Cycling from Utrecht to Amersfoort is an experience. The 20 km long Stijl cycle route from Amersfoort to Utrecht takes you past works of art, country houses and through the Soester woods, ending on the station square of Amersfoort. This is where the second part of this active adventure to discover Amersfoort begins. I’ll take you with me!
I’ve been to Amersfoort before for Explore Utrecht as part of the discovery of the Province of Utrecht. Besides the city, the province has a lot to offer in terms of culture and gastronomy. A weekend in Amersfoort is definitely recommended. Just strolling through the city for a few hours for a good shop session or visiting innovative green initiatives are recommendable daytime activities as well. We went back to Amersfoort but this time for a sporty adventure.
De Stijl cycle route along 10 statues, Soesterberg airbase and De Paltz estate
The style bicycle route started as a project during the Mondriaan to Dutch Design Year (2017). The starting point is to connect the city of Rietveld (Utrecht) with the city of Mondriaan (Amersfoort). The route starts from the Kleine Singel in Utrecht and ends at Amersfoort station. Cycling you will pass 10 special statues by the artist Boris Tellegen. You can download a route with explanations about the sculptures from the De Stijl route from Utrecht to Amersfoort website.
We cycled along with a tour, via a detour, along the statues, Airbase Soesterberg with a short break on estate De Paltz. A beautiful environment of 80 hectares consisting of beech avenues, sightlines, a stately villa, coach house and a shepherd’s house. In the beautiful villa surrounded by greenery you can have a simple lunch and take a break and then continue the route.
Shopping session and coffee on the Mooierplein
Once we arrived in Amersfoort we parked our bicycles and we continued on foot to explore the city. We strolled along the narrow canals on our way to a good place for coffee and some treats. Because we were too early for the climb of Onze Lieve Vrouwentoren (Our Lady’s Tower) we decided to visit a nice shopping street. We ended up on the Mooierstraat where we walked in and out of one nice shop after another.
The sustainable concept store SMIR with a wide range of packaging free products, sustainable brands and plants. After a short shopping session at BLUR, we decided to stay for a while in the nice coffee corner. Oh, the temptation is great to walk into the shop and continue shopping. All the beautiful items were calling or names. But we had to go on because the guide of the Onze Lieve Vrouwentoren was waiting for us and other tourists.
Onze Lieve Vrouwentoren, narrow canals with bridges and courtyards
We followed the narrow canals and walked over bridges towards Onze Lieve Vrouwentoren. The Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren, also known as the Lange Jan, is the second highest late medieval tower in the Netherlands. The tower has 346 steps and a hundred bells. The tower also has two carillons. The location of the tower is the cadastral zero point of the Netherlands, this is clearly visible in the floor of the tower.
The guide was waiting for us on the square, after the group was complete we started the climb. After a short break with an enthusiastic explanation from the guide, we climbed up the increasingly narrow stairs for a beautiful view over the city. The sky was pretty clear so we could even see the skyline of Utrecht in the distance. After this it was time to descend the 346 steps back to the square.
Besides the regular tower climb there is a children’s climb and an evening climb. On Saturday Gilde Amersfoort organizes a tower climb in cooperation with the Dutch Beiaardschool.
If you don’t want to climb the tower, you can also visit some nice courtyards in Amersfoort, such as the Hofje Armen de Poth. A historic courtyard in the center of the city full of history. Visit the show house and the purchase area in the courtyard. At all three gates you’ll find a map that refers to the website and the app. In this way you follow the tour through the courtyard.
Dining in Amersfoort and staying with Long John
The long and active day ends at restaurant Sally’s Kitchen. Sally’s is an Indonesian restaurant with dishes that are made in a traditional way on the menu. The evening started with a nice glass of wine and delicious bites. Then we discussed which dishes we wanted to order. This turned out to be quite a challenge, because everything sounded delicious. The host gave us a helping hand and put together a tasting of different dishes himself. The spicy delicious smell from the kitchen didn’t make it easy for us because after a whole day outside we were very hungry.
Shortly after the order, all dishes were served in small bowls on the table. It was a feast!
After dinner I checked into the Long John hotel, where I stayed for a second time while visiting Amersfoort. Check the Long John Hotel here, for bookings!
