Explore the Wassenaar-Scheveningen cycle route, a family friendly bike ride in the Netherlands. Perfect if you’re looking for cycling near Duinrell!
What springs to mind if I say Holland? Tulips, cheese, windmills… cycling?
For me, it’s the cycling. Having visited The Netherlands many times, one of the things I love the most is the safe and extensive cycle network. A day out on the bike is always one of my favourite days of any Dutch holiday.
This easy ride follows the Wassenaar to Scheveningen cycle route, a family friendly bike ride in the Netherlands that flows out of the pretty town of Wassenaar, through the sand dunes of Meijendel Nature Reserve to the fun seaside resort of Scheveningen.
Wassenaar-Scheveningen Cycle Route Overview
Distance: 27km total, round trip.
Time: About an hour each way at a relaxed pace, plus stops.
Difficulty: Easy, route follows maintained cycle paths. Flat terrain, suitable for all.
Highlights: Dunes, WW2 memorial, Meijendel Nature Reserve, beach resort at Scheveningen.
We used Bikemap to plot our route, but all the paths are well signed and easy to navigate. Plan a rough idea and then be prepared to explore or divert if something catches your eye- all part of the fun!
Wassenaar to Scheveningen Cycle Route
Starting Point: Duinrell Holiday Park
Wassenaar is a beautiful and affluent town in the Netherlands, well worth a visit for its beautiful scenery and chic high street. Most visitors stay at Duinrell Holiday Park when in town, a family friendly resort featuring an amusement park and the largest waterpark in the Benelux area.
Read About Our Stay At Duinrell in A Glamping Lodge-Style Tent Here.
When I completed this cycling route with my family, we were spending a week based at Duinrell and used this a way to experience a bot of the local area and get off site for a bit. If your looking for cycling near Duinrell, this is the post for you.
We hired bikes from Duinrell directly, bike hire prices start from €12.50 per day.
A straightforward route out of the park and through the pretty outskirts of Wassenaar brought us to…
The Meijendel Nature Reserve
The Meijendel is a vast nature reserve that stretches out between the town of Wassenaar, The Hague and the coastal resort Scheveningen. The landscape is wild, mostly dunes heathland and forest, with miles of well marked routes for walking and cycling.
The grasslands are managed using natural methods, usually in the form of ponies, sheep or cattle, so expect to see some wildlife along the way.
At regular intervals you’ll come across rest stations featuring maps, seating and, usually, a water refill point.
If you’re cycling with younger riders, stop in this section of the ride and check the map to head to the ‘Monkeybos‘ or Monkey Forest. This natural play area features the cutest monkey statues and is full of opportunities to climb, swing and play. Take a look here.
Waalsdorpervlakte: Memorial to the Dutch Resistance.
The Meijendel isn’t just home to wildlife and sweeping views, it’s also home to one of the Netherlands most important war memorials: the Waalsdorpervlakte Memorial to the Dutch Resistance.
Tucked in the dunes, this memorial site marks the spot where over 250 members of the Dutch resistance were executed by occupying forces between 1940-1945.
It’s an understated memorial: A concrete banner bearing the dates 1940-1945. Four firing squad crosses. A stone carrying the message, ‘Here many compatriots made the sacrifice of their lives for your freedom, enter this place with due respect’
Adjacent to the Waalsdorpervlakte sits The Bourdon Bell. On May 4th, the Dutch National Day of Remembrance, The Bourdon bell is rung to signify the start of a two minute silence, and sounded again as those gathered take part in a silent march and wreath laying.
A tribute to the history of the area and a worthwhile stop along the way. And then, back on the bikes, through the dunes and towards the sea.
Scheveningen
A short cycle through the dunes and the route leads into the outskirts of Scheveningen. It’s a character of a place, an old fashioned seaside resort with a colourful and creative vibe. It’s the perfect place to break the days riding and stop for a wander and to eat or for a drink.
The sandy beach and promenade is the perfect place to have a break off the bikes. The area around the pier is full of fun and colour, home to lots of beach side bars and cafes.
The place is also impressively clean, due in part to the litter gathering game set up on the promenade. The ‘Trash-ure Hunt’ invites beach users to gather trash in return for points and hero status.
Seems to be working, who doesn’t want to be a hero?
Return to Wassenaar
As the Wassenaar to Scheveningen cycle route is linear, the return route is pretty simple. Back the way you came!
Returning to Wassenaar, you can divert the route one of two ways. If your ready to call it a day, head straight back into town or back into Duinrell.
If you have a little bit left in the tank, you could head down to Wassenaarslag beach, the nearest beach to Duinrell holiday park.
This stretch of coastline is quite a contrast to busy, colourful Scheveningen. Miles of dunes, wild and without facilities apart from a couple of beach cafes and a lifeguard station. If you don’t mind the chill, it’s a great place to dip your feet in the North Sea.
I actually like to end any day out in and around Wassenaar with a trip into the village to visit Luciano Ice Cream Parlour. They sell delicious ice creams, are famous for the ice cream cakes and also do a great coffee. A lovely spot, highly recommend, whether you’ve been cycling or not!
Curious about what else you might find in Wassenaar? You might enjoy this post next: Things to do in Wassenaar, Holland.
Looking for more Dutch travel inspiration? Try one of these posts:
The Ultimate Guide to Over the Edge: The Amsterdam Swing
Explore Terschelling: The Beautiful Wadden Sea Island Escape.
