Holiday apartment in Soestduinen: Dunes, Trails and Culture

When you choose a holiday apartment in Soestduinen, experiences of nature and culture can shape the character of your days. The province of Utrecht has designated the Lange Duinen near Soest as a geological monument. In Soestduinen itself, Landgoed De Paltz combines paths through the landscape with offerings from the Herman van Veen Arts Center. There are also routes for hikers, horse riders and cyclists, allowing you to plan your excursions according to your interests and preferred pace.

Dune landscape and early traces

The archaeological monument Lange Duinen contains traces of settlement from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. The Soester Duinen site on Monnikenboschweg offers another glimpse into the past. It is a natural area of shifting sand with flint workshops and remains of prehistoric settlement. Those who want to do more during their stay than simply follow trails, and who also want to experience the landscape and traces of early human activity, will find a particularly tangible theme for planning their trip here.

Landgoed De Paltz: landscape, design and culture

Landgoed De Paltz was designed in 1867 by landscape architect Hendrik Copijn and further developed in 1882 by Leonard Springer. The nature walk on the estate begins at the entrance gate on Van Weerden Poelmanweg, the N413, in Soestduinen. For this nature walk, parking is recommended in the car park on Soester Hoogt road in Soest.

At Landgoed De Paltz, the Herman van Veen Arts Center organizes exhibitions and guided tours. Numerous performances for all ages also take place there every year. This means that a stay in Soestduinen can be shaped not only around the dune landscape, but also around art, guided tours and a stage programme. Which of these options is of interest for your trip depends on the balance you want between activity, observation and culture.

Choose a holiday apartment in Soestduinen based on your travel interests

Several routes with different characteristics are available for active days. The Soesterduinen – Lange Duinen hiking route is 4.4 kilometres long, marked with blue posts and includes sixteen numbered points. Landgoed De Paltz also has a marked 3.4-kilometre hiking route. The two documented distances provide a simple point of reference if, when considering your accommodation and daily plans, you would prefer either a shorter or a longer hike.

The landscape can also be explored on horseback or by bicycle along designated routes. The De Soesterduinen horse-riding and carriage-driving route passes through forests and pastureland, as well as across the Soesterduinen shifting-sand area. It includes fixed riding obstacles. The “Fietsroute rondom natuurlijk Soest” cycling route also passes through the Soesterduinen shifting-sand area. When choosing a holiday apartment in Soestduinen, you can therefore already consider whether hiking, horse riding or cycling should be the main focus of your excursions.

Places around Soestduinen

Paleis Soestdijk is a palace in the vicinity of Soestduinen. De Hoge Vuursche, a castle, Landgoed Stoutenburg, a historic site, and Beverweerd, a castle, are also located in this area. These places broaden the geographical scope for days when historic buildings and sites are to be the focus alongside the landscape.

Heihuis and Voordaan are parks in the vicinity of Soestduinen. De Soesterberg is a hill nearby. In the wider regional surroundings of Soestduinen lies Almeerderstrand, a beach. The different place names and geographical areas provide useful points of reference when choosing your holiday apartment as a base for a mix of dunes, parks, historic sites and other regional destinations.

For further orientation, you can also include Soesterberg and Soest in your plans.

To the higher-level travel overview: Soest.