Spring in The Netherlands: 3 days trip itinerary: Betuwe »

When you are visiting The Netherlands at Springtime, be sure to check out the Betuwe, a municipality in the Dutch province of Gelderland. All over the Betuwe you can find beautiful blossoms of fruit trees and historical villages like Buren and Amerongen. April and May are the best months to visit this fruit garden of the Netherlands and to see the trees in full bloom.

In this article you can read all about spending 3 days in the Betuwe, The Netherlands, including the best routes during the blossom season so you can enjoy it to the fullest.

Spring in The Netherlands:
3 days trip itinerary: Betuwe

The Betuwe, The Netherlands

The Betuwe has the largest fruit production in the Netherlands. Most of the blossom is in bloom in April and in May, although it depends on the weather. Just make sure you head out on a sunny day. During your trip you will not only enjoy the blossoms of the fruit trees, you can also spot spring flowers in large numbers.

There’s something else that you can find in the Betuwe during spring: cherries! In the Betuwe you’ll pass all sorts of orchards. Please keep yourself from plucking fruit off the trees, since you’ll be stealing them from the farmer. Instead, you can find many stalls along the route where you can actually buy fresh and delicious fruit from the farmer himself. Think about cherries, pears, apples, and plums. Hmmm delicious!

Next to the orchards, you will also find beautiful water areas and historical villages in the Betuwe like Culemborg, Buren, and Tricht. These historical villages have a lot of charm.

Curious when the blossoms are most beautiful? You can download the Dutch App ‘Fruitalert’. In the Fruitalert app you will find all the information about the development and growth of the fruit and fruit picking, so you will always be the first to know about the current fruit stand. The app is available for free in the App Store and the Google Play Store.

By following the itinerary below, you got to see plenty of blossom for sure!

Map courtesy of Wanderlog, an itinerary planner

Three days trip itinerary: Betuwe, day 1: get exposed to local culture in Culemborg and Buren

Culemborg

Culemborg is a municipality and a city that’s situated just south of the Lek river. The historical city in The Netherlands has beautiful city walls and magnificent defenses along the river Lek. Direct train lines run from the railway station towards the cities of Utrecht and Den Bosch.

Start your morning in Culemborg with some fresh baked bread from Culemborgs Bakhuis. The bakery offers various traditional delicacies, including the great pride of Culemborg: the Culemborg cheese sticks. Also nice: from the restaurant you can look into the bakery where you can see the bakers at work with your own eyes!

After breakfast you can explore Culemborg by foot. In the centre of Culemborg you will find impressive historic buildings and charming picturesque streets. Culemborg, as an important city and trading centre, was protected by three city walls and canals with seven city gates. Large parts of the wall have been preserved. The inner gate is the only one of the seven city gates still standing and is very pretty to see!

When you walk through Culemborg, you will come across several churches. One of the churches got hit by lightning and lost it’s spire. The church now has a blunt tower.

The town hall on the market square is also special to see. The building consists of the sixteenth century. Nowadays there is a tourist information point. The town hall is also the starting point of the city walk through Culemborg.

When you don’t like exploring history, you might want to go shopping in Culemborg. In addition to the rural chain stores you will find many special shops and boutiques in Culemborg.

Have lunch in the city centre of Culemborg and then travel to Buren.

Buren

Buren is a small and historic town in the Betuwe, The Netherlands. It calls itself ‘Oranjestad’, a city that has a close relationship with the house of Orange-Nassau (the current reigning house of the Netherlands), because William III, also widely known as William of Orange, and Anna van Egmond married in Buren in 1551.

Make sure to go for a stroll in the city centre of Buren and explore the city gate, the church tower, the orphanage, and the mill. If you are interested in visiting a museum and learning more about the history of Buren, you can explore Museum Buren & Oranje.

After exploring Buren, head back to Culemborg and have dinner at ‘t Veerhuys

Have dinner at ‘t Veerhuys in Culemborg

In a historic building, on a beautiful spot between the Uiterwaarden and the river Lek, you will find the restaurant ´t Veerhuys. The restaurant owns its name due to the ferry, which has been sailing here for centuries and that provides an important passage across the river. Tip: try the homemade rhubarb which is lovely!

