Links

A collection of useful links, mainly on the region just outside and East of Amsterdam.
Plus practical information on travelling in Holland, by public transport and on bicycle in particular.

A selection of links to sites that are (partly) in English, unless mentioned otherwise.
In Dutch there is, of course, much more on the internet. Just try it ; pictures and routes tend to speak for themselves.

Click here for an external Google-map, with location and pictures of some points of interest mentioned in this site.

CATEGORIES :
- In and around Weesp
- Links on the region outside of Amsterdam (focused on East of city)
- Links on Amsterdam
- Cycling in Holland, general information and bicycle vacations
- Special guides, a personal selection (history & culture, storytelling & theatre-walks, ...)
- Other links, background information : public transport & travel, weather, history, culture, cooking, ...

IN AND AROUND WEESP :
The train station in Weesp is the suggested starting point for bicycle day trips.
Bike rental at Oldenburgers bicycle shop, at the station. www.fietspoint.com (in Dutch)
Weesp is a small town (18.000 inhabitants) about 15 km South-East from the centre of Amsterdam.
A charming fortified centre, 3 windmills in town and others in the countryside, town hall (1776) with local museum, gothic 15th-century church with tower of around 1200 AD, and more.
Muiden is a small fortified town 2 miles or 3 km North of Weesp. In summer a lot of recreational ship activity around the old sea locks. At the mouth of the river Vecht, the medieval castle Muiderslot.
Naarden (about 10 km East of Weesp) is one of the best preserved fortified towns in Europe. With the unique Fortress Museum.
On www.wikitravel.org (English) you can find good information on these places.

General information on Weesp :
www.wikitravel.org  : direct link to Weesp (if it does not work : search "weesp").
www.weesp.dk  : "One Dane's personal view on the small but beautiful Dutch town Weesp" + bicycle routes.
www.rgaros.nl/weesp  : general info + some pictures.
www.panoramio.com  : a lot of pictures of the place. Move the Google-map a bit and you see them. (may take a while to load)
www.weesper.nl/vvw  : Tourist Office in Weesp (Dutch only).

To see or visit in and around Weesp - history :
www.gemeentemuseumweesp.nl  : the local historical museum in Town Hall (build 1776).
www.weespermolens.org  : windmills in Weesp (in Dutch but pictures and movies).
www.automatenkabinet.nl  : small museum on (antique) slot machines (Dutch only).
www.radarstation.nl : in the Second World War, the Germans build a very secret radar station between Weesp and Muiden. One of the first radars in the world. Remains can still be seen in the fields ; working and ouline explained.
www.muiderslot.nl  : on medieval Muiderslot-castle, gardens and museum in Muiden (Dutch only, but clear pictures and video).
www.muizenfort.nl  : small museum in Muiden on local history and fortifications, in 19th century fort "Muizenfort" (Dutch only).
www.vestingmuseum.nl : Netherlands Fortress Museum in one of Naarden's forts.

Things to do in and around Weesp :
www.bootverhuurvecht.nl  : rent of flat-bottom open motorboats, capacity of 12 people, sail it yourself (in Dutch only).
www.zeilklippers.nl  : sailing holidays and day trips with nostalgic sailing ships.
www.muidercompagnie.nl  : chartering traditional historic sailing ships of the type dating from the late 1800s.
www.muidenmaritiem.nl  : suggestions for trips on traditional ships, and other things to do from port of Muiden.
www.watermelody.nl  : tours in small old motorbarge on (northern part of) river Vecht. (In Dutch)
There are many other ships in Muiden and Weesp that offer a wide range of arrangements.
For more websites on sailing from Muiden see www.muidenvesting.nl, page "waterrecreatie". Some sites mentioned there are in English also.
www.rederijnoordwest.nl  : boat cruises on (southern part of) river Vecht and lakes. (In Dutch and German)
www.rederijvonk.nl  : tours in small motorboats on (southern part of) river Vecht and lakes. (In Dutch)
www.anna-haen.nl  : Anna Haen, local products. Farm + shop open thursday-friday-saturday 8-5. Also shop in centre Amsterdam (Warmoesstraat). (site in Dutch only).
www.dewilligenlogies.nl  : cheese-making farm (also Bed & Breakfast) on bank of river Vecht. 10 kms South of Weesp, between Nigtevecht and Vreeland. (Dutch, but 1 general page in English & German)
www.dehoutenwielenwagen.nl  : for a ride or a tour in various types of horse-drawn carriages (in Dutch only).

