Bicycle routes in and around Groningen
Cycling routes in Groningen
Cycling routes in Groningen
Explore Groningen and Drenthe by bike.
Did you know that Groningen is a wonderful place for cycling? From Hotel Groningen-Hoogkerk, you can easily explore the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe by bike or on foot. There are also various cycle routes to the city of Groningen. You can hire (e-)bikes from us for this purpose. If you have brought your own bike, you can park it free of charge in our bicycle shed. We have described our favourite routes as suggestions below. Please also ask our reception staff about the various options.
Fietsroute 1: De groene grens van Drenthe en Groningen
At the border of Groningen and Drenthe, it is wonderful to cycle in a nature reserve. You will also pass through picturesque villages such as Peize, Vries, Tynaarlo, and Onnen. In these villages, you can admire some centuries-old monuments.
Beautiful Peizermaden
Around Tynaarlo, you cycle through the best-preserved stream and esdorpen landscape in Western Europe. Imagine yourself 150 years back in time in this area of Saxon farms, fields on the rounded esdorpen, and meadows in the lower-lying stream valley. Between Ter Borch and Peize, you pass through the Peizermaden, a beautiful peat bog area with bushes, hedgerows, and rugged grasslands. To the west of the Zuidlaardermeer, you will later discover the Oostpolder, a flat peat area.
Drenthe churches
In the village of Vries you will find the historic village green, an open space in a village center on the sandy soils. Here you can find the Saint Boniface Church, of which the nave and tower date back to the twelfth century. Peize is also a village with a village green, where you can find the Paiser Meul, a corn mill from 1898. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the village was known for hop cultivation. Back at the starting point, Hotel Groningen - Hoogkerk, you can relax and enjoy a snack and a drink after the bike ride.
Bike route 2: Discovering dolmens from the city of Groningen
Special: just south of the city of Groningen, you can find a lot of dolmens. Discover them with this fun and varied route!
Dolmens
Just a quick coffee at Van der Valk Hotel Groningen - Hoogkerk and then off to the dolmens! The first dolmen on your route is G01, with an enormously large capstone. For a long time, this was the only remaining dolmen in Groningen. Until another one was excavated further north in 1982. At Midlaren, you will find the dolmens D04 and D03, together known as the Hunenborg. They are beautifully hidden between two old farmhouses, along a romantic sandy path.
City of Groningen
The city of Groningen is located on the northern tip of the Hondsrug, the megalithic region of the Netherlands. It's not surprising that they can be seen so beautifully from here. You also drive through the city itself. It's worth taking a break and walking to the Grote Markt. Don't forget to take a walk around the Vismarkt with its beautiful buildings and the Korenbeurs, where there was a lot of trading in the nineteenth century. Can't get enough of the city of Groningen? Then plan a City trip to Groningen with Valk Citytrip!
Bike route 3: Cultural history in the Groningen polder.
Groningen is known for its beautiful expansive polder landscape with lush meadows. You will also find small mound villages with large manor farms and surprisingly old churches.
The old Reitdiep area
After just a few kilometers, the endless vistas of Groningen can be experienced, along with the silence associated with this province. You cycle through the Reitdiep area, the oldest cultural landscape in Western Europe. This area has not experienced peat excavations and industrialization. Over 25 centuries of habitation and struggle against the water have created a landscape of mounds, dikes, locks, and winding roads. In the autumn, you can see large groups of lapwings and golden plovers passing through the meadows.
The rugged Onlanden
Around the Leekstermeer, the largest lake in Drenthe, you drive through rugged peat areas in the valley between the higher Drenthe sand grounds and Groningen clay grounds: the Onlanden. Here you will also find beautiful views over grasslands, as well as bushes and hedgerows. The route ends at Camping Stadspark.
Bike route 4: Piloersemaborg and church in Harkema
The starting point of this route is located at Van der Valk Hotel Groningen - Hoogkerk. You can stay overnight here and start the day with a nice breakfast before hopping on your bike. From here, you will soon cycle towards the Harkema church. Make sure to take a break here to admire the church and its surrounding moat, the ornamental garden, and the tea house. Take a moment to relax on the beautiful terrace and enjoy some food and drinks. Along this route, you will continue to encounter unique places. Further ahead, you will see Wierde Fransum, for example, with only one Romanesque church, one farmhouse, and one house. In the hamlet of Allersma, you will find the Allersmaborg, near the Reitdiep. The oldest part of this borg is the stone house dating back to the fifteenth century.
Bike route 5:Lovely walk around Leekstermeer.
You start from our hotel and take a beautiful bike ride to the hamlet of Peizermade. 'Made' means meadow or grassland, so it refers to the pasture near Peize. In the past, this was an extremely wet area that often flooded. You can still see water there: for example, you cross the Gouw and follow the Peizerdiep for quite a while. Around the Leekstermeer, you walk through rugged low peat areas in the valley between the higher Drenthe sandy soils and Groningen clay soils. These are the Onlanden, with vast grasslands, but also bushes and hedgerows. Along the way, you can discover the Dutch Grain Museum, National Carriage Museum, and nice terraces like Cnossen Leekstermeer and Paviljoen Pool Terrace by the Water.
Head of Drenthe 'On a Bike'
The "head of Drenthe" offers a variety of ingredients that make cycling a joy. A ride through nature reserves such as the Onlanden, the Fochteloërveen, the Norgerhout, the Mensingebos, the Beekdallandschap, and the Leekstermeer provide unforgettable impressions. But also the cultural heritage in Veenhuizen, the Mensinge estate, the mill of Roderwolde, and the archaeological monument Noordscheveld stimulate the senses of many cyclists. Therefore, make it a multi-day experience!
Use the Route.nl app
Offline walking and cycling routes
Sometimes you find yourself in places with poor reception. Don't panic, there is a solution for that. With the Route.NL app, you can also use your routes offline:
Open the route you want to use offline and click on the icon on the detail page.
Download the route.
You can now use the route without internet.
The app has an integrated GPS feature, so you won't get lost. You can zoom in and out, and the GPS rotates with you, so you always know exactly which direction you are heading.
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