Blaricum: Village History, Art and Heathland

Blaricum can be explored through a wide range of travel interests: the old village features historic farmhouses and winding brick-paved streets, while the Tafelbergheide has its own appeal, with a viewpoint, special plants and several trails. Art, local traditions and water sports at Voorland Beach add to the experience.

Heathland, Views and Trails

Tafelberg is the highest point in Het Gooi and has been set up as a viewpoint. The Tafelbergheide is home to clay pits: excavated hollows where special plants such as centaury, yellow-wort, thyme and rose pink grow. The Tafelberg and Blaricummerheide route follows unpaved paths and passes the Goois Natuurreservaat’s Schaapskooi sheepfold. The Tafelberg and Blaricummerheide pasture area is accessible to horse riders via a cattle grid and to carriage drivers via a farm gate.

The “Lammetje ontdekt de Gooise heide” adventure trail is designed for children aged 3 to 6, is about 1.5 km long and is marked with stone heath-sheep signs. Since 2025, the Tafelbergheide in Blaricum has also had a 1.5 km wheelchair-accessible nature trail. It is partly paved, has no steep slopes and can be explored independently. Both trails are therefore 1.5 km long; the adventure trail’s length is explicitly approximate. The accessible trail has a wheelchair-accessible toilet at the Schaapskooi Blaricum and an extra-long picnic table.

The Schaapskooi Blaricum is on the Blaricummerheide, behind De Eendracht restaurant, at Oude Naarderweg 1 in Blaricum. A visit to this site can therefore be combined with the heathland trails described above, without treating their different access routes and trail conditions as equivalent.

Village History and Memorial Sites

The old village of Blaricum is designated a protected townscape. Its features include historic farmhouses, village buildings, hedges and winding brick-paved streets. The Rosmolen is the last surviving horse mill in the province of Noord-Holland and is one of the very rare combinations of a farmhouse and an associated horse mill.

The tower of the Dorpskerk houses the Erfgooiersboom, carved in 1971 from a large oak trunk by Blaricum artist Gerardus Lanphen. A 15th-century Pietà can still be seen in Sint Vitus in Blaricum. The war memorial commemorates all fellow citizens who lost their lives as a result of acts of war during the occupation. Stolpersteine commemorate residents who were deported and murdered during the Second World War.

Art, Studio and Theatre

The Kunstbordenroute Laren & Blaricum passes 16 information panels in public spaces. They feature artworks by various artists who lived and worked in the villages. The “De Schilders van Laren & Blaricum” art-panel cycling route starts in Laren and runs mainly past the art panels in Blaricum.

Piet Mondrian worked in 1917 in the former colonists’ hut of the Atelier van Mondriaan; the De Stijl art movement also emerged that year. The studio is open to visitors only during Blaricum’s annual studio route. To view it from the outside, approach via Schapendrift 75. Het Theater Blaricum offers performing arts, from amateur ensembles to nationally award-winning artists. Its historic building on Huizerweg was built as a bakery in 1906; individual performances and dates may vary depending on the program.

Annual Festivals and Dates

The sheep-shearing festival at the Schaapskooi Blaricummerheide takes place every year on the first Saturday in June. The festival includes a market with stalls and food trucks. Kermisweek Blaricum is an annual five-day tradition that began as a harvest festival. The program includes the annual bareback ring-jousting event and a lantern parade; dates and program details vary from year to year. So check the date for the travel year you are planning.

The Blaricumse Wijnproeverij also takes place annually at several tasting venues in the village. Before your trip, check the dates and participating venues so your plans match the event schedule.

Water Sports and Open Space

Voorland Beach offers opportunities for surfing, stand-up paddleboarding and swimming; a lifeguard brigade patrols the beach. The water remains shallow for a long stretch. Public barbecue facilities are also available. For a different kind of outdoor experience, visit the park along the river in De Blaricummermeent, which features a sea of colorful flowers and sports facilities.

For the broader travel overview: North Holland.