Hansaeatic towns in The Netherlands

Your cycling holiday starts in Arnhem, capital of Gelderland province and City of Fashion & Design. Working-class neighbourhood Klarendal has become the place-to-be for designers, artists and artisans, clustered together in Modekwartier (the Fashion District) full of hip stores and studios. Arnhem is also loved for its city parks and green surroundings. In fact, it is known as the Gateway to Veluwe Forest.

Today you have two options. If you choose to linger in Arnhem in the morning, you may want to take the shorter route. The most famous museum in Arnhem is the Openluchtmuseum, a national open-air museum of cultural history focused on the everyday lives of ordinary people and the actual buildings they lived and worked in. Another popular attraction is the fabulous Burgers Zoo. When you are ready to go, leave the city of Arnhem through lovely Sonsbeek Park.

The short route takes you through the forests of National Park Veluwezoom to Rozendaalse Veld. This beautiful mosaic of heathers and sanddrifts is created by a traditional way of farming called the Potstalsysteem. Just a bit more then a century ago, most of the highlands of The Netherlands looked like this. Sheep and cattle are indispensable to maintain this landscape, so you might very well encounter them.

The long route passes through less known and therefore more quiet heath and woodlands as well as romantic villages in the transition landscape between the forest and the meadows along the IJssel River.

Both routes continue through the rolling hills of Veluwezoom National Park. Although never really steap, the road is never flat either. Don´t forget to stop at the panoramic vieuwpoint next to Paviljoen De Posbank, where you might enjoy a coffee and a big slice of Dutch apple pie.

We have three hanseatic towns lined up for you today, so lots of history. The towns each have a beautiful historical town center, surrounded by (remains of) town walls and town gates. As for the enchanting scenery, the washlands of the River IJssel, adorned with wild flowers in summer, lead on to typical Dutch farmland, cropfields, homely farmsteads and windmills reaching for the skies. Note that many areas along the rivers are nowadays designated as flooding areas, in order to protect the villages behind the dikes. 

To the west, Veluwe Forest can be seen on the horizon. You will pass the pretty town of Doesburg. In Zutphen, see if you can squeeze into one of the sixteen walking tours on offer. The tiny town of Bronkhorst is very picturesque. It was developed 1000 years ago as a fortified farmers’ settlement. At the end of the day, a stroll through the center of Deventer is recommended and don't miss the historic Bergkwartier neighbourhood.

Get up early to continue your sightseeing in Deventer, a lovely town known for its bookshops, art shops and special festivals. The local delicacy (from 1595) is honey and spice cake, often eaten for breakfast. The place to savour it is coffee house Bussink on the beautiful Brink square. 

Follow the river IJssel further downstream and find out all about modern Dutch water management in the washlands. During winter high flows, the washlands are flooded and temporarily store excess water thus slowing the flow downstream and protecting the dwellings behind the dikes from floods. In contrast, in a few strategic places where it is necessary to move excess water downstream more rapidly, ground and vegetation levels in the washlands are kept low to allow the water to pass unhindered.  

After visiting the small hansa town of Hattem, cross the river to Zwolle. Surrounded by four waterways, the city has always been a busy hub welcoming travelers and traders from all corners of the world. You will find remains of a medieval town wall and listed buildings from the time the town was affiliated with the Hanseatic League.  

After breakfast, it’s time to go home, unless you opted for an extra day to “the Venice of the Holland”.

Leave the hustle and bustle of Zwolle behind you and follow the River “Het Zwarte Water” into the marshlands. The wide views of the marshy washlands are a world away from our every-day preoccupations. When you reach Hasselt, take your time to sightsee this charming place of pilgrimage (since 1355), boasting seventy listed buildings of national importance, silent witnesses to the time when contacts within the Hanseatic League brought prosperity.

Our cycling route continues to Zwartsluis. Proceed through the wetlands of Weerribben-Wieden National Park. It may look like natural wilderness, but it was shaped by man and is, in effect, an abandoned and overgrown peat extraction site. 

Your journey ends in Giethoorn. Nicknamed Venice of the Netherlands, this centuries-old farming village has waterways instead of roads. Tourists rent silent electric boats to cruise down the main canal looking at the farmhouses with thatched roofs and the lovely gardens.

All good things come to an end, even extended cycling holidays. End of program after breakfast.