Zeewolde: Forest, Art and Water

When choosing a hotel in Zeewolde, you can start by considering your plans for the day: forest trails and wildlife watching, public art, the beach or a cycling route each offer a different focus. The places and routes below give you specific ideas for tailoring your stay to your interests.

Forest trails and nature in Horsterwold

Horsterwold is a continuous deciduous forest covering more than 3,700 hectares. Its roads and trails are accessible year-round from sunrise to sunset. The forest is home to Stille Kern, one of Flevoland’s designated quiet areas. In this 1,100-hectare area, visitors can follow the tracks of wild Konik horses.

Two walking trails are each listed as 2.6 kilometres long: the Wielewaal, marked in red and managed by Staatsbosbeheer, runs through Horsterwold in the municipality of Zeewolde. The Natuurpad Horsterwold is marked in light blue. Visitors can see hundreds of different mushroom species along this trail. So the same distance does not mean the same nature experience; the trail markings and each route’s focus can help you choose.

The Stille Kern route leads to and around a large natural lake. Along the way, you pass the Tuurtoren and a birdwatching hide. The Tuurtoren is a 12-metre-high tower on Horsterberg with views over Stille Kern, and it lies on the cycling junction network. A bus stop near the Wielewaal’s starting point on Dasselaarweg makes it possible to get there by public transport.

Art and culture in Zeewolde

De Verbeelding is a destination for art and culture in Zeewolde. The venue has an adapted toilet for visitors with disabilities. Another striking work of art is Sea Level by Richard Serra in De Wetering landscape park: it consists of two concrete walls, each 200 metres long. The work illustrates how high the water would reach, up to the tops of the walls, if there were no dikes.

The Kunstroute Zeewolde leads to artworks both in the town of Zeewolde and in Horsterwold. This sets it apart from visiting a single artwork: it connects art destinations in both of these locations.

Beach, water and active outings

Woldstrand offers several themed beach areas: a children’s beach with play equipment, a youth beach with the Atol, a surfing beach and a dog beach. A beach promenade connects the beaches; restrooms and a large car park add to the facilities. TOP Woldstrand is in the centre of Zeewolde, on the edge of Woldstrand. The Oud- en Nieuwland cycling route also starts there, at TOP on Strandweg. It is suitable for regular and electric bikes and is mostly paved.

Another waterside destination is Tulpeiland, a tulip-shaped peninsula in the Wolderwijd, off the coast of Zeewolde. A 200-metre-long dam connects the peninsula to the mainland. The Grote Trap cycling route offers a different landscape: De Grote Trap is an eight-kilometre-long nature corridor with a winding cycle path. The route starts at De Parel campsite, passes through De Grote Trap near Zeewolde and ends back at the campsite.

If you’re looking for more outdoor activities, children can climb, run, play and build huts in a natural setting of trees and shrubs at Speelbos Zevensprong. A paved pump track is located in the green zone between Kwartiermakerslaan and Gelderseweg. It is designed for bicycles, skateboards, scooters and skates. When planning your day, you can weigh up marked walking trails, art destinations, beach facilities and different ways to get active.

For the broader travel overview: Zeewolde.