Sleeping & eating in and around Weesp :
www.hartvanweesp.nl  : the only hotel in the centre of Weesp.
www.tulipinnamsterdamriverside.nl  : hotel a couple of kms in direction Amsterdam, near motorway A9, exit Gaasperplas/Weesp.
www.campanile-amsterdam-zuidoost.nl  : hotel a couple of kms in direction Amsterdam, near motorway A9, exit Gaasperplas/Weesp.
www.gaaspercamping-amsterdam.nl : spacious camping-ground between Amsterdam and Weesp (metro Gaasperplas).
www.bedandbreakfast.nl  : online source of information on Bed & Breakfast in the Netherlands. B&B listed in Weesp + in region (Nederhorst, Naarden, Bussum).
www.theetuin.nl  : very nice teagarden in old fortification (1674). Tearoom, sandwiches and various cakes.
www.nelisijssalon.nl  : Ice-parlour in Weesp, world famous in Holland (in Dutch).
There are dozens of cafés and restaurants in Weesp and Muiden, many with a terrace along river or canal.

to top of page

LINKS ON THE REGION :
www.naarden-cultureel.nl  : on Naarden, one of Holland's best preserved fortified towns. In Dutch (with English resume), but a lot of pictures.
www.vvvhollandsmidden.nl  : Tourist Office of whole region South and East of Amsterdam, also information on signposted cycling routes and tours in the area.
www.stelling-amsterdam.nl : Amsterdam, as a major trading city and capital, was protected by a city wall since the 15th century. Later by several lines of defence consisting of earthworks.
The last line, build between about 1885 and 1914, is mostly intact: the Defence Line of Amsterdam. Its defensive works are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
www.hollandsewaterlinie.nl : The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie was a military line of defence that extended from the former Zuiderzee near Muiden to the Biesbosch (in the south of Holland). The line was established as a protective ring approximately 85 km long and 3-5 km wide.
Weesp and Muiden are the only towns in Holland that are part of both defence lines.

to top of page

LINKS ON AMSTERDAM :
www.routecraft.com : Bicycle route-planner for Amsterdam. Our region starts on eastern edge of map.
www.macbike.nl : Bike-rental in Amsterdam. Bike-tours in Amsterdam itself and countryside to the north of city.
www.mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com : Bicycle tours in Amsterdam.
www.amsterdamsebosfietsverhuur.nl : Bike Rental Het Amsterdamse Bos (giant park) is situated just south of Amsterdam.
www.gvb.nl : Public transport, trams & busses in Amsterdam + tourist info.
Amsterdam Bicycles : 82 pics of Amsterdam Bicycles taken during 73 Minutes (2007-06-26).
Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board : official site of Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board.
www.iamsterdam.com : Amsterdam City Portal.
www.simplyamsterdam.nl : the most complete Amsterdam tourist related LINK collection.

