Holiday apartment in Buren – History, water and the Betuwe

The fortified town of Buren, a medieval dike and a castle estate are part of the route of the Burensepad. The municipality of Buren lies in the heart of the Betuwe. The municipality features extensive orchards that connect with the area's historic sites and waterscapes.

Landscape and water

Eiland van Maurik is a lively area in the floodplains of the Nederrijn, where nature, water and recreation come together. In the nearby Tichelgaten nature area, traces of former clay extraction and brickmaking can be found. Wet meadows, thickets, alder woodland and ruderal areas developed in the excavated sections.

The Teisterbantpad opens up the landscape around Kerk-Avezaath and Zoelen with orchards, river ridges, meadows on river-clay soils, monumental farmhouses and the old Soelen estate. Along the paths through the Betuwe, agricultural areas, river landscapes and historic estates thus come together.

Paths and routes

The Rondje Landgoed Soelen walking route is approximately three kilometres long. Its starting point is at the car park behind Huize Aldenhage on the Achterstraat in Zoelen. Kasteel Soelen can be viewed during a walk around the moat; the grounds inside the moat are not open to the public.

The first stage of the Betuwepad is 18 kilometres long and leads from Tiel via Zoelen and Erichem to Buren. Another connection between landscape and water is the approximately 30-kilometre Water Rijk cycling route: it starts and ends at Eiland van Maurik and follows the Nederrijn and the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal over dikes, past marinas and recreational lake areas.

History and townscape

A walking tour of Buren takes you to the Weeshuis, the Prins van Oranje windmill, the Sint-Lambertus Church and through the historic Plantsoen. The former Buren Castle once stood on the site of the Plantsoen. The Plantsoen is a Rijksmonument, meaning a Dutch state-protected monument, and was created around 1860 as a public park on the former castle grounds.

The history of the town goes back a long way. On 8 July 1551, Willem van Oranje married his first wife, Anna van Buren, in the Sint-Lambertus Church. The Sint-Lambertus Church was founded as a chapel in 1367 and mentioned in 1395 as a parish church dedicated to Saint Lambertus. Maria van Nassau founded the Royal Orphanage in Buren by a deed of gift dated 26 May 1612.

In the entrance building of the general cemetery in the Plantsoen, the mini-museum about Buren Castle presents a permanent exhibition on the history of the former castle. The walking tour connects this site with other stops in the historic townscape, without equating the former castle complex with an interior area accessible today.

Museums, windmill and venues

Museum Buren & Oranje has been housed since 1988 in the centuries-old, listed town hall on the Markt in Buren. The permanent exhibition “600 Jaar Nassau en Oranje ten voeten uit” displays 148 drawn members of the stadtholder and royal families, as well as six centuries of costume history.

The Prins van Oranje is a round stone Dutch windmill that was built in 1716 as a grain mill. Grain is still milled in the mill using two pairs of millstones. The Buren Synagogue serves as a venue for exhibitions, readings, craft demonstrations and workshops.

There are also places with their own focus outside the historic town walls. In autumn 2026, Betuws Wijndomein will offer wine tastings, courses, workshops and culinary wine-and-food experiences. De Kortenhof offers guided tours on request along the fields and activities related to agricultural nature conservation.

Water at Eiland van Maurik

Eiland van Maurik offers opportunities for swimming and sunbathing. It has a beach, sunbathing lawns and good bathing water. Sailing, water skiing and fishing are also possible at Eiland van Maurik. In the Eiland van Maurik water sports area, WV Maurik operates a quiet, sheltered harbour with 120 berths.

When viewing a holiday apartment in Buren or another accommodation, you can compare the current offers.

More location pages

More location pages: Buren, Lienden, Ingen, Maurik, Asch, Beusichem, Eck en Wiel, Ommeren.

To the higher-level travel overview: Gelderland.