Holiday apartment in Venlo: museums, historic trails and nature

Venlo presents its history in unusual ways: the Erfgoud Route uses short films and QR codes to provide insights behind façades, as well as access to historic cellars and attics. At the Limburgs Museum, the exhibition “From Neanderthal man to city-dweller” presents archaeological treasures and an interactive journey through different eras. The museum is located directly opposite Venlo’s NS railway station and bus station.

Art and historic traces in Venlo

The Museum van Bommel van Dam was Limburg’s first museum of modern art and presents changing exhibitions of painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. It is housed in a former post office with a monumental, gold-coloured façade inspired by envelopes. The changing exhibitions keep the museum visit open to several artistic disciplines. The Duikbril window offers a special view of Venlo; no admission ticket is required for this.

The routes through the city centre also combine historic traces with art and literature. The Floddergats, the historic Keizerstraat, can be explored on foot or by bicycle. Along the street are artworks by Ger Janssen that humorously depict figures and dialect songs in the Venlo dialect. The Dominicanenkerk was a monastery chapel of the Dominicans and has been used for weddings, celebrations, concerts and other events since 2007. The Poetry Route is a cultural walk through the historic city centre; along the way, you can discover poems on façades, walls and buildings. The poems are spread across several visible locations in the historic city centre.

Nature, activity and special day-trip destinations

The landscape of Jammerdal was shaped largely by the extraction of clay and gravel. The former extraction of clay and gravel is therefore part of Jammerdal’s history. At De Groote Heide, traces of an important airport from the Second World War and restored historic fortifications preserve visible evidence of the past. At the same time, the area is suitable for walks and cycling tours.

For active days, Fun Forest Venlo offers nine courses at heights of 4 to 15 metres, with zip lines, bridges and a free jump. The Maaspaden Route Venlo is a 26-kilometre cycling route that starts at Wilhelminapark in Venlo. The 26 kilometres provide a fixed planning framework for the day in question. This offers various ways to experience the city and its surroundings: short discoveries on foot, a longer cycling tour or activity at lofty heights.

The De Groote Heide information centre offers ample parking as well as information about leisure activities and nature. It is a good starting point for walks or cycling tours through the nature reserve. The available parking complements the information about leisure activities and nature provided at the information centre.

Other places for getting your bearings in the region include Tegelen, Arcen, Velden and Belfeld.

For the main travel overview: Venlo.