to top of page

CYCLING IN HOLLAND - GENERAL INFORMATION :
www.fietsersbond.nl : The Fietsersbond is the Dutch Cyclists' Union that campaigns for better cycling conditions in the Netherlands.
www.holland.com : The Official Holland Tourism Site ; go to section > Special interests > Cycling
www.raph.nl : Travel to the Horizon. A world wide collection of bicycle travel resources.
www.vriendenopdefiets.nl : "Friends on the Bike / Vrienden op de Fiets", thousands of addresses in Holland and Belgium. At these addresses you can have Bed and Breakfast during your cycling and hiking tours.
www.bootsnall.com : Bicycling in Holland: What's the Big Deal? (pratical information and traffic rules)
www.bikely.com : bicycle routes worldwide
www.fietsroutenetwerk.net : loads of bicycle routes in the Netherlands and Belgium + practical info (in Dutch)
www.buienradar.nl : rain radar and weather forecast.
CYCLING IN HOLLAND - BICYCLE VACATIONS :
HAT-tours : Cycling Holidays & Barge Cruises.
Bike and the Like : Bike and Barge tours in Holland.
GuideHolland : just to be sure, a link to the What-page of this site in case you're interested in tailor-made proposals.


to top of page

SPECIAL GUIDES (history & culture, storytelling & theatre-walks, ...) :
www.storytrail.nl : Storytrail: "enjoy this special citywalk with our storyteller. Now in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Leiden!"
www.amsterdamcitywalks.com : Amsterdam city walks and museum tours by historian Reno Raaijmakers.
www.gildeamsterdam.nl : Mee in Mokum: old Amsterdammers walk with you in their own hometown : "Consequently, these tours are not professional excursions but informal walks, each guide has his own route and his own story. The guides tell you about life in this city from their own experience, about the differences between Amsterdam of the past and Amsterdam today."
www.hollandexploringtours.nl : HollandTheRideWay: tailor-made tours by car (minibus); suggested tours on a large number of themes and subjects, related to the geography and history of Holland.

These are only a few selected links. If you are a guide, and if you think you could be listed here, please send a mail.

to top of page

OTHER LINKS :

Public transport
www.ns.nl  : official site Dutch Railways ; timetables, prices, information.
www.9292ov.nl  : all public transport in the Netherlands. In Dutch, but the excellent travel planner is not difficult to work with.

Travel & Tourism
www.minbuza.nl  : Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for general information on the Netherlands.
www.holland.com : The Official Holland Tourism Site.
www.tripadvisor.com  : broad travel forum, reviews and loads of travel articles at TripAdvisor.
www.adventuretraveltips.com  : travel site with links to thousands of adventure tips worldwide.
TravelQuest : more historical tours worldwide, and many other specialist travel listings to sports breaks, adventure and special interest holidays.
Europe for Visitors : resource for research and preparation of travels in Europe with articles, practical tips and many links.

History, culture & general knowledge of the Netherlands
www.geheugenvannederland.nl  : Memory of the Netherlands. Thematic digital collections with an enormous amount of material, images and films.
Stone age building in Europe  : also about Hunebedden (Dutch Dolmens).
www.gjallar.nl  : Norsemen (Vikings) in the Low Countries.
www.archeon.nl  : In Archeon there are 43 buildings rebuild from archeaological findings in and around the Netherlands. The buildings are inhabited by so called Archeo-translators. "These people dress like our ancestors and a small chat or one of our numerous activities with them will bring history closer than you ever imagined.". Located in Alphen aan den Rijn (30 km South of Amsterdam).
www.werelderfgoed.nl  : World Heritage in the Netherlands. See also site UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
www.minbuza.nl/history  : excellent historical overview in this section of site Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
www.thehollandring.com : a collection of "things to know about Holland".
www.theundutchables.com  : The Undutchables, an observation of the Netherlands: it's culture and its inhabitants. Written by Colin White and Laurie Boucke.

(Historic) Cooking
www.foodtimeline.org : a food timeline, with recipes starting 10,000 BC.
www.coquinaria.nl : recipes from Roman times to the nineteenth century + online editions of several medieval Dutch cookbooks.
www.godecookery.com : recipes of Middle Ages & Renaissance, adapted for the 21st century kitchen.
www.medievalcookery.com : European recipes from 14th - 17th century.
www.thehollandring.com : information on Dutch food and eating habits + links to (traditional and modern) Dutch recipes.

Various
Relevant Directory : online catalog of relevant and useful web sites.
ESL Teachers Board : free teaching materials, ESL jobs and resumes.

to top of page