TESO ferry to Texel: 32 euro return by car leaving Tuesday to Thursday, 48 euro Friday to Monday, 6 euro with a bike

The TESO ferry from Den Helder to Texel takes about 20 minutes, and a car with everyone in it travels on one return ticket: 32 euro if you go out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, 48 euro if you go out between Friday and Monday, a difference of 16 euro. TESO stands for Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming, Texel's own steamship company; it only sells returns, you cannot book a date or sailing, and nobody checks tickets on the way back. On foot it costs 3 euro a person and with a bike 6 euro, with children under 4 free; those two prices stayed the same when fares changed on 16 June, while vehicle fares rose by 3.3% on average. For newcomers planning an autumn day on the island, the first decision is which day to leave and whether to take the car. This is not a limited offer: cheaper Tuesday-to-Thursday fares are a standing rule.

• How it works: vehicle fares depend only on the weekday you travel out, with up to 30% off from Tuesday to Thursday, and you can return on any day; the discount is for vehicles only, as foot passengers and cyclists always pay a low flat fare. You can buy online in advance, and drivers who enter their number plate drive straight through the three self-service lanes. (source 1, source 4)
• Price details: a 5-return car card costs 152.50 euro and a 15-return card 410 euro, valid on any day and usable once an hour per vehicle; a motorbike return is 14 euro (11 on Tuesday to Thursday). On foot, 5 returns cost 13.50 euro, or 6 euro for children aged 4 to 11 and over-65s; with a bike, 5 returns cost 23.50 euro. Multi-return cards bought at the counter need a one-off 3-euro TESO card. (source 1, source 2, source 3)
• Who it suits: day-trippers who do not need a car on the island save most on foot or by bike; families with lots of luggage or who want to drive on Texel should travel out on Tuesday to Thursday; regular visitors are better off with a multi-return card. Since 16 June the car return has gone from 46.50 to 48 euro and the Tuesday-to-Thursday fare from 31 to 32 euro. (source 1, source 6)
• Before you go: drivers enter their destination on Texel or follow the signs in Den Helder, while foot passengers and cyclists use a separate entrance. From Den Helder station, bus 33 runs to the ferry and you check in and out with your bank card; the car park at the terminal is small, unguarded and often full in summer. (source 5)

Do the sum yourself: one trip by car = the return fare for your outbound day (32 euro Tuesday to Thursday, 48 euro Friday to Monday), however many people are in the car; without a car = number of people × 3 euro, or 6 euro for each person with a bike. Two adults and two children aged 4 to 11 all cycling pay 4 × 6 = 24 euro, 24 euro less than driving on a Friday and 8 euro less than driving on a Wednesday. If you drive over five times a year, the 5-return card bought online works out at 152.50 ÷ 5 = 30.50 euro a trip, or (152.50 + 3) ÷ 5 = 31.10 euro with the counter card fee, both below the Tuesday-to-Thursday fare and valid on any day. Put in your own group, transport and number of trips.

Where

TESO veerhaven, Havenplein 3, 1781 AB Den Helder (foot and cycle entrance)

When

No booking・return on any day・crossing about 20 minutes

Price

On foot € 3・with a bike € 6・under-4s free

Note

Vehicle fare set by the outbound day・terminal car park small and often full in summer

Hokimi field note: without a car, bus 33 from Den Helder station stops right at the foot-passenger entrance and takes your bank card, so you skip the summer hunt for a parking space.