By bike

The Vechtdal is excellent for exploring by bicycle. The cycle paths located near the entrance of Resort de Arendshorst will take you directly towards Ommen and Vilsteren / Dalfsen. There are plenty of places on route to enjoy a nice lunch or a glass of wine. More information on cycling in the local area is available at reception

By foot

The Heath, in Lemele, is one of the highest points in the province Overijssel, also known as the Lemelerberg. The beautiful scenery and stunning views make a hike well worth it. There are many different hiking trails through the characteristic landscapes: moorland, heaths, sand dunes and pine forest.

By canoe

The river Vecht is a meandering river through the beautiful landscape of Overijssel. The river passes through picturesque villages, estates, forests, and heaths. Ideal for exploring by a canoe!  Canoes can be rented at the reception.

Zwolle – Capital City of the province of Overijssel

Distance 15 miles

Inhabited since the bronze age.  The modern city was founded around 800 A.D. by Frisian merchants. The name Zwolle is derived from the word Suolle, which means “hill”. Modern day Zwolle is still surrounded by a moat has many historic building and churches.  The ideal day trip with the right mix of culture and hopping.  Friday and Saturday are the market days.

Staphorst / Rouveen – The village with green window shutters 

Distance 20 miles

Started in the 13th century by monks. All the farms were built along the long road through the bog area. Thus, a lengthy row of farms was built, becoming the 7 miles long village of Staphorst-Rouveen. In many parts of the Netherlands this type of village is quite common. The farms are of the traditional Low Saxon type. They have green doors and window shutters. Most farms existing now were built between 1850 and 1910. Staphorst is famous for people wearing traditional dress. Furthermore, it is one of the most religious towns of the Netherlands. A large proportion of the population holds fundamentalist Christian (Calvinist) beliefs and oppose technologies such as television. This contrasts with the permissive, libertarian tendency in Dutch law. Nevertheless, Staphorst has a big industrial area with small, but modern enterprises; Staphorst grinds to a halt on Sundays and it’s best not to visit on this day; on days other than Sundays, tourists are welcome.

Elburg – A Quaint Medieval town

Distance 30 miles 

A quaint medieval town in the province of Gelderland, which has remained largely unchanged through the centuries. Elburg has remained largely a fishing and farming center until it was cut off from the Zuiderzee (later renamed IJsselmeer in 1932).

Fotograaf: Gijs Versteeg

Deventer

Distance 26 miles

Deventer is a medieval Hanseatic town on the river IJssel and one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands. There are many old brick houses and several historic monuments. The old city centre is the background for the Charles Dickens Festival every December. Deventer is also a great city to go shopping. Every Friday and Saturday there is market on the town square De Brink.

Fotograaf: Vincent Croce

Giethoorn – The village with no roads

Distance 40 miles

This idyllic village has no roads, and the only access is by water over the many beautiful canals or on foot over its wooden arch bridges. The locals use punters to get around and cars must remain outside the village. Giethoorn has 4 miles of canals and farmhouses with thatched roofs dating back to the 18th century. It’s no surprise Giethoorn is a popular tourist attraction and has been given the nickname the Venice of the Netherlands. Cycling and sailing as well as a guided canal tour are some of the many ways to discover its rustic charm. The village was founded by a group of fugitives from the Mediterranean region around AD 1230. It became well known in 1958 when it was featured in the film Fanfare, made by Dutch filmmaker Bert Haanstra. Boat / punts and bicycles can be rented locally.

Amsterdam

Distance 80 miles

Amsterdam is the capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The city is in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. Many Museums, beautiful canals, shopping areas: Perfect for a nice day out. Easy access by train or park and ride. Ask at the reception for more information.

Münster – Germany

Distance 84 miles

Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is a big German city with a historic city centre. Münster is a city that keeps its history alive. Houses, churches, and squares in the restored old town ‘tell’ tales from different centuries. You can reach many of the most important tourist sites in Münster comfortably by foot from the Prinzipalmarkt.

