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The estates of South-Holland

  • Destination: The Hague, Leiden and Voorschoten
  • Kind of trip: Walking tour around three different towns across the estates of South-Holland
  • Duration: 9 days (8 nights)
  • Difficulty trip:
  • Inclusive: Eight overnight stays in comfortable 3 star hotels including breakfast, luggage transport, maps and English route directions, GPS track, VAT, tourist taxes, Guarantee Foundation, a contribution to the Foundation for Zuid-Holland's landscape.
  • Exclusive: The journey to the first hotel and return home, lunch and dinner, travel- and cancellation Insurance
  • Dog: Not allowed
  • Price:
    • Due to the high inflation, we unfortunately cannot give fixed prices. If the price is higher after booking, you have the possibility to cancel your trip. The prices quoted here are an approximation as good as possible.
    • € 815,- per person booking a trip for 2 persons (Weekend surcharge per day per person € 25,-)
    • € 1265,- per person booking a trip for 1 person (Weekend surcharge per day for 1 person € 50,-)
    • If you have no need for luggage transport there is a discount of € 50,- per person when booking with 2 persons and € 100,- with a booking for 1 person. In that case you will be carrying your own luggage.
    • Are there more of you please contact Hike in Holland for pricing
Location:
Description:

This beautiful walking tour shows you South-Holland in a completely different way than our other walking tours. We take you along many older and newer estates. Some of them in their full glory, some of them bewildered or used for different purposes. In between the estates you’ll find some of the old town centres like Leiden, The Hague and Voorburg, some stately residential areas and parks, dunes and other types of nature. You are staying in three different towns. That means you don’t have to pack your luggage every day, but there’s still plenty of variation. Your luggage, if you desire, will be moved by us between the different hotels. The walks are smaller in length than what you’re used to from us. This gives you plenty of time to look around on the estates and to take your time while walking. This tour offers you an even more relaxed walking holiday.  With all that this walk truly reflects our motto: “Enjoy the nature and culture of Holland”.

Unique:

Walking on estates is something special. Often park-like area with ponds, rhododendrons, well-cut lawns, but also dense shrubbery and ancient trees, and the stately mansions in the middle make it a pleasure to walk here. Lots of estates in the province of South-Holland are opened for the general public, so often you can walk straight through the front yard of an estate which may still be owned by our current king, Willem-Alexander. Add to that the shorter distances on this tour, and you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy all this. The routes in between the estates are pretty as well. E.g the walk through the old town centre of Leiden is wonderful, but also the unique dune area near The Hague give this tour a clear added value.

Day to Day

Leiden

A typical canal in Leiden

Day 1 Arrival in Leiden

You’ll arrive in your hotel in Leiden, which in the centre of the old town. From here you may have look around in the old town or enjoy a drink on one of the many café’s. Also you may visit one of the many museums in Leiden or do a boat tour through the canals.
Huys te Warmont

Huys te Warmont

Day 2 From Warmond back to Leiden (12 km)

Today your first walk starts with a beautiful estate, Huys te Warmont, where a wonderful park is combined with a mansion that is restored in its former glory. Then you’ll continue your way through the protected village view of Warmond with many old and pretty houses. After that you will arrive in the Bos van Wijckersloot, a former estate which is more like a wild forest these days. Shortly after that you’ll arrive at the Oud-Poelgeest estate and castle which is maintained very well, which you may also judge by the number of brides you’ll meet on a spring day for their photos. Through a funny park you’ll make our way back to the centre of Leiden and your hotel.
Berbice

One of the estates in Voorschoten

Day 3 Leiden - Voorschoten (14 km)

After leaving your hotel, you’ll start with a nice tour through the old town of Leiden, along eye-catchers like the stronghold of Leiden, the Pieters church, and some of the old canals. You’ll walk through the Plantsoen park, which all of the stately late 19th century buildings alongside it. Past a mini-estate you’ll leave Leiden, and through the Ter Wadding estate you’ll enter Voorschoten. Along and through some more estates, some of them converted to a park, you’ll make your way to the old town centre of Voorschoten, where you’ll find your Bed & Breakfast for the next few days.
Duivenvoorde

Castle of Duivenvoorde

Duivenvoorde and the Vlietlanden (13 km)

Today you’ll walk through one of the prettiest and probably best maintained estate of the route, Duivenvoorde, but first you’ll walk through Voorschoten for a bit and then arrive at the Rosenburgh estate, which now has a teahouse and petting zoo. Then you’ll continue to the Duivenvoorde estate with its wonderful small castle and pretty gardens. Also the restaurant is recommendable. After this estate we’ll cross the water of the Vliet canal to arrive in nature and recreation area Vlietlanden. You’ll walk a pretty route through this area before heading back into Voorschoten and back to your Bed & Breakfast.
Horsten

