Holiday apartment in Vinkeveen: Lakes, water sports and culture

Vinkeveen combines a distinctive lake landscape with water activities, a unique peatland environment and vivid reminders of Dutch history. The three Vinkeveense Plassen lakes, the Bellopad, Botshol and several historic buildings give you different reasons to explore the area. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Vinkeveen, you can focus on water, outdoor activities or culture, without limiting your destinations to a single experience.

Holiday apartment in Vinkeveen: Water, trails and history

The Vinkeveense Plassen consist of three lakes: Kleine Plas, Zuidplas and Noordplas. Boats are available for hire at various locations along the lakes, including sloops, sailboats, fishing boats and catamarans. You can also rent SUP boards, pedal boats and canoes. There is a diving area at Zandeiland 4 on the Vinkeveense Plassen. Visibility in the Vinkeveense Plassen can exceed 20 metres.

Vinkeveen can also be explored by bicycle with a focus on its history. The Fortenfietsroute De Ronde Venen starts at the car park of the Toeristisch Overstappunt TOP Winkelpolder at Vinkenkade 2 in Vinkeveen. It passes forts, a line dike and two batteries, all of which were part of the Stelling van Amsterdam. In this way, the route combines physical activity with notable elements of this historic defensive line.

The Bellopad is a 19-kilometre hiking trail between Mijdrecht and Abcoude. The section between Spoorhuis Vinkeveen and Gemaal De Ruiter can be walked in one hour. The different figures for the total distance and the individual section help you better assess the scope of a day of hiking.

Industrial history and architectural heritage in Vinkeveen

The Op Hoop van Zegen No. 2 is the last completely preserved peat-cutting or peat-extraction machine in the Netherlands. Museum De Ronde Venen in Vinkeveen considers it the most important piece in its collection. On days when the museum is open, the machine can be viewed in operation.

The electric Gemaal De Ruiter pumping station in Vinkeveen is a Rijksmonument, a listed national heritage site, and was built in the Nieuwe Zakelijkheid style. Spoorhuis Vinkeveen was a railway station on the former railway line between Aalsmeer and Nieuwersluis; the station building opened in 1915. The Heilig-Hart-van-Jezuskerk in Vinkeveen was designed by Alfred Tepe and built in 1883.

Botshol and paths through the peatland

Botshol, located between Abcoude and Vinkeveen, is a Dutch low-lying peatland landscape with peat lakes, narrow ditches, reed beds and swamp woodland. In this area, Natuurmonumenten and IVN offer various guided excursions. Alongside the open waters of the Vinkeveense Plassen, this provides a focus on a small-scale landscape with its own distinctive character.

Getting there and other ideas for exploring the area

Vinkeveen is located on the A2. Via the N201, you can reach Hilversum or Zandvoort beach from Vinkeveen in about half an hour. These different orientations may play a role in choosing your accommodation: depending on your travel plans, you can focus on lakes and water sports, hiking trails, architectural heritage or exploring the landscape.

If you would like to consider other places for your travel planning, you can also find Baambrugge, De Hoef, Mijdrecht and Abcoude here.

For the higher-level travel overview: De Ronde Venen.