sint Philipsland have beautiful old houses that may be worth viewing. Tholen's city centre is fortified with a moat, which makes it stand out from the rest. Sint Philipsland and Sint-Annaland are located directly by the Krabbenkreek, divided from it by no more than a dike.

Do

 * Cycling: The flat terrain of Tholen lends itself perfectly to cyclists, whether they are recreational or professional cyclists.
 * Watersports: The towns right by the water often have recreational harbours. Enjoy Sailing is a boat rental company in Sint-Annaland. If you have the licence to sail a boat, then consider renting one and setting sail.

Go next
From the city of Tholen, Bergen op Zoom is less than 10 km away when using the N286. Via the N257 you can easily travel to Middelharnis (Goeree Overflakkee) and Zierikzee (Schouwen-Duiveland).