Zwolle – Museum ‘de Fundatie’

Distance 15 miles

Museum de Fundatie owns and administers a substantial collection of art, accumulated by Dirk Hannema, the former director of the Boymans Museum. This collection was later supplemented with other major works, especially from the art collection of the Province of Overijssel. The collection and other, temporary exhibitions are on show at splendid locations nearby: Castle ‘Het Nijenhuis’ near Heino and the Palace at the Blijmarkt in Zwolle.

De Hoge Veluwe National Park and Kröller-Müller Museum

Distance 52 miles

De Hoge Veluwe National Park is the largest actively managed conservation area in private hands in the Netherlands. The Park covers 5,000 hectares of woodland, heathland, peat bogs and drift sand. It enjoys a wide variety of plants and animals (deer, roe, wild boar, corsican sheep) and provides habitats to extremely rare Red List species. Together with the Country-residence/Museum Jachthuis Sint Hubertus, Visitor Centre/Museonder, Kröller-Müller Museum and the Sculpture Garden the Park forms a unique and (inter)nationally renowned combination of nature, art and architecture.

Kröller-Müller Museum

The Kröller-Müller Museum is renowned for its large collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh; here you will find a magnificent display of his works. The museum is also home to impressive works by George Seurat, Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Piet Mondrian and many other great painters. The famous Sculpture Garden of the Kröller-Müller Museum is one of the largest in Europe. The magnificent collection of sculptures is exhibited in an innovative way, surrounded by nature. Various artists, from the late 19^th century to today, are represented: Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Richard Serra, Mario Merz, Jean Dubuffet and Claes Oldenburg.

Fortress Bourtange

Distance 60 miles

Near the German border, in the beautiful Westerwolde (Southeast Groningen), is the fortress Bourtange. A unique historic fortification that has no equal. Present and past go perfectly together in this small, cosy fortress town. In 1580 William of Orange (yes the one who was married to Mary) gave the order to build a fort on the sand ridge in the Bourtanger moor, on the border of modern Germany. On the order of William Louis of Nassau the fortress was raised in 1593. Between 1593 and 1851 Bourtange was an important fortress. An agrarian village came into being when the fortress was dismantled in 1851. Only a few buildings still remembered the glory of yesteryear. In the nineteen sixties the county of Vlagtwedde took the initiative to reconstruct the fortress. The plan was implemented between 1967 and 1992. Ramparts were again raised; ditches were dug and soldiers’ barracks were built. Visitors of present day Bourtange believe themselves to be back centuries in time.

Netherlands Open Air Museum (Nederlands Openluchtmuseum)

Distance: 60 miles

The Netherlands Open Air Museum is a museum located near Arnhem with antique houses, farms and factories from different parts of the Netherlands. It is a nation museum focusing on the culture associated with the everyday lives of ordinary people. On site at the museum there are re-enactors demonstrating the old way of life. Among those demonstrations are paper production, linseed production and beer brewing.

Huis Doorn

Distance 63 miles

A pocket-size imperial court. Huis Doorn is the last residence of the last German Kaiser, Wilhelm II. After the German defeat in World War I, Wilhelm flees to the neutral Netherlands, and he lives on this estate in the Utrecht Hills from 1920 to 1941. Nowadays this imperial residence-in-exile is a museum. The original inventory is still completely intact and offers the visitor an authentic image of international royal residential culture.

 Paleis Het Loo

Distance 38 miles

After a thorough restoration, this former royal palace has been open to the public. The furnished rooms and chambers show how the Dutch royals lived and worked here for 300 years. The baroque gardens have a symmetrical design and are unique in the Netherlands. Visitors can enter the coach-houses to get a close look at the presentation of Dutch royal transport with carriages, cars, and sleighs. In those 300 years, the palace has had a lot of very diverse residents and the building itself underwent many changes. 

Foto: Paleis Het Loo

Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery

Distance 60 miles

The Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, more commonly known as the Airborne Cemetery, is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Oosterbeek, near Arnhem. It was established in 1945 and is home to 1759 graves from the Second World War. Most of the men buried in the cemetery were Allied Servicemen killed in the Battle of Arnhem, an Allied attempt to cross the Rhine in 1944, or in the liberation of the city the following year.

