Looking for a nice cycling destination not too far from home? Within maximum 4-hour drive from central Netherlands you will find beautiful places. Ideal for a cycling weekend away! With the days getting longer and spring in sight, now is the perfect time to go on a cycling adventure again and discover new regions. In this article, we share our favourite destinations with you!
1. Hiking in the Eifel from Monschau
Want to rack up some climbing kilometres early in the season? Then spend a few days cycling in Germany's Eifel region. Just under three hours' drive from Utrecht, you'll find yourself in Monschau; the perfect base to explore the area via various routes. Apart from the fact that this area is beautiful and really gives you a 'foreign' feeling, you can also make great altitude metres here! Incidentally, this area is also recommended for cyclists who want to cycle in the mountains for the first time next summer. You can practice climbing and descending very well here. Final tip: also plan a cycling trip to the west: High Fens Nature Park lies just across the border in Belgium and is slightly different from the German Eifel region. Visit this area on the gravelbike for the very best trails right through the area.
Read more about climbing in the Eifel here, and immediately save the two routes at the bottom of the page.
3. Weekend Apeldoorn | Discover the Sallandse Heuvelrug and the Veluwe
From Apeldoorn, discover the most beautiful cycling areas. With the Salland Ridge and climbs like the Lemelerberg or the Motieweg and on the other side the Veluwe with its Posbank, it is a waste to visit this area for just one ride. This is the perfect destination for a cycling weekend close to home.
2. The iconic cobbled lanes of Paris-Roubaix
Whether this is really fun? The hellish cobbled sections of Paris - Roubaix are not exactly inviting for a leisurely bike ride. Still, you can't really avoid riding them once. Whereas we normally like roads with tight, well-maintained road surfaces, that is suddenly not true when talking about these particular bouncy roads. They are too special; there is too much history and story behind them. They are hellish but beautiful at the same time. On 13 April 2025, this beautiful, raw landscape will once again be the setting for the official Paris - Roubaix; the 122nd edition this time. Want to experience for yourself how hellish the cobbled sections are? Then read in this article what are the five cobbled lanes not to be missed!
4. Always good: cycling in southern Limburg
Of course, South Limburg should not be missing from this list. Not too far from home, beautiful roads through rolling countryside, terribly nasty climbs and a fine cycling culture. Here you are always in the right place. And where better to start, then, than from the iconic Cauberg? Sander visited Landal GreenParks Kasteel Domain de Cauberg and tells in this article all about this cycling destination (including routes!).
5. Belgian Ardennes | Beautiful scenery and mean climbs
Also close to home are the Belgian Ardennes. Less than a three-hour drive from the centre of the Netherlands, you are already in Spa, a great base to explore the region. The Belgian Ardennes have it all: rolling hills and low mountains with peaks rising above 600 metres. There are all kinds of mean climbs you must have ridden once, such as the Côte de La Redoute, or the Mur of Huy, to name just one. Besides Spa, places like Durbuy, La Roche-en-Ardenne or Malmedy are great starting points for your cycling adventures.
