Discover Voorthuizen: Forest, Water and Culture

Holiday apartment in Voorthuizen amid forest, water and history

Voorthuizen combines wooded landscapes, diverse hiking routes, water sports and a remarkable local history. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Voorthuizen, you can plan your days on holiday entirely according to your interests: with nature observations in the Wilbrinkbos, active hours by the water, family-friendly activities and walks to historic landmarks. This mix also provides helpful guidance when choosing your accommodation, as you can consider whether your personal plans should focus more on hiking, culture or leisure activities.

Nature and hiking routes around Voorthuizen

Wilbrinkbos is a wooded estate with a manor house, hedgerows, heathland, ponds and small peat lakes. Sundews, several species of sphagnum moss, cotton grass and marsh gentian grow on wet heathland areas. The Griezeveensepad passes through heathland and drained peatland landscapes, Wilbrinkbos and Boeschoterbos, along sandy paths and Hessen roads, beside the Hoevelakense beek and through pastureland.

For a set hiking route, Rondje Voorthuizen is a good option: The route is 15 kilometres long, passes through Wilbrinkbos and the Zeumeren recreation area, among other places, and is part of the Wandelnetwerk Veluwe. Its decision points allow you to put together your own hiking routes. The start and finish of Rondje Voorthuizen are at Ontmoetingscentrum De Eng, Rochetstraat 2. The Griezeveensepad is a 14-kilometre hike and starts at Eethuisje De Heuveltjes on Apeldoornsestraat in Voorthuizen. The different route lengths help you plan your day around the tour you want to take.

Water, Activities and Family Experiences

The Zeumeren recreation area is an official bathing site. During the bathing season from 1 May to 1 October, the good water quality is checked regularly. At Zeumeren, water sports include water skiing, wakeboarding and stand-up paddleboarding. Shortgolf Zeumeren has a nine-hole course suitable for families and beginners. Expeditie Zeumeren adds escape rooms, archery and geo tours to the activities; SchatEiland Zeumeren offers 6,500 m² of play area. Voorthuizen has an extensive cycle-node network for bike tours, with routes through nature and along historic sites.

Local History and Distinctive Culture

The Voorthuizer Braderieën have been organised every year since 1976 by the Ondernemers Vereniging Voorthuizen and take place on Hoofdstraat and at Bunckmanplein in the centre of Voorthuizen. During the Floralia Bloemencorso Festijn, a musical procession with splendidly decorated flower floats passes through the streets. The Monument voor het 1ste Regiment Huzaren commemorates the soldiers of this military unit who lost their lives in the vicinity of Voorthuizen as a result of acts of war during the May Days of 1940.

Architectural landmarks also give the town its distinctive character. The church tower at Kerkstraat 35A retains a lower section from the 15th century and a bell storey from the 16th century. De Zeven Bergjes on Hunnenweg is an archaeological site with three burial mounds from the Neolithic and/or Bronze Age. The Oude Pastorie dates from 1785 and has been one of the Rijksmonumenten since 1968. Today’s manor house Zandbergen was formerly the De Roskam inn, which Constantijn Huygens regularly visited on his way to Het Loo; Zandbergen is a country house from the first half of the 19th century with a preserved bakehouse and barn in Wilbrinkbos.

Getting There and Discovering More Places

Voorthuizen is served by bus route 102 between Apeldoorn and Amersfoort and by bus route 205 between Barneveld and Harderwijk. The Toeristisch informatiepunt Voorthuizen offers car, cycling and hiking routes for exploring the region.

More places for planning your trip: Terschuur, Garderen, Barneveld, Esveld, Kootwijk, Kootwijkerbroek.

Back to the main travel overview: Barneveld.