5x advice for a relaxed long weekend up to 1-2 weeks in The Netherlands

The Netherlands is a beautiful country. Obviously I am a bit biased as it is my home country, but look at the pictures! Nope, the Netherlands has no mountains or waterfalls, but there are beautiful forests, heather fields, sand dunes, beaches, cute historical villages, castles, flowers, windmills, art and much more. So where to go if you have got about a week in The Netherlands and you would like to enjoy nature? Here is my top 5, in random order.

Wooden clogs on the wall at Zaanse Schans

Veluwe

The Veluwe is a beautiful green area in the middle of the Netherlands, part of the Gelderland province. The Veluwe is known for its beautiful nature with lots of forests, national park and more than a 100 lakes and pools. The right place to be for peace seekers and nature lovers! Hoenderloo is a great base to explore the area, right at the northeastern edge of National Park De Hoge Veluwe. The Veluwe is a favorite holiday destination of many Dutch couples and families, but it is big enough not to notice.

Explore NP Hoge Veluwe and and NP Veluwezoom by bicycle or foot, routes are clearly indicated or visit the local Tourist Information Office first to get a map
Ride your bicycle along castles in the cute villages, stop for lunch or a cup of coffee.
Check out the Kröller Müller Museum with its unique collection (Van Gogh, sculptures, etc.)
Visit Paleis het Loo (palace), its beautiful garden (open until Sep 29) and Kroondomein
Encounter monkeys like you never did before at the Apenheul in Apeldoorn
Horse lovers: join a group ride out in western style with The Mill Ranch in Ede
Enjoy a super relaxing day at Thermen Bussloo, the best wellness resort of the Netherlands
If you have got more time left, the Soesterduinen sand dunes are worth a detour

Stay @ Aan de bosrand (‘On the edge of the forest’) in Hoenderloo

For more information about NP Hoge Veluwe see the article Walk around Otterlo at National Park Hoge Veluwe for free – with Clog Path!

It is possible to visit the Veluwe as a day tour from Amsterdam, but obviously it is worth spending more time...

Kroondomein at the Veluwe (photo credits Wim van t Einde)

Male deer at National Park De Hoge Veluwe — Male deer at NP De Hoge Veluwe (photo credits Tim ten Cate)

Drentsche Aa

Drenthe is beautiful, peaceful province in the northeast of the Netherlands. Full of forest, heather, walking and biking paths, charming small villages, etc. We love to stay at authentic B&B’s in old farms, more specifically in the National Park Drentsche Aa. Use Gasselte, Eext or Gasteren as a home base and discover all the tranquility Drenthe has to offer. I visit Drenthe a few times a year, always a pleasure! Locals are friendly. It is becoming quite a trend to move from big cities like Amsterdam to Drenthe, to raise a family or start a B&B for example.

Walk or bicycle though the beautiful National Parks and forests, see map at the bottom of this article, the routes are clearly indicated
Swim and/or enjoy a picnic at swimming pond ‘t Nije Hemelriek in the middle of the forest
Check out the 54 hunebeds, prehistoric stone graves older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids
Visit Camp Westerbork to learn more about the WWII in the Netherlands
Relax for a day in the saunas and garden of Sauna Thermen Zuidwolde, there is a cave sauna!
Join a daily forest ride organized by horse riding school Manege Gass e lte
Go to Groningen, Assen or Emmen if you feel the urge of shopping
Lots of fun things to do with kids too, such as: WILDLANDS Adventure Zoo in Emmen, Pretpark Drouwenerzand (theme park) and Speelpark Sprookjeshof in Zuidlaren
If you have more time, consider a detour to Giethoorn, a very picturesque water village (warming: beautiful yet touristy and potentially crowded, especially in high season)

Stay @

De Violier in Eext
B&B Gasteren in Gasteren
Resort Hof van Saksen for families with young children

For more information about the Drentsche Aa (and beyond) see the article Drenthe: what to do and see in the beautiful and peaceful National Park Drentsche Aa.

Hunebeds in Drenthe are older than Stonehenge

Twente

The Twente region is part of the Overijssel province, in the central east of the Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. Enschede is the biggest city of the province, located in the so-called Twente region. A beautiful region that I try to visit as much as possible, really one of my top favorites! There are many areas where you can walk or ride your bicycle through beautiful pieces of nature. So relaxing! The people are super friendly too! Enschede is home of the Grolsch beer brewery and a lively student city.

Take a walk or ride your bicycle at De Lutte, Rutbeek, Witteveen, Hof Espelo, Buurserzand, Aamsveen, Haagse Bos, etc. There is even a 5-day pilgrimage called Hilligenpad.
Have a cup of tea and something sweet at Tea house ‘Sprakel in the forest’ in Lonneker
Visit picturesque Ootmarsum with many historical buildings, local artists, Open Air Museum
Take a ride with Holzik Stables though the surrounding area of Twente University
Sip and taste wines at Hof van Twente, one of the largest vineyards of the Netherlands
Sweat and relax at the saunas of Saré in Oldenzaal, a lovely wellness!

