The Best Hotels The Netherlands
Drenthe and Groningen
Heather and Forest, Beautiful Villages, Farms and Tranquility
Explore beautiful landscapes and visit traditional farm villages in Drenthe, wander through the fortress towns of Bourtange and Appingedam in Groningen or take the ferry to the Wadden Islands. With tour tips and the nicest places to stay in villages and the countryside.
Drenthe
Varied green landscapes wit heather and forests and old villages can be found in the province of Drenthe. Walking and cycling is a good way to enjoy this beautiful area.
Dwingeloo
Beautiful green village, with special 15th century church and authentic farms. Surrounded by the Dwingelderveld, a large national park of marshes, meadows and forests. In the planetarium (Planetron) in Dwingeloo you can watch the stars. It is nice cycling and walking here.
Hotel Wesseling
Brink 26, 7991 CH Dwingeloo
60 Euro. Family hotel, which has been in existence since 1962, beautifully located on the green village square (De Brink). Rooms in two separate buildings, on the ground floor or accessible by elevator. With a nice restaurant, a beautiful sun lounge and terrace.
Boutique hotel Villa BlauwHemel - Diever
Hezenes 6, 7981 LC Diever
From 115 Euros. Beautifully situated hotel in a renovated farm, on the edge of the Drents-Friese Wold National Park and 5 km from Dwingeloo. Comfortable rooms with private terrace, and there is a Norwegian/Finnish specialty restaurant.
Orvelte - Exloo - Westerbork - Borger
Westerbork
Most of the Jews who were taken from the Netherlands during the Second World War to Concentration Camps in Germany and Eastern Europe first went to the Westerbork transit camp. Also Anne Frank went first to this camp. An impressive place to visit with a museum about the Holocaust.
Orvelte
In the typical Drenthe village of Orvelte old farms and houses are open to visitors to view from the inside. This way you can experience how the farmers and residents of Drenthe used to live ages ago.
Exloo
Also a beautiful Drenthe village on the Hondsrug, a nature reserve (UNESCO Global Geopark) with a large sand plain that originated in the ice age. You'll find many dolmens ('Hunebedden') here. With a guide you can do all kinds of excursions. Such as a bike ride to the places that Vincent van Gogh visited or a prehistoric walk.
Fun voor Kids: Kabouterland ( Adventure park)
Zuiderhoofdstraat 11, 7875 BW Exloo (closed during the winter months)
Borger and Dolmens ( Hunebedden)
Around Borger and Exloo there are many dolmens ('hunebedden'). Mysterious burial chambers from prehistoric times (3000 BC) made with huge stones that were laid on top of each other. Some boulders weight more than 20 tons. It is assumed that these stones came to the Netherlands from Scandinavia during the Ice Age. In the visitors center in Borger you can find out everything about these graves and book an excursion.
Hunebedcentrum, Hunebedstraat 27, 9531 JT Borger https://www.hunebedcentrum.eu/en/
Bed & Breakfast Orvelte
Brugstraat 1, 9441 PG Orvelte
Sleep between sheeps and cows in this bed and breakfast on the edge of the monumental village Orvelte located in a beautiful setting. You can do a tour from Orvelte with a horse tram or a covered wagon tour.
Train to Zwolle (also a very nice city to visit), bus to Beilen and Orvelte
't Rond Bargie - Exloo
Polweg 3 A, 7875 CG Exloo
80 euros. Bed and breakfast in a renovated farmhouse on the outskirts of Exloo. All rooms are on the ground floor and have a private bathroom and terrace with a beautiful view over the countryside. There is also a room for 3 to 4 people. There are various nice restaurants in Exloo.
Groningen Province
Beautiful Villages - Tranquility - Vistas - Wadden Sea
The province of Groningen lies in the north-east of the Netherlands, with the city of Groningen as its capital. The landscape is green and flat with lots of agriculture and terp villages: small villages built on a hill with beautiful old houses and farms. The North of Groningen borders on the Wadden Sea. From Holwerd and Lauwersoog you can take the ferry to the Wadden islands. From May to October you can also walk across the mudflats to the islands.
Bourtange Fortress
One of the most beautiful fortified towns in the Netherlands and near the border with Germany. It was built as a defense work in the 16th century by order of Willem van Oranje. In the middle of the 19th century it lost its function as a fortress and became a farming village. Walking through the fortress you can see the picturesque houses, the church and the mill from the past.
You can sail through the canals with a canoe, rowing boat or electric "whisper boat". It is very nice to walk and cycle in the beautiful surroundings of Bourtange. In the interactive museum Terra Mora you can learn everything about what life looked like centuries ago.
Hotel Vesting Bourtange
W. Lodewijkstraat 33, 9545 PA Bourtange
75 euros. Cozy family hotel just outside the fortress of Bourtange. Some rooms have a bedstead ('bedstede'). With private bathroom and with rooms on the ground floor. Also 3 and 4 person rooms. With a large garden and breakfast with organic products.
B&B De Konik - Bourtange
4 Boerweg, 9545 TP Bourtange
From 85 Euros. Bed and breakfast in a farm beautifully situated in the nature reserve of Westerwolde, 1 km outside Bourtange. Everything very stylish and decorated with great care. Also a 3/4 persons room. With shared kitchen and living room and a large garden. You can enjoy cycling and walking in the immediate vicinity.
