Vinkeveen: Lakes, Water Sports and History

Vinkeveen combines a distinctive waterscape with opportunities for cycling, hiking and discovering regional history. The Vinkeveense Plassen consist of three lakes: Kleine Plas, Zuidplas and Noordplas. When choosing your destination, you can consider whether boating activities, nature or historic buildings should be a particular feature of your stay.

Experience the lakes from the water

Boats are available for rent at various locations along the Vinkeveense Plassen. These include sloops, sailboats, fishing boats and catamarans; SUP boards, pedal boats and canoes are also available. This gives you a choice of different water activities, from a boat trip to paddling or pedaling a boat. There is a diving area near Zandeiland 4. Visibility in the Vinkeveense Plassen can exceed 20 meters.

Nature and trails around Vinkeveen

Located between Abcoude and Vinkeveen, Botshol offers a different landscape from the lakes: a Dutch fen landscape with peat lakes, narrow ditches, reed beds and swamp forest. Natuurmonumenten and IVN offer various guided excursions there. If you would like to include one of these tours in your stay, you can check the dates in advance.

The Bellopad is another option for a hike. The route runs for 19 kilometers between Mijdrecht and Abcoude. A section between Spoorhuis Vinkeveen and Gemaal De Ruiter can be walked in an hour. This lets you distinguish between a longer named route and a section with a stated walking time when planning your time for a hike.

Industrial and railway history

At Museum De Ronde Venen in Vinkeveen, you can see the Op Hoop van Zegen No. 2, the most important item in the collection. It is the last fully preserved peat-cutting, or peat-extraction, machine in the Netherlands. The machine is in operation on days when the museum is open. If this is important to you, check the opening days in advance.

Spoorhuis Vinkeveen also recalls the region's transport history. It was a station on the former railway line between Aalsmeer and Nieuwersluis; the station building opened in 1915. Another chapter of history can be explored on the Fortenfietsroute De Ronde Venen: it starts at the car park of the Toeristisch Overstappunt (TOP) Winkelpolder, Vinkenkade 2 in Vinkeveen, and passes forts, a defensive line dike and two batteries. All are part of the Stelling van Amsterdam.

Buildings and getting around

Architectural highlights include the De Ruiter pumping station and the Heilig-Hart-van-Jezuskerk. Gemaal De Ruiter is a Rijksmonument and was built in the Nieuwe Zakelijkheid style. The church in Vinkeveen was designed by Alfred Tepe and built in 1883. Together with Spoorhuis and the peat-extraction machine, these buildings offer different points of interest for a stay that takes in not only the landscape but also local and technological history.

Vinkeveen is on the A2. From here, you can reach Hilversum or Zandvoort beach via the N201 in about half an hour.

Discover more destinations: Mijdrecht, Abcoude, De Hoef, Baambrugge.

For the broader travel overview: De Ronde Venen.