These are the most beautiful cycling routes in the Netherlands

Astrid: The cycling route leads through historic Dordrecht. In the ancient streets of Dordrecht, you can shop, enjoy drinks, and dine to your heart's content. Behind centuries-old facades, you'll find fashionable boutiques, artisanal shops, and atmospheric restaurants. Dordrecht has been an ancient trading city due to its strategic location by the water. In 1299, Count Jan granted the important staple right. This right ensured that goods brought in via the river had to be unloaded and stored in Dordrecht first. These goods were then sold and transshipped. The names of warehouses, streets, and quays still remind us today of the flourishing trade in wood, wine, sugar, and grain.

Fancy a climb, rewarded with a stunning view over Dordrecht? Then stop at the Grote Kerk with its blunt, leaning tower that has been a defining feature of Dordrecht's cityscape for centuries. According to the design, the tower was supposed to have a spire and a total height of 108 metres, but due to significant subsidence and leaning during construction, the master builder decided to stop at 65 metres. The tower is more tilted than the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the climb to the top consists of 275 steps.

They are known worldwide, the 19 windmills of Kinderdijk. The mill complex has been officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. It is located at a corner where the rivers Lek and Noord converge. The current windmills were built around 1738 with the aim of improving the drainage of the Alblasserwaard.

In the summer, the Boezems Kinderdijk is a meadow, and in wet periods, it's a reservoir for excess water. The boezems of Kinderdijk were created in previous centuries as an emergency provision during high water, and today they are unique nature areas. They consist of open water, reed sedge marshes, roughs, willow groves, thickets, and boezem dikes. The polders consist of meadows and hayfields with many ditches.

In the middle of the Alblasserwaard lies a picturesque nature area: the Donkse Laagten. From the 'Donk' (a river dune), you overlook Dutch scenes: windmills, farms, wood dikes, polder vistas, and a duck decoy. The Donkse Laagten is a magnet for birds. Thanks to well-planned water and meadow management, this area is a paradise for bird watchers all year round; geese in winter, godwits, redshanks, bluethroats, and even water rails in summer. And on the edge of the polder landscape lie rare bluegrass lands (ancient hayfields). It's no wonder the Donkse Laagten has been designated a Natura 2000 area.