Appingedam
A fortress town that was an important port and trading place in the Middle Ages. With its narrow streets, old houses, canals and bridges, Appingedam is a very nice town to visit. Unique to the old buildings are the so-called hanging kitchens. When Appingedam was a rich and bustling trading city there was no place for cooking in the warehouses other than above the water, so the kitchens were separately added to the houses.
Places of interest are the Nicolai church, the town hall and the oldest street of Appingedam, the Solwerder street. With a boat trip you can see the old houses, bridges and hanging kitchens from the water. The boat trips leave from the Nicolaïkerk. You can also rent a canoe and paddle through the canals.
De Vijgenhof - Appingedam
Broerstraat 6, 9901 EK Appingedam
85 euros. Bed & breakfast in a school building that belonged to the former synagogue. Beautifully furnished rooms with seating area and terrace. There is also a studio for rent. Within walking distance of the center of Appingedam and the train station. The host can arrange a visit to the synagogue.
North Groningen - Pieterburen and Lauwersoog
The north of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland border on the Wadden Sea. You can take the ferry to the Wadden Islands from Holwerd (for Ameland) or Lauwersoog (for Schiermonnikoog). From May to October it is also possible to walk to the islands. From Pieterburen you can cross the mudflats in the winter months. More info...
Pieterburen
Village near the Wadden Sea, known for its seal sanctuary. It is nice walking and cycling in the surrounding area and there many rare birds to spot. You can also book a boat tour to view the seals on the mudflats.
In the Pieterburen Seal Center, sick and weakened seals are cared for until they are strong enough to survive on their own in the Wadden Sea. In various pools you can see the seals swimming. By organising activities for visitors and providing information, the center is committed to preserving the natural habitat off the seals, the Wadden Sea. https://www.zeehondencentrum.nl/en/
Lauwersoog
The Lauwersmeer National Park is a beautiful nature reserve near the Wadden Sea, with many recreational activities. Not only boat trips on the water, but also safari trips on land. www.lauwersoog.nl/en/activities
The boat to Schiermonnikoog also departs from here.
Tussen de Tuinen - Pieterburen
Hoofdstraat 79, 9968 AB Pieterburen
100 Euro. Quietly located cozy cottage in the village of Pieterburen. With terrace, beautiful garden and an extensive breakfast ( the owners are known for their delicious cakes). Beautiful area for walking, cycling and visiting the Wadden sea.
Groningen City
In the late Middle Ages, Groningen developed into an important trading city. The city center reminds you of this rich past. Beautiful squares are the Grote Markt and the Vismarkt. You can enjoy shopping and stroll along the canals or through the city park the Noorder Plantsoen with its ponds and lawns. Nowadays, Groningen is a popular student city. It is also a good base for exploring villages in the area.
Groninger Museum
Museum of modern art and many temporary exhibitions in a striking futuristic building designed by Alessandro Mendini. Near the station. https://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/
Grote Markt
The central square of Groningen dates from 1810. You'll find historic houses, the town hall and the beautiful 'Goud Kantoor' (Gold Office), but also cozy terraces and a market (Tue, Fri and Sat).
Martini Tower
A 16th century church on the Grote Markt, from the tower (300 steps) you have a wonderful view of the city.
Canal tours
With a tour boat you can view the city from the water. You can also paddle with a canoe or rent a Standup Paddle Board (SUP). https://www.sup2thepeople.com/rental-locations/groningen-189/
Shopping
In Folkingestraat and Zwanestraat you can enjoy shopping at all kinds of small boutiques: clothing, jewelry and curiosities. The larger chains can be found in the Herestraat. A Groningen delicacy is the Groninger cake and a nice shop with different types of homemade cake is Knol’s Koek, Gedempte Zuiderdiep 154. Almost every day there is a market in the city on the Vismarkt and on the Grote Markt.
Hotel Miss Blanche - Groningen
Hooge der A 4, 9712 AC Groningen
125 euros. Boutique hotel with rooms and suites that are all differently decorated. The hotel is spread over eight renovated monumental buildings. Some rooms have a terrace and beautiful canal views. Near the Vismarkt, close to the city center.
Round Trip Drenthe and Groningen
10 days to 2 weeks
Heather, Farmlands, History, Fortress Towns
Dwingeloo - Orvelte, Westerbork and Hunebedden - Bourtange - Appingedam - Groningen City
Stay the night in Dwingeloo and cycle through a landscape of heather and sandy plains, continue to one of the traditional farm villages of Orvelte, Exloo or Borger, stay 2 or 3 nights and relax in the countryside and wonder how the prehistoric burial chambers were created. If you are interested in the history of the Second World War a visit to the Westerbork transit camp is very impressive.
Travel further into Groningen Province and overnight in the fortress town of Bourtange, continue to Groningen city, enjoy this laid back student city with its spectacular museum or go canoeing through the canals. Continue further to the Northeast and wander along the small alleys and hanging kitchens off the picturesque village of Appingedam.
If you have time continue to the North of Groningen where you can take a ferry to the Wadden Islands or even better: walk across the mudflats to Ameland or Schiermonnikoog.
Amsterdam to Dwingeloo - 1 hour and 30 minutes by train to Meppel, then 40 minutes by bus to Dwingeloo
Dwingeloo to Orvelte, Exloo or Borger - 50 minutes to 1 hour and 10 min by bus
Groningen City to Bourtange (40 minutes by train to Winschoten, then 40 minutes bus to Bourtange)
Groningen City to Appingedam - 30 minutes by train
Appingedam to Pieterburen (a very nice route) - 1 hour and 10 minutes by train and bus
Groningen to Lauwersoog - 1 hour