Helen x
I guess it’s ‘easy abroad’, Helen, being just across the Channel, but we don’t see too many posts about this coast. Was it windy all the time you were there? I love dunes but they can be a pain in the wind.
It was breezy and brisk and I think it often is as surfing and kite surfing is a big thing there. It was an easy hop over on Eurotunnel, left me thinking we should do it more often while we are down here!
😎⛱️❣️
Fascinating Helen. The many times I’ve been to Holland and its always been to its main towns and never its countryside. I should really rectify that.
It’s a fabulous country, always worth a visit.
When I think about beachy destinations, the Dutch coast has never really been at the top of my list. And you know what? That’s a crying shame because the Netherlands has a number of unique beach locations I have yet to visit. One place I have always wanted to explore is the dune-swept archipelago of the Wadden Islands. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
I love the Dutch and German coastline, do visit if you get a chance! Thanks so much for stopping by.
This interested me, because, as I type, a friend of ours in undertaking a similar cycling trip – in his case continuing along the Rhine all the way to Switzerland. An idea for the future?
I’d love to get back over and do a cycling holiday, have actually been looking at a ‘bike and barge’ holiday along the Rhine. Need to build up my cycling legs first, I did feel it the next day! That trip sounds amazing.
He’s having fun, cycling from our village in N. Yorkshire all the way to Basel, where his partner works. Oh, he does catch a ferry somewhere along the line! He says the cycle paths are fabulous.
Sounds like a busy day with lots packed in. You must also have been subjected to a rollercoaster of emotions with your different activities – war memorials, tragic losses and visits to the seaside – the hot chocolate did look delicious 😋
The memorials always get me. I like to think that those who fought for freedom would like the idea of the place being enjoyed rather than battled for now. The hot chocolate was a winner and much appreciated after the ride.
To my shame, I’ve not seen anywhere near enough of the Dutch coast, so thanks for giving me a chance to see it through your smashing post Helen
Thanks for taking the time to read and post, it’s a grand place to visit. Certainly one for the list if you like a bit of history!
I’ve just realised that I have been to Scheveningen. It didn’t look like that when I was there though.
Oh really? How was it looking then? It seems to be undergoing a bit of a rebranding, last time we visited it felt quite different.
It was early May 2012. We spent several days in South Holland based in Rotterdam around Queen’s Day. The weather was miserable practically the whole time we were there including the day we spent in The Hague. Naturally, for somewhere like Scheveningen you need some half-decent weather at least, but it was grim. The Kurhaus Hotel looked impressive but I thought the apartment blocks near the pier looked horrendous for the location.
I recall visiting Scheveningen a long time ago and enjoying walks through the sand dunes. Glad that you had such a lovely time. Cycling in The Netherlands along with Finland is completely safe unlike over here where our cycle lanes always disappear when they are most needed!
Yes- cycling in Holland did highlight for me that cycling in the UK can be a risky business. Another tick in the box for cycle friendly Finland, I’ll get there one day!
Nice to see a side of the country I’ve never given much thought about, or been exposed to. An old-fashioned beachside resort town with a youthful vibe looks and sounds wonderful here. Scheveningen is a location I’d definitely look to spend time in.
I’m hoping to get back across in the Summer, it was a lovely place. Thanks so much for taking time to read and comment 😊
That looks a beautiful bike ride with so many things of interest to stop and look at. The Dutch coast certainly looks very attractive. That bell is very impressive.
It’s a beautiful part of the world, but you can spot the tourists. We stop and look at everything, the Dutch just fly through on their trusty bikes! The bell is a beauty, although couldn’t find out much about it.
What a lovely bike ride with some interesting history along the way. I’ve always wanted to do a cycling holiday and the Netherlands definitely seems like a good, flat choice 🙂
Thank you, it was a lovely day cycling. And yes- very flat, very safe and easy to navigate thanks to the numbered cycle paths. A great option for a cycling break.
Looks like a lovely trip with some very moving history. Have you been to the Resistance Museum in Amsterdam? I thought that was really well done.
I haven’t but that sounds right up my street! I’ll look it up as I’m hopefully back in The Netherlands later this year. Thanks for the tip.
Never been to Holland but seems like there’s certainly a lot to do there!
We only go to Amsterdam but wish to explore more, thank you this looks a wonderful place to visit
Haha, a comfortable seat is super important, I’ve found. I toured a city with a bicycle once, and that’s when I’d learned what saddle sore was. At the very least, I should’ve worn one of those biking pants with cushions sewn in on the back. Similar lessons learned!
Yes, I once thought cyclists who invested in such things were taking it all too seriously. Now I know better!
That looks like a beautiful bike ride. I visited Scheveningen a few times and enjoyed walking along the beach there.
Ah this is what we missed when we went to The Netherlands. Sounds like you had a really wonderful time cycling. 🙂
It was a fabulous day. Cycling in the Netherlands is such a pleasure!
I agree that cycling in the Netherlands is really the best because there are no high hills and there are many services to cyclists! I didn’t know this part of the country and I am glad I got to explore it through your words and pictures! Thanks for sharing!
I remember this coast well from when I lived in the Hague. Brilliant on a sunny day but miserable when it was cold and windy………
Living in The Hague must have been a lot of fun. We love this part of the world, but if visiting outside the height of Summer, layers are always a good ides!