Horse riding in Zandvoort

Horseback riding enthusiasts can go for rides at Manege De Baarshoeve. The riding school is located on the edge of various nature reserves and near the beach. It has been awarded 4 stars by the FNRS quality system. You will receive instruction from qualified instructors or instructors. The outdoor rides are also led by these team members.

For adults there are possibilities to make a forest ride, dune ride or a beach ride on all days of the week. You do have to register by phone 023 – 571 58 94. Horseback riding on the beach is also possible (even in summer). Special rides are also possible (on request).

The experience and wishes of the participants are taken into account in an outdoor ride. Riding in groups of four. The ride can be moved if there are not enough participants. The duration of a dune ride is usually two hours, a beach ride takes at least 3 hours. But you can deviate from this if you wish. Special regulations apply to an outside ride.

The forest and dune ride

This forest and dune ride is for the advanced rider who has a good command of the canter. During the forest ride we will walk, trot and gallop. Riding clothes are mandatory.

The Beach Ride

This beach ride goes through the dunes to the beach and back to the riding school (this is a 3 hour ride). This is only for experienced riders and from 12 years old.

Address       

Manege de Baarshoeve, Keesomstraat 15, 2041 XA Zandvoort. Tel. 023 – 571 58 94

Website: https://www.debaarshoeve.nl/

Observatory Copernicus

Are you interested in the stars, planets and other phenomena in the firmament? Then you can visit the Copernicus observatory. In clear weather you can see the moon, planets, nebulae, a star cluster, a galaxy or our sun. You will receive an explanation of what you see. In case of cloudy weather, short presentations, films and a general explanation of an astronomical subject are given.

Opening hours

The observatory is open to the public every Friday night from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM and every first Saturday of the month from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, except June, July, and August. Reservation is not necessary.

Entrance

The entrance to the observatory is located on the Zeeweg, across the street from the entrance to the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, immediately after the bus stop. You will see the green gate of the observatory grounds. Don’t be discouraged by the prohibition sign. Go straight past the gate until you can go no further. The observatory parking lot is on the right.

Address

The address is: Public Observatory Copernicus, Tetterodeweg 27a, 2051 EG Overveen. But on the Tetterodeweg there is only an entrance for cyclists. website: https://www.sterrenwachtcopernicus.nl/

Golf

Zandvoort has a challenging 9-hole links course with par-3 and par-4 holes in the Zandvoort dunes. The golf course is an authentic English links course. It has a covered and lighted driving range where PGA Holland professionals teach. Driving range available, covered and illuminated (max. 240 meters). It is the only publicly accessible dune track in the Netherlands. A round of 9 holes is possible from 25 euros.

Fitness on the boardwalk

All kinds of fitness equipment have been placed on the sea strip at the boulevard. You can use this for free. The exercises are at the levels: beginners, intermediate and advanced. Each device has a QR scanner, where you can see how the exercise should be done.

Location: Along the Boulevard Barnaart from the rescue station ‘Piet Oud’ to the Palace Hotel.

Golf

Zandvoort has a challenging 9-hole links course with par-3 and par-4 holes in the Zandvoort dunes. The golf course is an authentic English links course. It has a covered and lighted driving range where PGA Holland professionals teach. Driving range available, covered and illuminated (max. 240 meters). It is the only publicly accessible dune track in the Netherlands. A round of 9 holes is possible from 25 euros.

Sculpture route

Art in Zandvoort is all around us. In streets, parks, and squares, artworks are freely accessible to everyone. Together, they form one large open-air museum, right in the heart of the municipality. Placing art in public spaces has a long tradition in Zandvoort. Over the years, this has resulted in a unique and diverse collection of outdoor artworks. You’ll find sculptures by Kees Verkade and Nel Klaassen, among others, as well as work by Marlène Sjerps and Kitty Warnawa. The artworks not only tell their own story but are also inextricably linked to Zandvoort’s history and image as the premier seaside resort of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. This outdoor sculpture route is therefore a valuable part of our shared cultural heritage. On this website, you’ll find a map with explanations of the artworks. This way, you’ll discover Zandvoort at its most beautiful—a walk past art, nature, and history.

