Discover Hilversum: Media, Architecture and Nature

Discover Hilversum through its media, Dudok’s architecture, photography, and paths through woodland and heathland. If you’re looking for a hotel in Hilversum, these highlights can help you plan your stay around your interests. The following places and activities offer different perspectives on the city, from interactive media experiences to architecture tours and longer walks.

Media and audiences

The interactive Media Museum at Beeld & Geluid explores how media influence visitors and how visitors influence media. It is accessible via Hilversum Media Park railway station. If you’re travelling by train, check the latest timetable, as transport connections can change.

Hilversum Media Park is Europe’s largest media cluster and is home to more than 100 media companies, with around 6,000 people working there each day. The Media Museum and media cluster offer different perspectives: the museum focuses on the interaction between media and audiences, while the cluster focuses on the companies and the people who work there.

Photography and events

Hilversum Photography Museum specialises in photography and explores its boundaries by connecting it with other art forms. Talks, guided tours, masterclasses, and special activities for children are regularly held alongside the exhibitions. Specific dates may change, so check the current programme if you’re planning to attend a particular type of event.

Dudok’s architecture

Completed in 1931, Hilversum’s Raadhuis (Town Hall) is considered the crowning achievement of Willem Marinus Dudok’s work. On a guided tour, you can visit the particularly remarkable rooms of this listed monument, which remain largely authentic. As booking details may change, check them before planning a tour.

Routes through the city and countryside

The 26-kilometre Voetstappenpad runs around Hilversum through woodland and heathland, and can also be walked in sections. Another option is the 8.5-kilometre city walk past notable Dudok buildings, which takes about three hours. These offer different planning options: a long route that can be walked in sections, and a shorter city walk with an approximate duration. The city walk’s availability may change, so check its current status before making plans.

Spanderswoud and Landgoed Zonnestraal

In Spanderswoud, nature has largely been left to take its course since 1981; dead trees are left where they fall. The area provides a habitat for numerous woodland birds and various bat species. Walking, cycling, and horse riding are all possible there.

A walk or cycle ride on Landgoed Zonnestraal takes you past the estate’s buildings and through its natural surroundings. Guided tours with a professional guide take place on the last Sunday of each month. Dates may change, so check the latest schedule in advance. The exhibition “Zonnestraal, Schip op de heide” (Zonnestraal, Ship on the Heath) presents the history of the world-famous Hilversum sanatorium designed by architects Jan Duiker and Bernard Bijvoet.

For the main travel overview: Hilversum.