Zandvoort is known to exist in 1100, called Sandevoerde (a combination of "sand" and "voorde", meaning ford; compare English Sandford).

In 1881 the railway station near the coast opened, followed by tram connection to Haarlem in 1899, which greatly increased the beach tourism.

In 1905 one of the earliest Dutch fictional films was shot in the town, De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort.

Zandvoort continues to be a major Dutch resort location, where nearly half of all employment is related to tourism.

The Dutch singer Willem Duyn's De Eerste Trein Naar Zandvoort ("First train to Zandvoort"), modeled on the American song Chattanooga Choo Choo and chronicling chaos and mayhem on the first seaside train, was a hit in the summer of 1983.