Venlo: green city by the Maas

Sightseeing in the lively city of Venlo

New concepts and old buildings: the downtown district of Venlo is home to a large number of historic buildings, the origins of which date back to Roman times. But other epochs have also left traces behind in Venlo.

• The Sint Martinusbasiliek leaves a great impression with a row of Gothic sculptures, including the 'black Madonna of Venlo', and a city church tower from 1953. The previous towers were the victims of earthquakes and war. The church tower of today has a sleeker, yet more robust shape.
• The Romerhuis, built in the late Gothic style, originates from 1521 and is located at Kwartelenmarkt 1. You should definitely see the lovely house with the stepped gable at least once.
• The Venlo town hall, built on the marketplace in the style of the Renaissance between 1597 and 1601, is particularly impressive. As is often the case in Dutch cities, you can drink a coffee or a glass of rosé in the sunshine in lovely street cafes in the town hall square.

Arts and culture in Venlo

• In the Limburgs Museum, you'll learn more about the people of Limburg and their culture. The interactive museum deals with several topics: religion, cultural history, archeology, and image culture.
• The Museum van Bommel van Dam displays mainly contemporary Dutch art at various locations.
• The Mission Museum Steyl in the monastery village of Steyl presents ethnological objects, including 1,500 stuffed animals in meter-high glass cases.
• The Keramiekcentrum Tiendschuur in Tegelen (south of Venlo) is dedicated to ceramic art, which is expressed in colorful modern works of art.
• Hertog Jan – every beer lover knows this beer, which is brewed in Limburg, north of Venlo. The brewery in Arcen is open for guided tours. Of course, a cool Hertog Jan Pils is the crowning moment at the end of the tour.
• If you're already in Arcen, don't miss out on the Arcen Castle gardens, which contain 32 hectares where 8,000 wonderful roses bloom, amongst other flowers.

Things to do in and around Venlo

• If you fancy visiting the brewery at Arcen, a tour with the Maashopper is recommended. This ship regularly shuttles between Venlo and Arcen; the journey on the lovely Maas lasts an hour.
• As is the case with many other Dutch cities, Venlo also has a branch of the Holland Casino, where you can amuse yourself with roulette and other gambling games.
• Before that, you should visit a restaurant to try the cuisine of Limburg, which is famous throughout Holland. Even wine is cultivated in the hilly landscape of Limburg! You'll find most of Venlo's restaurants, many of which have sun terraces, in the area around the Oude Markt and the Kwartelenmarkt.

Venlo: an awarded shopping city

Venlo received the title of 'best city center in the Netherlands' in the category of 'medium-sized cities' from 2013 to 2015. Several large and small shops, between historic buildings and artistic spaces, invite you to come and shop:

• in particular, the weekly market on the Nolensplein is a popular meeting point on Saturdays.
• You can also go shopping on the Maasboulevard, where a row of fashion boutiques, delicatessens and drugstores offer good shopping opportunities.
• Another shopping center in Venlo is TREF, with around 25 shops setting up shop on its 11,000 square meter area.
• An unbeatable benefit of the Dutch shopping experience: the shops on the Maasboulevard and in TREF are also open on Sunday afternoon from 12 pm to 5 pm.
• The Designer Outlet Center in Roermond promises even more shopping fun, with 150 shops.

Venlo: green city by the Maas

An all-new project has recently been started in the green area surrounding Venlo: it is to become the largest wine cultivation region in the Netherlands. The first vines were planted in 2013, and 2015 saw the first bottle of Venlo wine being filled.

The national park De Maasduinen lies about 30 km north of Venlo, with the inland waters of Lake Reinder. De Maasduinen contains the longest inland dune belt in the Netherlands, as well as moors and heath lands where beavers, foxes, lizards, snakes and birds have settled.

Lovely trip destinations from Venlo

Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands. Today, there are excellent shopping and sightseeing opportunities where the Romans once walked. However, also culture lovers won't miss out in Nijmegen. Eindhoven is another city very well-known in the fields of art, design and architecture. However, with the longest pub street in all of Benelux, Eindhoven also proves that you can have a great night out here.

Many people know Roermond as the site of a large outlet center. What fewer people know is that Roermond also possesses a wonderful listed historical center. If you have children, it's worth visiting Toverland at Sevenum, which can be reached in around 20 minutes by car. In Toverland you'll find the highest, fastest and longest wooden switchback in the Benelux countries, as well as plenty of attractions for all ages.

How do you get to Venlo?

Venlo is located in the south of the Netherlands, in the province of Limburg, and not far from the German border. As Venlo has its own station, you can easily get into the city by train. You can also explore the surrounding area by bus or train during your vacation in Venlo. The train will get you quickly to Roermond, Maastricht and Eindhoven. There are also 6,000 car parking spaces available for visitors in Venlo as well as three international airports located around Venlo in a radius of 50 km.

Staying in Venlo

Near the city of Venlo, in a magical forest area, you can stay in the idyllic Hotel De Bovenste Molen and enjoy dinner on the terrace with a view of a pond. Would you rather spend a night in a castle? The Château Holtmühle , south of Venlo, attracts visitors with wellness, luxury rooms and a lovely park. However, there are also several accommodation types available in the center of Venlo...