Limburg

Part of Netherlands

Limburg is long and narrow, and has two faces. In the south lies the Heuvelland, with the only real hills in the Netherlands and the course of the Amstel Gold Race. In the middle and north you follow the Maas, along river dunes, forests and the German border.

Why cycle in Limburg?

• South Limburg: the Cauberg, the Keutenberg, the Camerig and the Vaalserberg.
• The Maasplassen around Roermond, and National Park De Meinweg: forest, heather and gravel.
• National Park De Maasduinen in North Limburg: river dunes and sandy paths.
• The border: Belgium and Germany are within cycling distance of each other everywhere.

Land of Grind and Sand: gravel in North and Central Limburg

Anyone who thinks only of the Cauberg in Limburg is missing half the picture. North and Central Limburg is an undiscovered paradise for off-road biking, shaped by the Maas River. The jagged river left slopes and walls behind, and the sand and gravel from the Maas make the most beautiful unpaved trails in the Netherlands here. Dusty country roads, hard gravel paths, and winding trails take you through national parks, forests, and hidden heaths, and occasionally even across the border into Germany.

The initiative Land of Grind and Sand (by Johan Hauser and Carlo van Nistelrooy, commissioned by Limburg Cycling) the region wants to put itself on the map as the ultimate off-road region in the Netherlands. All routes have been created in consultation with the nature conservation authorities and they adhere to the Gravel Code. A few favorites, all with GPX downloads:

• Forest Highways (130 km): the ‘greatest hits’ by the green lung on the German border, for about seventy percent of it unpaved.
• Maharishi Gravel (105 km): via the Venlose Jaomerdal and the lakes of the Belfeldse grotto.
• Glamour Gravel (61 km): an easy introduction to Central Limburg, with car-free asphalt roads interspersed with forest paths.
• Tour de Roer (58 km): cross-border, over fast forest paths and quiet meadows.
• Stünteln in Süchteln (73 km): over the hill country of Venlo to Süchteln, from the Venlose Heide.
• Walk around the pond (72 km): along the Maas from Wanssum to the bridge in Grubbenvorst.
• On the edge of the country (80 km): the first route in Echt-Susteren, the narrowest stretch of the Netherlands.

We drove ourselves from Landal De Vers in Overloon, on the border with North Brabant: see the route Land of gravel and sand.

South Limburg: more than climbing

In the south lies the Heuvelland region, with the slopes of the Amstel Gold Race. In October 2025, the Gravel World Championships were also held here; you can now cycle that route yourself. More about that on our page about South Limburg.

When are you leaving?

From March to October. Around the Amstel Gold Race in April, there is a lot of activity among cyclists in Zuid-Limburg.

How do you get there?

By train to Maastricht, Valkenburg, Roermond or Venlo, or by car in two to two and a half hours from the Randstad.

Events in Limburg

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Areas

Areas in Limburg

South LimburgThe only real climbing course in the Netherlands: Cauberg, Keutenberg, Camerig and the course of the Amstel Gold Race.View →