Regions in Brief

Zierikzee

48km (30 miles) SW of Rotterdam

This harbor town on the Oosterschelde (Eastern Schelde) shore of the former one-time islands, now joined together, of Schouwen and Duiveland, is reputedly the best-preserved town in the Netherlands. Just big enough (pop. 11,000) to escape the "sleepy" category, it's still guarded by the town walls constructed during the Middle Ages and has elegant whitewashed 16th- to 18th-century houses.

Getting There -- Buses arrive every hour from outside the rail station in nearby Goes. By car from Rotterdam, take A29 and N59 south and west. An alternative route, skirting the coast, is N57 south to the junction with N59, and then east on this road into town.

Visitor Information -- VVV Zierikzee, Nieuwe Haven 7, 4301 DG Zierikzee (tel. 0900/202-0233; fax 0111/417-273; www.vvvschouwenduiveland.nl), is at the harbor.

Attractions -- Strolling Zierikzee's narrow, cobblestone streets, you'll find it easy to imagine the everyday life of its citizens in earlier times, especially if you're here for a colorful Thursday market day. The entrance to the old harbor is guarded by two impressive fortified gates, the 14th- to 15th-century Zuidhavenpoort on the south side of the waterway, and the 15th- to 16th-century Noordhavenpoort on the north side.

In the center of the Old Town, the Stadhuis (Town Hall) began around 1550 as a covered market. Its carillon tinkles merrily at frequent intervals. The Stadhuismuseum, Meelstraat 6 (tel. 0111/454-454) inside traces the town's history through archaeological finds and other relics. It's open May to November, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm. Admission is 2€ ($2.50) for adults, 1€ ($1.25) for seniors and children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under 6.

On the corner of Poststraat, across from the Town Hall, is the oldest house in town, the 14th-century Huis De Haene (or Templiershuis). Look for the Sint-Lievensmonstertoren (Great Tower) on the cathedral, west of the Town Hall. This 60m-tall (197-ft.) tower, begun in 1454, is actually incomplete, since townspeople lacked the funds to take it to its planned 204m (670-ft.) height.

Zierikzee's rich history as a maritime trading town is presented by way of antique model ships and other exhibits at the Maritiem Museum, Mol 25 (tel. 0111/454-464), across from the Town Hall in the 16th-century 's-Gravensteen building. This was originally the town prison, and its upstairs cells still bear the marks of prisoners who carved their names and other graffiti on the oak walls. It's open April to October, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm; November to March, school vacations only from 10am to 5pm (closed Jan 1 and Dec 25). Admission is 2€ ($2.50) for adults, 1€ ($1.25) for seniors and children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under 6.

Around Schouwen-Duiveland

On a wide Zeeland horizon from which an occasional church steeple rises amid a hazy cluster of red-roofed houses, the former islands of Schouwen and Duiveland are great places to explore by bicycle or car. The handsome little village of Dreischor, 7km (4 miles) north of Zierikzee, is a good target for an excursion. It's ringed by a canal and has a 14th- to 15th-century church with a leaning tower at its heart.

Approximately 17km (11 miles) west of Zierikzee is a great North Sea beach backed by sea dunes, centered on the resort of Nieuw-Haamstede. It curves around from Westenschouwen in the south to Renesse in the north. Many summer visitors' activities in Zeeland stretch no farther than a stint on this beach. At Westenschouwen is the northern access to the monumental Eastern Schelde Storm Surge Barrier .

The Oosterschelde estuary is an important feeding ground and stopover point for migrating birds, and bird-watchers flock to these parts to admire them.

The Delta Works

For as long as people have lived in Zeeland and in the parts of neighboring provinces that together form the delta of the rivers Rhine, Maas, Waal, and Schelde, their tenancy depended on nature's consent. But on a cold, dark morning -- February 1, 1953 -- that consent was withdrawn. A fierce hurricane sent the North Sea surging across the land to a record depth of 4.6m (15 ft.), drowning more than 1,800 people.

Following the disaster, construction began on a massive system of dams, dikes, sluice gates, and storm-surge barriers, known collectively as the Deltawerken (Delta Works). This colossal feat of engineering aimed to prevent a repeat performance. It took 3 decades of dredging, dumping, towing, and building to create the network's component parts. Dams on the seaward side close off the former Haringvliet and Grevelingenmeer inlets, now lakes, and more dams protect the mainland coast.

The most impressive among the engineering marvels of the Delta Works is the Eastern Schelde Storm Surge Barrier -- a tongue-twisting Oosterscheldestormvloedkering in Dutch. This string of 65 gigantic sluice-gates across the tidal inlet between Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland can be opened and closed as storms and tidal variations demand. The barrier's towers support a four-lane highway.

Middelburg

74km (46 miles) SW of Rotterdam; 27km (17 miles) SW of Zierikzee

At the center of Zeeland is Walcheren (often still called Walcheren Island even though it has long been connected to the mainland), which holds the bustling provincial capital, Middelburg (pop. 40,000). A medieval town that has restored its 1,000 historical landmarks so successfully you'd think they've stood undisturbed through the centuries, it began as a 9th-century fortress, erected as a defense against Viking raiders. The fortifications expanded into a settlement around 1150, when an abbey was established.

