Discover ’S-Graveland: holiday apartments, gardens and walking trails

Culture, gardens and historic estates

The ten imposing ’s-Graveland country estates served wealthy merchants of the 17th century as summer residences. The history of the ’s-Graveland country estates began in 1625, when a group of wealthy Amsterdam merchants decided to cultivate the area. Boekesteyn manor house was built around 1720 for Nicolaes Sautyn. Those choosing a holiday apartment in ’S-Graveland can plan their stay around these specific cultural and landscape highlights.

Impressive avenues of beech and oak trees run through the Schaep en Burgh estate. The imposing manor house has an orangery and a coach house; behind the house are a pond and an island. The ’s-Gravelandse Vaart is also one of the area’s notable historic features: it was dug between 1637 and 1641.

Holiday apartment in ’S-Graveland for trails and nature

Gooilust is a nature reserve with exotic trees and plants. The “Hoogtepunten van Siertuin Gooilust” walking trail leads through a walled garden dating from 1823, with more than 900 species of exotic trees, shrubs and plants. Siertuin Gooilust is open on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., from 1 March to 15 November.

In Spanderswoud, you can follow two yellow-marked walking trails: the ’s-Gravelandse Buitenplaatsen route, covering 5, 10 or 17 kilometres, and the 3-kilometre Hilverbeek en Spanderswoud walking route. A 17-kilometre walking trail passes eight country estates. Spanderswoud forest is particularly rich in mushrooms in autumn, while the Spanderswoud estate features a mixture of different garden styles. The short “Het rondje van Six” walking route near Jagtlust passes the manor house, the “twelve apostles”, a dolmen, a grotto and a walled kitchen garden. Jagtlust manor house itself is not accessible. The different route lengths make it easier to plan your day around your interests and preferred pace.

Hilverbeek combines open meadows with dense woodland. A walking trail near Hilverbeek passes the Stofbergen farm, dating from 1636. At Boekesteyn, walking and cycling routes begin at the Gooi en Vechtstreek Visitor Centre. The visitor centre organises excursions, workshops and activities for children at Boekesteyn and the other ’s-Graveland country estates. This means that in ’S-Graveland you can find both tranquil landscapes and specific opportunities for shared discoveries.

During the Pentecost days, an annual art route takes place as a cycling tour along around twenty galleries. This event complements the historic country estates and nature trails with a cultural cycling excursion and can be considered another area of interest when choosing your holiday apartment in ’S-Graveland.

More destinations to choose from

If you would like to discover other places besides ’S-Graveland, you can find Nederhorst Den Berg, Ankeveen, Kortenhoef, Oud-Loosdrecht, Loosdrecht, Nieuw-Loosdrecht and Breukeleveen here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Wijdemeren.