Stay @ Estate Wilmersberg in De Lutte (also fantastic for lunch)

Bright blue sky at Buurserzand near Enschede, the Netherlands — Bright blue sky at Buurserzand near Enschede

Walking around at Witteveen near Enschede in Twente

North Holland province

Alkmaar is the smaller sister of Amsterdam, located just half an hour north. The center of Alkmaar has those charming canals and 18^th and 19th century houses, fabulous shops, cheese market (Apr-Sep), nearby windmills, flower fields (Apr), beaches, etc. Visit other attractive towns and villages from Alkmaar by bicycle, car and/or train/bus. OK this one is not all about nature, but I don’t want you to miss the nearby highlights…

Enjoying myself at the Cheese Market in Alkmaar

Egmond aan Zee in november — Egmond aan Zee in November

North Sea villages Bergen aan Zee, Schoorl and Egmond aan Zee, Bergen restaurants
Go walking, horse riding or mountain biking in the forest and dunes of Schoorl
Visit the picturesque Zaanse Schans
Go to Monnickendam, Marken and Volendam with traditional Dutch clothes photo shoot, stroopwafel workshop and eat fresh fish (kibbeling, lekkerbek or haring) at the harbor
Hoorn and Enkhuizen with the Zuiderzee Museum (IJsselmeer used to be Southern Sea)
Go cow cuddling at dairy farm De Kastanjehoeve (‘Chestnut farm’) in Beets near the Beemster
Get pampered at Fort Resort Beemster sauna & wellness for a day
Texel island is gorgeous and worth a day trip but ideally spend more time
And yes of course Amsterdam

Stay @ Wolf Hotel Kitchen & Bar in Alkmaar

With my brother and younger sister in traditional Dutch clothes in Volendam — With my brother and younger sister in Volendam

East Brabant & North Limburg

Southern provinces North Brabant and Limburg are definitely the most Burgundian areas of the Netherlands. To be honest, I always feel like I am abroad whenever I am in Limburg. The rolling landscape and the accent I cannot understand. But I do understand gastronomy; food, drinks, atmosphere, celebration of life. And that is what you will get in Noord Brabant and Limburg provinces, plus several great nature areas.

Walk or bicycle around at the beautiful National Park De Maasduinen in Northwest Limburg, right at the border with Germany. It will be gorgeous in autumn colors!
Enjoy National Park De Grote Peel on the edge of North Brabant and Limburg
Admire the heather fields of either the Lieropse Heide (heide = heather) near Someren (Brabant) or the Leeremarckse Heide at Arcen (Limburg)
Visit the castle and castle gardens of Arcen, a huge collection of flowers and plats
Experience oriental style wellness at Thermen Berendonck in Wijchen, the youngest sister of the earlier mentioned Thermen Bussloo near Apeldoorn, but it is a bit far out; Arcen ther m al bath is closer but less fancy
Den Bosch (‘s Hertogenbosch) and Breda are my favorite cities of North Brabant, and Maastricht is a wonderful city in southern Limburg, but a bit far out to combine with the above mentioned natural hot spots

Stay @ De Maasparel in Arcen

Also the south of Limburg is a wonderful area with a lot to offer. Check out the article South Limburg: discover the remarkable vineyards and wineries in 1-3 days for information and tips.

Heather in full bloom (photo credits Felix Mooneeram)

The end of August up to mid September is a great time to go out and walk through the heather fields that are in full bloom!

More to see

Of course there is more to see in the Netherlands, a further selection:

Friesland province including the Friesian Lakes
De Keukenhof in Lisse (open March 21 – May 10, 2020)
Bloemendaal aan zee
Muiderslot and Kasteel De Haar
Heather fields in Hilversum and Bussum
Utrecht and Amersfoort
Delft, Leiden, The Hague and Rotterdam
Zwolle
De Achterhoek
Terschelling and Ameland islands
etc.

For other saunas and wellness resorts, check out my earlier article Relax at my favorite saunas in The Netherlands.

Autumn colors in Buurserzand near Enschede, Twente — Autumn colors in Buurserzand near Enschede

How to get around

The easiest and most flexible way to go around The Netherlands would be by car, either your own (if available) or a rental car. For rental cars, I am a big fan of Sunny Cars. Most Dutch professional travel agents use them for their customers around the world and they are SMART!

Personally, when it concerns renting a car, I would recommend Sunny Cars, an all-inclusive, worry free rental concept with affordable, fair prices, great service and no unpleasant surprises upon pick up or drop off. I am a big fan and use them all the time! In most countries the 2nd driver, free cancellation up to 4 hours in advance and all-risk insurance are standard included. Ideal, I use them all the time!

Rent a car with Sunny Cars

Alternatively there is public transport. Check the app or website of 9292, NS (train only) or use Google Maps for the route to take by train or bus. Make sure you get an anonymous OV chip card from the NS ticket machine at the train station to put money on, or another OV chip sales point. You swipe when upon arrival and departure of the train station or train track, this varies per station.

If you prefer to join a group and be guided and driven around, book a tour via Get Your Guide or Viator.

Texel is a beautiful island of the Netherlands

Hoorn houses (photo credits Alwin Kroon)

Map The Netherlands

This map includes places and spots mentioned in this article (and more). This one is ‘smartphone friendly’; you can easily use it via the Google Maps app. Click the icon at the top left to open the menu and see the categories. To adapt the map to your own preferences and interests, (de)select a category. Via Google Drive you can copy the map to your own My Google Maps account.

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Read more articles about The Netherlands in the Netherlands Blog Archives.

I hope you find this article useful and that it will inspire you to travel to the areas mentioned. What is your favorite place in The Netherlands so far? Please feel free to ask a question or leave another type of comment below!