On Middelburg's colorful market day, Thursday, you can mingle in the Markt square with locals, some of whom wear traditional dress.

Getting There -- Trains arrive every hour from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and other points. By car, take A29 and N259 south from Rotterdam to Bergen op Zoom, and then go west on A58/E312.

Visitor Information -- Tourist Shop Middelburg is at Markt 65C, 4331 LK Middelburg (tel. 0118/674-300; fax 0118/674-333; www.touristshop.nl), across from the Town Hall. The office is open Monday from 1 to 5pm, and Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30am to 5pm.

Attractions -- Middelburg sights you shouldn't miss include the picturesque streets of Spanjaardstraat, crowned by the monumental Oostkerk (East Church), Kuiperspoort, and Bellinkstraat; the 1559 Vismarkt (Fish Market), with its Doric columns and little auctioneers' houses, where Thursdays in summer are arts and crafts market days; the Blauwepoort (Blue Gate); and the Koepoort (Cow Gate).

The side facing the market square of the elaborate Stadhuis (Town Hall), Markt (tel. 0118/675-450), is Gothic and dates from the 15th century; the Noordstraat side, from the 17th and 18th centuries, is classic in style. Inside are Belgian tapestries from the 1600s, 17th-century Makkum tiles, and the Middelburg coat of arms. The banquet hall, originally the first cloth market in the Netherlands, is now used for official receptions and an occasional concert. The doors to the left of the main entrance open to the spacious vaulted Vleeshal (Meat Hall), which hosts contemporary art exhibits. The Town Hall is open for guided tours April to October, daily at 11:30am and 3:15pm. Admission is 3.95€ ($4.95) for adults; 3.50€ ($4.40) for seniors, visitors with disabilities, and children ages 6 to 12; and free for children under 6.

Veere

6km (4 miles) N of Middelburg

On the one-time island of Noord-Beveland, by the shore of a former sea inlet that is now a lake called the Veerse Meer, stands this charming village which was an important port for Scottish wool from the 14th to the 18th century. Those bygone trading links earned Scottish mariners the right to free hospitality -- a right they surely took full advantage of. Veere's streets are lined with houses and buildings straight out of the past, and its original fortifications are still intact, the ancient harbor tower now housing an excellent hotel/restaurant .

Buses go every hour from Middelburg. For visitor information, go to VVV Veere, Oudestraat 28, 4351 AV Veere (tel. 0900/202-0280; fax 0118/583-455; www.zeeland.nl), in the village center.

Attractions -- The Gothic Stadhuis (Town Hall), Markt 5, dates in part from 1474 -- look outside for the kaak, an iron brace that locked around a wrongdoer's neck to hold him or her in place as townspeople threw refuse and insults. Over the kaak hang the "stones of the law," which an offender was forced to drag through the town in penance. Although today it's stripped to the bare bricks, the Grote Kerk (Great Church), Oudestraat 26, constructed between 1405 and 1560, is awe-inspiring for its sheer size.

After a stroll through streets filled with venerable buildings, head for the handsome waterfront and the old harbor, which is now a haunt of leisure-time mariners busy with the comings and goings of sailboats. You'll pass the 16th- to 17th-century Schotse Huizen (Scottish Houses) at Kade 25-27, waterfront mansions that belonged to Scottish wool merchants, and arrive finally at the cannon-studded Campveerse Toren (Campveer Tower), dating from around 1500, which was the key to the harbor defenses.

The Zeeland Riviera -- The western shore of Walcheren is a string of delightful small seaside villages, often called the Zeeland Riviera because of its long stretches of wide, white-sand beaches. A few miles northwest of Vlissingen are Koudekerke, Westkapelle, and Domburg -- all family-oriented resorts. Beaches are safe for swimming, and there are activities aplenty, including boating, golf, tennis, fishing, and walks in wooded areas near the beaches. This prime vacation country abounds with accommodations, including upscale hotels, bungalows, rustic cabins, and camping sites.

Vlissingen

6km (4 miles) S of Middelburg

The port town of Vlissingen (in English the name translates to Flushing) is a popular resort.

Getting There -- There are trains every hour from Rotterdam and Amsterdam to Vlissingen, via Middelburg, and frequent buses from Middelburg. By car from Middelburg, drive south on N57. Passenger ferries cross the Westerschelde (Western Schelde) from Breskens on the coast of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland Flanders) to Vlissingen, opening up easy travel options from the neighboring Belgian coast resorts, and from Bruges and Ghent (but when going by car from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen you need to take the tunnel under the Oosterschelde from Ternuizen).

Visitor Information -- VVV Vlissingen, Oude Markt 3, 4381 ER Vlissingen (tel. 0118/422-190; fax 0118/422-191; www.zeeland.nl), is in the center of town.

Attractions -- In the Old Town, the Oude Markt and the neighboring 14th-century Sint-Jacobskerk (St. James's Church) are well worth visiting. Also, don't miss a stroll down the seafront promenade that's named variously De Ruyter, Bankert, and Evertsen, in honor of those Dutch naval heroes.

Yerseke

30km (19 miles) E of Middelburg

This busy little fishing port in the eastern reaches of the Oosterschelde is noted for its extensive offshore mussel beds and oyster farms, and for seafood restaurants that serve up these and other marine delights. Buses go to Yerseke every hour from the rail station at Goes.