Walking

A national network of walking paths enables you to put together your own walking tour quite easily. The routes take you through quaint villages and old towns while enjoying the countryside by way of mainly unpaved paths and roads.

 

Varied routes

LAW’s (long-distance walking paths) take you through the most beautiful parts of Holland. You will see woods and heaths, polders and country estates. You will walk through villages and old towns. Discover mills, old pumping stations, small chapels, farms, ports and many other interesting places of interest. Most of the routes are by way of charming country roads and unpaved paths.

Network
Holland has some 35 LAW’s. The total length is well over 6.000 kilometres. This network of walking paths is linked at logical locations - places you can reach easily and where accommodation is available.

Your own route
The network enables you to put together your own route. You can, for instance, make a day trip from Dieren to Velp in the province of Gelderland, along the Maarten van Rossum Path. If you have more time you can opt for a week-long walk along the Vissers Path from Hook of Holland to Haarlem in Noord-Holland. The LAW’s can easily be linked and made into a different or longer route. If you wish to walk from Rotterdam to Maastricht, you can choose from various LAW’s. It is up to you to select the routes and the landscape you like best.

Guided walks
There are a variety of guided walking tours organised throughout Holland, particularly in the cities. The advantage of such a tour is that the guide can relate all kinds of interesting facts about the city along the way. It is also possible to go on a guided walk in the nature reserves, though these are usually in Dutch and you are probably better off with a detailed walking map.

On your own
When visiting a city, it is advisable to first stop by the local VVV (Tourist Information Office). Here you can inquire whether English-language walking tours are available, or, if not, which detailed map would be best for mapping out your own walking tour. The VVV can provide information on which parts of the route are particularly worth seeing. City walks generally cost around 4 Euro.

Nature reserves quite frequently offer walking tours as well. These tours usually start at the Visitor’s Centre (if any) or central parking area. An information sign shows the various routes, together which the number of kilometres and approximate duration. These signs also give background information on the area. To walk one of the routes, simply follow the signposts.