Sculpture Gardens – Witharen

Distance 5 miles

Gallery and sculpture garden with different exhibitions. There is a furniture maker, different sculptures, ceramics, and paintings. Free access to the site. Terrace with garden views. Perfect to visit by bike.

Gardens Mien Ruys – Dedemsvaart

Distance 11 miles

An overview of garden architecture from 1924 to the present day. 30 inspirational gardens with experiments in design, plants and materials. The gardens are a lifetime’s work of Mien Ruys, one of the most important garden architects in the 20th Century. There are special designed areas for exhibitions, sculptures and art.

Orchideeën Hoeve – Luttelgeest

Distance: 38 miles

Head for the Orchideeën Hoeve and experience an unforgettable voyage through more than 25.000 m2 of tropical gardens. Travel over adventurous jungle trails, complete with waterfalls, footbridge, and rok formations and discore many different species of exceptional flowers and plants, tropical birds, and magnificent koi. Observe thousands of colourful butterflies in the largest butterfly garden in Europe, daydream under a cloud of innumerable ‘suspended’ flowers, hand-feed the clownish lories, and unleash your inner adventurer in the spectacular jungle playground. At the same time, do not let the little monkeys, Red Tail Catfish and hissing snakes zipping by fighten you.

Tulip route – Noordoostpolder

Distance 42 miles

The largest tulip field area in the Netherlands! On average more than four meters below sea level, the bottom of the former Zuiderzee has proven to be very suited for the cultivation of tulips. The largest Tulip Fields are situated in the Noordoospolder. But also, the regions Dronten and Zeewolde have a lot of colourful tulip fields. During the Tulip Festival, April/May, you can enjoy the many milti-acre fields of tulips that bloom every spring in the Noordoostpolder. The tulip fields are vast, and the tulips come in many different colours and varieties. During the Tulip Festival you can visit the tulip show garden (located at the Creilerpad 14 at Creail) with more than 2000 different varieties or pich your very own bouquet of tulips in the special tulip garden. Enjoy a drink or some food at one of the many restaurants you will find along the way.

Attractiepark Slagharen

Distance 15 miles

Attractiepark Slagharen is an amusement park situated in Slagharen. It also contains a water park (Aqua Mexicana). The park is divided into two sections, connected by a Main Street which is lined with shops and restaurants. The park has more than 30 rides, including two rollercoasters. There are six themes: Indian, Yellowstone, New Orleans, Mexican, Wild West and Jules Adventureland.

Avonturenpark Hellendoorn

Distance 15 miles

Avonturenpark Hellendoorn is an amusement park situated in Hellendoorn. It also contains a waterslide park “Slidepark Aquaventura”. There are many different rides, like rollercoasters and wild water rivers.

Walibi Holland

Distance 33 miles

Walibi Holland is a theme park in Biddinghuizen. Walibi is a theme park specialized in thrill rides. It has many different rollercoasters and has the highest and fastest rollercoasters in Holland. The adjacent associated event grounds is the location of many festivals like Lowlands and Defqon 1.

Wildlands Adventure Zoo – Emmen

Distance: 35 miles

Wildlands is a zoo situated in Emmen. It’s divided in three sections: Jungola, Serenga and Nortica. Jungola is jungle-themed and displays butterflies, tropical birds, large reptiles and Asian elephants. The most prominent feature of Jungola is the indoor tropical rainforest hall Rimbula, which at 190,000 sq ft is the largest zoo jungle hall in the world and the largest greenhouse in Europe. Serenga is the African savanna section and is home to specis such as lion, zebras, giraffes, white rhinoceros, and baboons. Nortica is aimed at cold oceans and is home to polar bear, ,sea liion and penguins. There is also a large indoor playground called Animazia, which is home to an aquarium with species such as corals, green sea turtles and tropical fish.

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