Utrecht World Heritage Weekend Tour

(125.0 km)

Get ready to travel far back in time on this tour that starts in Utrecht. Beneath Dom Square, you can dive into our Roman past and see the ruins of a Roman castle. After that you’ll cycle along the forts of the New Dutch Waterline, which lie in the east of Utrecht and once protected the city. The route will also take you through the Alblasserwaard and Lopikerwaard, old polder areas with meadows, levees, knotted willows and farms.

Three Weekend Tours
Go on a journey of discovery across a distinctive military l…

Three Weekend Tours
Go on a journey of discovery across a distinctive military landscape and cycle through up to five defence lines and 2,000 years of military history. During three weekend tours ranging from 100 to 125 kilometres that largely run through the Province of Utrecht, you’ll enjoy a mix of stunning natural scenery, robust fortresses, wide rivers and beautiful terraces. The tours run along marked cycling routes and are therefore easy to follow. You’ll pedal through a charming backdrop of waterways, greenery and fortified towns that tell the story of days gone by. After relaxing and refreshing with a tasty beer at one of the forts, you’ll continue cycling along fortresses, dykes, sluices, canals, casemates, group shelters and large green areas that could be flooded on command: an ingenious system that used to protect the Netherlands against enemy troops. You can also enjoy the three weekend tours during the week, of course. Hop on your bike and explore these traditional Dutch defence lines.

Utrecht’s defence lines
Dive into the unique story of the Roman limes, the Old Dutch Waterline, the Grebbe Line and the Dutch Water Defence Lines (made up of the New Dutch Waterline and the Defence Line of Amsterdam). The weekend tours tell the story of 2,000 years of military history. You’ll immerse yourself in our centuries-long battle against the enemy, in which water played a leading role. Nowhere in the world are water managers as creative as in the Netherlands, where a large part of the country lies below sea level. Dykes, dams and sluices keep our feet dry, but they also come in handy when flooding a piece of land to create an obstacle for the enemy: too deep to wade through, too shallow to sail. And so our unique military defence lines took shape over the centuries with forts, sluices, strategic landscape and natural features.

Take a look

Take a look

View full route

Sights on this route

Starting point:

Ledig Erf
Ledig Erf
3511 ZN Utrecht

Rietveld Schröderhuis

This is the masterpiece of Gerrit Rietveld, the designer who built the house in 1924, commissioned by the wilful Truus Schröder.

Fort Jutphaas

This fort near the hamlet of Jutphaas was built in around 1820 to protect the old road between Houten and Montfoort.

Fort Vreeswijk

Fort Vreeswijk has a rich history. Hidden in the built-up area of Nieuwegein, it was part of the New Dutch Waterline. The fort was originally built by the French in 1672 as a sconce consisting o...

Vianen

Little or nothing is known about the history of the town of Vianen. The first recorded mention of Vianen was as Vyanen Castle, which was granted the right to hold a market twice a year in 1270....

Large Pump/Vianen Town Pump

Take a walk down Voorstraat and you really can’t miss it: the town pump, also known as the Large Pump.

Vianen Municipal Museum

Those wishing to learn more about Vianen, the history of the town and the artistic, cultural and historical heritage have reached the right place at Vianen Municipal Museum.

Fort Everdingen

Destroyed towns and castles, plundering and domestic (and foreign) wars: every town and village has its own story to tell. Everdingen was put on the Dutch military map in the 19th Century as part of the New Dutch Water Line.

The Witches Weighhouse

Much of Oudewater’s city centre is listed in the Register of Monuments. The 16th century Witches Weighhouse, located in the centre of this historic place, now serves as a museum.