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Looking for a winning alternative to Amsterdam? (according to CNN ;-))
House • Paterswolde Netherlands
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Statistics
Listed February 2020
Views 5425
General overview
Welcome to our family home in a charming village in the north of the Netherlands (Drenthe).
A winning alternative to Amsterdam!
CNN called Groningen one of the best places in Europe. The city was named as one of the 17 destinations on a modern version of the "Grand Tour" by Quest's World of Wonder. The Huffington Post published about this city comparing it to Amsterdam and called it "a gem of a city". The Daily Mail called it "the top secret of Holland: a watery, wacky city where children will have a ball". Tourists award Groningen an 8.4. If you like to discover places of the beaten track and don't like tourist traps you should come to our place.
Green village
Paterswolde is a very green village. A village with a 900 year old history. It always has taken up a special position, because it's situated close to the city of Groningen. The fact is that this led to the building of a great number of country estates. The presence of the rich owners of these estates left its marks in the village. We live just around the corner of a beautiful estate, forests and a National Park.
Surfing, sailing and swimming
We live in a water rich area, where the horizon seems to stretch on forever. Though your gaze may sometimes be distracted by the beautiful wooded riverbanks and trees of the surrounding landscape.The waters of the the Paterswoldse lake (only 5 minutes from our house by bike) is a great place for surfing, stand up paddling (SUP), sailing, swimming or simply relaxing in the sun. There are plenty of restaurants on the lakeshore.
The sea and beautiful islands
The sea is not far away eather. It would be nice to pay a visit to one of the 5 Dutch islands like Schiermonnikoog (the Netherlands) or Borkum (Germany). These are sandy islands just off the coast in the Wadden Sea. The Wadden Sea has been included in the Unesco World Heritage List, which substantiates this area’s uniqueness. It’s only a 45 minutes drive to the ferry. Rent bicycles to discover the virtually car free island, or walk along the sand dunes and the beach. You might even spot some seals.
Cycling
Do you like your bike, than you will love our area! We live in the cycling province of the Netherlands. In our surroundings there are a lot of safe cycling paths that take you along heather fields and through forests and villages. Many of the paths have recently been connected to each other via a new network. You can borrow our bikes or rent a bike/ATB.
Day trips: Amsterdam, Friesland, Germany etc.
Holland is a small country. From the North to the South, the Netherlands are only 300 kilometres long, from West to East it's no more than 200 kilometres. We live only two hours away from Amsterdam and the other big cities. You can also visit Germany in a day trip. We live about 30 minutes from the German border. The lovely German city of Oldenburg is only 80 minutes away from us, Bremen is 2 hours by car and to visit Hamburg you will have to drive about 3 hours. Also the province of Friesland, 30 min. drive, where Annemiek was born and raised is worth a visit. Friesland was selected by Lonely Planet one of the the top vacation destinations in Europe (may 2018).
Groningen, a gem of a city!
From Paterswolde it’s only a ten minutes drive to the city of Groningen. You can also do it the the dutch way and cycle to and through this great city (35 minutes by bike). As a lively university city, Groningen has the youngest average population in the Netherlands. It has a long and turbulent history, which becomes evident from the historic warehouses, courts and buildings. Groningen is also a city with nerve, with the most numerous examples of innovative architecture within its boundaries and has a very interesting museum (in Assen there is also a great museum if you like museums, it’s a 15 min drive). The Forum is a must see; extraordinary architecture, wonderful seating, the most beautiful library we’ve ever seen, exhibitions, films and a stunning view of the city. In addition, Groningen was once proclaimed the city with the best city centre in the Netherlands because of its charm.
Nature
Our region has a multitude of nature reserves. In addition to the three large National Parks close by there are also many forests and heather fields that are terrific recreational areas. The nearest forest is only 200 meters from our house, a 5 minutes walk. The nature reserves can be basically separated into peatlands and sandy areas. A feature of our area is the age-old landscape with its curling streams, woods, heather and, of course its famous dolmens and burial mounds.
UNESCO world heritage sites
We have several UNESCO world heritage sites nearby. The prehistoric dolmens/hunebedden (15 min), de koloniën van weldadigheid (45 min), the Waddenzee (45 min), Schokland and het Woudagemaal in Lemmer (just over 1 hour).
The space
We've got three bedrooms and one study. We can put up an extra bed, if necessary.
Guest access
Unfortunately our home is not suitable if you are disabled because of the stairs.
Notes
Our house has a roof made of reeds and straw! It was built in the thirties, and is characteristic for this era. We moved in November 2016 after a total renovation.
It's an ideal family home. We've got a trampoline and live close to the outdoor swimming pool. There are also children bikes or a bicycle seat for children available to enjoy the miles of safe cycling paths.
It is located in a nice street, just off of the main shopping street. Very close to the city of Groningen, the lake and the forests (5 min walk), but also not far way from the bigger cities like Amsterdam.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
TV
WiFi
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Gym
Garden / yard
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
City
Village
Water
Culture
Hiking
Cycling
Last minute
Golf
House rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Dog free
Carpet free
Smoke free
Fragrance free
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
It's a very green and child-friendly neighborhood, near the forest. We've got very friendly neighbors.
Getting around
In Paterswolde you'll find all the facilities you’ll need: four supermarkets, a bakery, butchers, several drugstores, restaurants, a wednesday market, GP’s, dentists etc. The village is very safe and child-friendly. There are a lot of nice villages close by. The oldest golf course of the north you’ll find in the village of Glimmen (10 min. drive).
There is a bus stop 5 minutes from our house from/to Assen/Groningen Central Station. We would recommend a car.
Explore Europe
We live close by Groningen airport. From Groningen airport you can easily explore the rest of Europe, flights to Greece, Spain, Sweden etc.
Map of Approximate Location
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Feedback
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