This cycle route is all about Vincent van Gogh. On 11 September 1883, the famed artist arrived in Hoogeveen by train, making Hoogeveen train station the perfect starting point for this 50 km bike tour. On this tour, you will follow in Vincent’s footsteps and get to know the landscape of Drenthe, where the painter found a new muse.
The route is signposted with green …
This cycle route is all about Vincent van Gogh. On 11 September 1883, the famed artist arrived in Hoogeveen by train, making Hoogeveen train station the perfect starting point for this 50 km bike tour. On this tour, you will follow in Vincent’s footsteps and get to know the landscape of Drenthe, where the painter found a new muse.
The route is signposted with green signs that say: Van Gogh fietsroute. You can follow these signs. There are three Van Gogh cycle tours in Drenthe: Vincents Aankomst (Vincent’s Arrival), Vincents Dagtocht (Vincent's Day Tour) and Vincents Inspiratie (Vincent's Inspiration). All three routes are around 50 km. Make sure to keep following the right signs (Van Gogh fietsroute: Vincents Aankomst), the three Van Gogh cycle tours intersect several times.
The route is dotted with information panels for extra colour. Vista panels have also been put up at several spots for passers-by to discover what the area would have looked like more than a century ago. At these spots, you can also enjoy audio stories about Vincent's time in Drenthe.
For even more information, you can buy the 160-page cycling guide Op de fiets met Van Gogh: Van Gogh Drenthe fietsroutes (Cycling with Van Gogh, Van Gogh Cycle Routes in Drenthe), from Tourist Information The cycling guide includes all three Van Gogh cycle routes with extensive additional information.
Parking and public transport
Parking is available at Hoogeveen station (Stationsplein 6, 7901 AA Hoogeveen). Naturally, you can easily get to and from the station with public transport.
This is the first of three cycle routes that pass through the area where Vincent van Gogh once lived. Want to combine all three routes into a single long route? Download the route via this link
At 9 pm on 11 September 1883, Vincent van Gogh finally arrived at Hoogeveen station, having completed the seven-hour journey from The Hague.
Hoogeveen's old post office has now been replaced by Eatery De Beurs.
De Zwaluw is an operational mill with an expansive shop in the centre of Hoogeveen. Since it’s a production mill, its electric motor is switched on when there is no wind. Its name was only recently given to it after its renovation in 1980.
The municipality bought this former lodge at 148 Hoofdstraat in 1867 and had it converted into a town hall.
Near the mill, Vincent encountered a curious funeral, which he mentioned in his letters.
Van Gogh probably walked on this shell path on one of his treks to the peat bogs, which were still in use at the time.
Café Troost is the local pub for Noordscheschut and the surrounding villages.
Hollandscheveld’s Reformed Church is a neo-classical hall church with a gable tower from 1851 in the Drenthe village of Hollandscheveld.
There is a vista panel here. Walk into the cemetery. You’ll find the vista panel to the right of hte path. After reaching the vista, take the path to the left to reach another Van Gogh monument on your right.
The peatlands created an intricate infrastructure of waterways, which were crucial for peat transport, drainage, and the transport of other products needed up North.
The watery scenery around the Geeserstroom was exactly what Vincent van Gogh had been looking for.
The Verlengde Middenraai is a former peat bog that has been turned into farmland.
Zwartschaap, or Black Sheep, is a neighbourhood on the road of the same name in the municipality of Hoogeveen.
Van Gogh’s lodgings. When he arrived at his lodgings, Vincent wrote a letter to his brother.
This first part of the Drenthe Van Gogh Cycle Route is a great introduction to Vincent van Gogh’s first foray into Drenthe. On 11 September 1883, the famed artist arrived in Hoogeveen by train. On the first cycle tour, you will follow in Vincent’s footsteps and get to know the landscape of Drenthe, where the painter found a new muse.
While he was still living in The Hague, Vincent decided to go to Drenthe. Vincent had a map of the area and wrote about his plans in the letters to his brother:
’I would very much like to go to Drenthe, especially after Rappard’s visit. So much so that I looked into whether moving the whole thing would be easier or more difficult to do [...]. Life is so much cheaper there than here and the move could save me at least. f. 150 or f. 200 a year on housing alone.'
Vincent wanted to swap his urban surroundings for more natural scenery. For Vincent, nature was not necessarily devoid of all human presence: he was not - strictly speaking - a landscape painter and also wanted to paint human characters.
Eventually, he decided to leave Sien and her family. After Theo sent him some extra funds, Vincent left The Hague for Drenthe by train, where he hoped to develop he hoped to hone his skills to the point that he would be accepted by the Drawing Society.
