This cycle route is all about Vincent van Gogh. On 1 November 1883, the painter set out for Zweeloo, looking for other artists, and German painter Max Liebermann in particular. On this 53-km bike ride, you will pass by various brink villages, just like Vincent did.
The route is signposted with green signs that sa…
This cycle route is all about Vincent van Gogh. On 1 November 1883, the painter set out for Zweeloo, looking for other artists, and German painter Max Liebermann in particular. On this 53-km bike ride, you will pass by various brink villages, just like Vincent did.
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 Dagtocht), 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
This route starts and ends at the Van Gogh House (Van Goghstraat 1, 7844 NP Veenoord). You can park at P+R Spoorbaan (Veilingstraat 15, 7844 NX, Veenoord), next to Nieuw-Amsterdam station. Nieuw-Amsterdam train station is a 4-minute walk away. Parking is also available along the harbour on Industrieweg in Nieuw-Amsterdam.
This is the second 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
This house is permanently accessible to the public and is a place where Vincent used to live and work, when it was still called Logement Scholte.
The drawbridge that Vincent painted was situated right on the municipal boundary between Veenoord and Nieuw Amsterdam.
This is part of the route Van Gogh took in Scholte's cart in 1883.
The Reformed Church (also Grote Kerk) is a three-aisled hall church from the 15th century in the Drenthe town of Sleen.
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The best place to go to see the same moss-topped roofs seen and described by Van Gogh is Oud Aalden.
Beautifully located along farmland at the edge of Aalden lies grain mill Jantina Helling. The mill sells flour. A unique field has been created by the mill: Jantina’s Korenhofje—which translates as Jantina’s grain garden. Different types of grain are gro
Vincent van Gogh often took a barge from Hoogeveen to Nieuw Amsterdam/Veenoord.
In the past, this area was home to a large low-moor peat bog, known as Ermerveen. This is probably the place where Van Gogh made several works, including his work ‘Two Women on the Peat Moor’.
This second part of the Drenthe Van Gogh Cycle Route will take you past the 'new' villages of Drenthe and its old brink villages. We follow Vincent on his journey to Zweeloo, where he hoped to find other artists but did not find any due to the time of year.
Vincent urgently wanted to talk to other artists about his sketches and his work, and the need to see art and exchange ideas about painting would be a recurring theme throughout his life.
In Drenthe, he wrote letters to his brother Theo about his work and experiences. On 1 November 1883, he set off for Zweeloo, with the idea of meeting other artists and German painter Max Liebermann in particular.
During this route, we’ll follow in Vincent’s footsteps while also meeting Drenthe’s original inhabitants.