Mountain bike trail

Zandvoort has a challenging mountain bike trail. It is located in the dune area next to the race track. It is a fairly technical round. There are small, tough climbs with steep descents and sharp turns. The course has a special bend: the Laar-Wall, a 300-meter long ‘Wall-ride’, with a curve of 44 meters long and 4 meters high. It is the largest Wallride in the Netherlands. It gives the job an extra experience. There are some bridges. Only in the summer can the sand be a bit looser, which makes driving more difficult.

The length of the trail is 9.8 kilometers. An electric bicycle pump is available. The track is maintained by the Dunebikers. They try to keep the trail passable. The route is marked with poles with the international MTB sign in green/pink (triangle with 2 circles below). The green signs indicate the main route and the pink signs are cut-off points to make it less difficult for novice mountain bikers.

You can start the route by taking the main entrance of the circuit Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108 2041KP in Zandvoort. Then go behind the grandstand towards the Tarzanbocht. Here you will find the gate, where the route begins. You can also go to the car park next to the BMW Driving Experience. The start of the course is at the beginning of the noise barrier.

It is important to know that the Zandvoort mountain bike route is not a public area and is surrounded by nature reserves. The course is located on municipal land, which is partly leased by Circuit Park Zandvoort. There is also cycling over a few meters of protected nature reserve, which is currently tolerated (no maintenance is allowed here either). Maintenance and developments on the route can be followed on Facebook. Driving off the track is never allowed, not even on track terrain. Outside the paths will be inspected immediately.

Because part of the ATB course is on the territory of the Circuit Park, it is not possible to use the course during events. The ATB trail is also used by hikers and visitors to the Circuit Park. Our starting point is that everyone who walks or cycles on the course treats each other with respect. Hikers beware cyclists and cyclists beware walkers. 

To the flower bulbs and the Keukenhof

We advise you to make this trip in the spring when the bulbs are in bloom. This is just about between Easter to Pentecost but also depends on the weather. You will be pleasantly surprised by the beautiful colors and wonderful smells. We drive through the fields and pass ‘De Keukenhof’.

Bulb cultivation originated in the surroundings of Haarlem in the sixteenth century. Over time the cultivation spread over the spirit grounds. In this way, the current Bollenstreek was created between Haarlem and Leiden in the second half of the 19th century. Nowadays you can also find bulb fields in the north of the province of Noord-Holland and elsewhere in the country, but most bulbs are still found in these regions.

To the Polderbaan

Aircraft spotters among us pay attention: We cycle right past the start or runways of Schiphol. But on the way for the non-spotters there is also a lot to experience. We can cross twice with a ferry and we cycle through the Haarlemmermeerse Bos. The Haarlemmermeerse forest is a park-like area around a recreational lake. It is the recreation area for the Haarlemmermeer and surroundings and there is plenty to do. There are beaches with play equipment for the youth. You can walk, trim, cycle, swim and surf. In 2002 the Forest got a boost because the Floriade flower exhibition took place here.

Directions:

At the Town Hall Square at junction 79 we cycle to 77 – 83 – 82 – 81 – 80 – 74. Now direction 53, but instead of turning right at the end, we can cross the ring canal with the pound. On the other side of the ring canal, we turn left and arrive again on the route to 53 and 54. We now cycle through the Haarlemmermeerse Bos. We continue to 55 and at 51 we cycle along the polder track. Continue to 50 – 89 – 84 – 35 – 82 – 83 – 77 – and back to the center of Zandvoort 79.

To Noordwijk and Katwijk

We go along the bike path through the dunes to Noordwijk and Katwijk. First we drive along the Amsterdam Waterleidingduinen. At Langevelderslag we go through the Hollands Duin, which stretches from here to Wassenaar. The dunes are made by nature and man together. Wind and water formed beach and dunes, the people put on potato beds, won water from the dune and planted forests. At Katwijk we pass the Coepelduin, a special dune that falls under the nature conservation law. All landscape types can be found in this beautiful nature area, the gray dunes with many different plants, the wet dune valleys and the dune dunes. The area used to be used, among other things, to dry nets, to graze cattle and to grow potatoes there. Coepelduin is free to walk from 15 August to 15 March. Back we go inside and pass recreational lake Oosterduinse Meer, a former sand extraction pit and is part of the Rhineland basement system. The quality of the bathing water is not always good. It is better to use a beach exit and to dive into the North Sea. We come back to Langevelderslag and then head towards Zandvoort.