Overnight at Landgoed De Geer, Culemborg

Just outside Culemborg you can find Bed & Breakfast Landgoed De Geer. The three guesthouses are situated in a nature reserve with woods, water, fruit orchards and walnut trees. It only takes a five minutes bicycle tour from the historic center of Culemborg.

Between the cherry trees: photo by Pascal Debrunner

Three days trip itinerary: Betuwe, day 2: Relax at Maurik and explore heritage at Amerongen

After breakfast head to a beautiful island nearby, the island of Maurik!

Eiland van Maurik, Maurik

The island of Maurik is a water paradise! You can go swimming, cooling off in the lake, sunbathing on the beach, sailing or fishing. The island is located in a beautiful natural area near Maurik in the municipality of Buren. I really recommend renting an electric boat at the holiday park Eiland van Maurik and exploring the lake and tiny islands yourself. You can rent the boat for a minimum of 2.5 hours, which is exactly enough time to explore the lake and the tiny islands. It’s really fun!

After exploring the Island, have some snacks and drinks at the beach club before you rent a bicycle at the holiday park to explore the town of Amerongen. From the Island of Maurik it takes you 30 minutes to cycle to Amerongen. A beautiful cycling route on the dikes where you enjoy the beautiful views.

Amerongen

Amerongen is a small village on the border of the Utrecht Hill Ridge, a beautiful natural surrounding in The Netherlands. The picturesque village of Amerongen is about 1,000 years old and one of the gems of the Netherlands.

First stop at the famous Amerongen Castle, a beautiful ‘Huys’ from the seventeenth century. Amerongen Castle is surrounded by historic gardens and is an absolute must-see of Dutch Heritage. The castle is one of the top castles of the Netherlands and Belgium.

After exploring the castle, cycle to the village, and explore the village further by foot. Walking through the village, you see ancient streets, lovely restaurants, galleries and shops. The glorious history around the tobacco culture is seen all around the village.

Amerongen has some really good spots where you can have dinner. I can recommend you to stop by at ‘Restaurant Hotel Buitenlust’ or ‘Restaurant Bentinck’.

Overnight at Eiland van Maurik and watch the sunset

Cycle back to Eiland van Maurik and overnight at the five-star holiday park. Rent a holiday home or stay the night in a cabin that gives you a camping feeling. The cabin is located directly at a pond and is suitable for a maximum of four persons. You only need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow with you. Tip: from the beach-house you can perfectly watch the sunset!

Three days trip itinerary: Betuwe, day 3: Pick apples and canoe in Tricht

After eating some fresh bread and fruits from the Eiland van Maurik supermarket, it’s time to continue the journey to another town in the Betuwe, The Netherlands: Tricht.

Tricht

Tricht is a small town in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Geldermalsen, and lies directly at the River de Linge.

Visit The Appeldijk in Tricht

Be sure to visit the famous and beautiful Appeldijk in Tricht with its old apple trees. You can walk over the dike and enjoy the beautiful views. In September you can pick apples from the apple trees growing along the Appeldijk.

After exploring the Appeldijk, continue your way to a beautiful estate.

Landgoed Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt

In the Betuwe lies an estate close to the River de Linge called ‘Landgoed Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt’. The Landgoed Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt is situated on the Betuwe between the villages Beesd, Tricht, Deil and Enspijk. There is a foot ferry from Enspijk over the Linge to the estate. It is a beautiful estate where you can walk, cycle, canoe and swim.

Finish your three days trip itinerary: Betuwe by eating pancakes.

Eat Pancakes at Pannenkoekenhuis De Stapelbakker

In the former farmhouse De Stapelbakker you can find a cozy pancake house with a beautiful terrace. The pancakes are very tasty! The restaurant is open every day from 10:00 am. Only on Mondays you can go there from 12:00. Address: Oude Waag 21, Beesd, tel. 0345-618901.

After the pancakes you can travel to your next destination or overnight in Tricht. Great places to overnight are the castle and estate Crayenstein or Bed and Breakfast in the orchard.

Do you like cycling?

If you like to plan your own (cycling) route, you can do so via the cycling junctions that are present in the Betuwe, The Netherlands. During the blossoming season I can certainly recommend (part of) the Lingeroute which will take you along the most beautiful spots to see the blossoms up close!