The Horsten estate

Day 5 The Horsten (15 km)

Today you’ll make a tour through the town of Wassenaar, known for its many estates, villa’s, probably one of the richest towns in Holland. After a start through the polders, you’ll hike through one of the luxury residential areas of Wassenaar, where every second house looks like an estate mansion. Then you’ll enter the Rust en Vreugd estate, which is more of a forest than a traditional estate. You’ll then cross over to Backershaagen estate, followed by the Paauw estate, where you can find the beautiful town hall of Wassenaar. Eventually you’ll enter estate the Horsten. This is an enormous estate where you might have walked all day. It is still owned by the royal family. You’ll pass by the beautiful teahouse and the Ter Horst mansion and walk through the park for a while, before heading back to the Bed & Breakfast.
The Hague

A canal in the Hague

Day 6 Voorburg - The Hague (13 km)

After a short bus ride out of Voorschoten, you’ll start a wonderful walk along and across a number of estates, and through the old town centres of Voorburg, Rijswijk and the Hague. Todays walkingtour starts at the Vreugd en Rust estate, a well maintained park with a fine mansion. Exiting the estate brings you straight into Voorburg town centre with many monumental buildings. After that you’ll pass through a number of estates like Middendorp of Arentsburgh. This brings you nearer to the old centre of Rijswijk and the estates Hofrust and Cromvliet. Then you’ll continue to The Hague city centre, where you walk through the heart of the Dutch democracy, the Binnenhof, through the garden of Royal Palace Noordeinde. Through the stately residential area Duinoord you’ll arrive at your new hotel.
Dunes near Kijkduin

The dunes near Kijkduin

Day 7 The Hague - Kijkduin (14 km)

Today you’ll walk near the sea, in a wonderful dune area and two beautiful estates, and you will end up in seaside resort Kijkduin, where you can enjoy the sea and beach for a while, before a short busride will take you back to your hotel. The hike starts with a walk through what used to be the hunting grounds of a grand duchess, after which you’ll enter the Westduinpark, a large area with high dunes, where you may meet some big grazers. After that you’ll walk to the Meer en Bosch estate, a forest-like estate in the middle of the town with a nice restaurant. Then you’ll walk towards the Ockenburgh estate, a large estate with different types of nature and a nice white mansion. Exiting the estate brings you back into the dunes and near to your final destination Kijkduin, where you may relax for a little while before heading back to the hotel.
Clingendael

Clingendael estate

Day 8 Clingendael and Haagsche Bos (13 km)

Your last walkingtour will certainly not be the least pretty. You’ll start with some old residential areas of the Hague and through a forest like park you’ll arrive in the Arendsdorp estate, with its quaint pavilion. After that it’s a short walk to the Clingendael estate, one of the prettiest estates of Holland. Lots of variation with open spaces and tons of rhododendrons, a nice mansion and a teahouse. And there is a Japanese garden here as well. Exiting Clingendael brings you into the Haagsche Bos (Forest of the Hague), which starts with a short visit to another Royal Palace. Through this park (former hunting grounds as well) you’ll walk straight into the Hague city center. You’ll take a different route through the centre across a beautiful wide old lane, along the front of Royal Palace Noordeinde and past the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis). That brings you to the end of the last walk and back to your hotel.
Grey heron

The grey heron

Day 9 Journey home

From your hotel you can explore the Hague a little more before you leave, but then eventually there will be an end to this unique experience in the nature and culture of Holland.

Advice for extension

You’ll be staying in three different locations and especially in The Hague and Leiden an extension is recommendable. In these old towns are wonderful museums like the Mauritshuis, the Escher Museum, Panorama Mesdag in The Hague or Naturalis, the Museum of Anthropology or the Rijksmuseum for Antiquities in Leiden. Also a boat tour through the canals of Leiden of the Hague is very nice, or just strolling around town, shopping and enjoying the local cuisine. You may also extend the tour in nearby seaside resort Scheveningen or the old town of Delft. In both places we can offer you some walks as well.

Prices extension:

 

Town 2 persons 1 person
Leiden €85,- €110,-
Voorschoten €85,- €140,-
The Hague €85,- €140,-

Price is per person per night and includes breakfast and tourist taxes.

 

This offer is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant’s.

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