Wassenaar – Hiking, Culture and Hotels

Wassenaar combines walks with cultural and scenic impressions. In the old town centre, a one-hour walk passes 22 historic monuments; other routes explore the poetry route and the history of the country estates. The hiking landscape includes forests and pastures, an extensive dune area and a nearby beach. If you are looking for a hotel in Wassenaar, these different highlights can guide your travel plans.

Walks Through the Town Centre and Poetry

The one-hour walk leads through and around the old town centre. Its 22 historic monuments give the route a clearly defined theme: they connect the walk with the architectural and local history. This makes it easy to plan your walk around how much time you would like to devote to this historical focus.

The poetry route offers a different perspective on the town. It features 21 poems by poets who are or have been connected with Wassenaar. The poems can be seen on building façades, in the street paving and in other public spaces. While the walk through the town centre focuses on historic monuments, the poetry route brings literature into the urban landscape. The two options therefore differ mainly in the kinds of impressions you encounter along the way.

Country Estates and Historic Gardens

Three walking routes have been put together to explore the country estates of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands. Their theme covers estates in Wassenaar and Voorschoten. The Wassenaar Country Estates Zone is also worth exploring: it opened in 1961 as a large public park for walking. The date refers to its opening as a park, while each estate has its own history.

The De Paauw country estate was established in the 17th century on the site of two older farms. Ter Horst preserves a geometrical French garden from the last quarter of the 17th century alongside an English landscape garden. This combination of different garden styles is considered unique in the Netherlands. The contrast reveals different approaches to garden design: a geometrical layout on the one hand, and a landscape garden on the other.

Protected status is another aspect of garden and park history: the entire park at Backershagen is a Rijksmonument, a protected Dutch cultural heritage site. In the Dorpskerk, a family coat of arms on the lord’s pew and a funerary monument in the churchyard preserve traces of the Van Wassenaer family. The historical themes therefore range from the protection of an entire park to specific memorials in and around a church.

Landscape and Art in Your Itinerary

Those who want to focus on nature will find forests and pastures in Wassenaar, as well as an extensive dune area and a nearby beach. These landscape experiences differ from the routes through the old town centre and the country estates. When planning, you can therefore consider whether to give particular attention to historic sites, gardens or open landscapes.

Sculptures and plants also offer different highlights. The Clingenbosch Sculpture Garden features almost 70 works by national and international artists. The Piet Oudolf Garden at Museum Voorlinden blooms for three seasons and includes more than 60 varieties of perennials and ornamental grasses. These details describe two distinct highlights: the number and origins of the artworks on the one hand, and the variety and flowering season of the plants on the other. Museum Voorlinden can be reached by car, public transport and bicycle.

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