Holiday apartment in Maarn: Forest, Water and History

Holiday apartment in Maarn between forest and history

Maarn lies in the forests of Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. When choosing a holiday apartment in Maarn, the combination of forest paths, water, geological traces and places of remembrance is particularly appealing.

Zwerfsteneneiland Maarn is a geological monument in the heart of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Dozens of large glacial erratics from the penultimate Ice Age lie on Zwerfsteneneiland.

Paths, water and tours

The 7.8-kilometre Koeheuvels walking route starts at Henschotermeer, leads across the Koeheuvels near Maarn and returns to Henschotermeer through Maarn. The circular route links several landscape highlights in a clearly defined day trip.

The Koeheuvels are a walking area with varied woodland, sand drifts and heathland. They are also a dog-walking area where dogs are allowed to run free.

Henschotermeer is a recreational lake in the forests of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, inviting visitors to walk, swim and relax.

For longer tours, the fourth stage of the Utrechtse Mountain Trail leads from the Koeheuvels over the Maarnse Berg back to the edge of Maarn and ends with a path through the Zanderij. The 13-kilometre stage of the East to East Path runs between the NS railway station in Maarn and Cothen and can be walked in either direction. The different route lengths make it easier to plan a variety of hiking days.

Zanderij and traces of the past

After sand extraction for railway construction came to an end, Zanderij Maarn became a nature and recreation area. Zanderij Maarn is a varied landscape with water, steep sand walls and grassland at the edge of the forest; quiet walking paths are suitable for a short stroll.

The historic site on Maarnse Grindweg includes prehistoric burial mounds and an urnfield. The De Halm burial mound is one of the oldest burial mounds in the region.

Manor house, remembrance and local history

The Huis te Maarn estate has a Neoclassical manor house and coach house, built in 1915 to designs by the architect Jan Stuyt. Most of the estate is open to the public.

The Lancaster Monument in Maarn commemorates a plane crash in June 1943 in which the entire crew lost their lives. The monument is a bronze plaque mounted on a centuries-old boulder of pink pegmatite.

Maarn was originally laid out as a garden village and built in 1921 for workers who were employed in sand extraction for the Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The small houses had large gardens so that the workers could grow their own food there.

The “Op pad naar Maarn over de Utrechtse Heuvelrug” route passes beautiful places that recall the former use of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug by many wealthy people as the location for their country estates.

Information for your stay

Boek & Koek in Maarn is a VVV information point with up-to-date regional brochures as well as cycling and walking routes. This gives you points of reference on site for further walks and excursions.

For additional destinations to include in your travel plans, you can then discover Maarsbergen, Doorn, Overberg, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Driebergen and Amerongen.

For the overarching travel overview: Utrechtse Heuvelrug.