East Frisia: Fehnroute

Arrive early, because the seaport town of Emden has a lot to offer. Stroll through the small town, enjoy the maritime flair exuded by the museum ships or visit the famous Otto Huus, a museum dedicated to Otto, Germany's most famous comedian and the town's greatest son. It's a rarity, because the Otto Huus is a museum where you can really laugh! In the late afternoon there is a personal info talk and the bike handover. And if you like fish, you should definitely try some matjes or crabs here in Emden in the evening.

In the morning you cycle along small, quiet paths to Petkum on the Ems. The short ferry crossing (not included) to the pretty town of Ditzum gives you a real holiday feeling. This is reinforced by the many small restaurants, cafes and original pubs. Marvel at the many sights of the idyllic town, such as the "Bültjer Werft" wooden boatyard, which is recognised throughout Europe, the impressive Ems barrage, and the lively Ditzum fishing harbour with its shrimp boats. You then cycle directly along the Ems to Leer on the Ems cycle path. This romantic town is affectionately known as the "Gateway to East Frisia". Look forward to this fishing and seafaring town with its thousand-year history and winding old town alleys. Small shops, cosy tea rooms and nice restaurants invite you to browse, enjoy and linger. You should also visit the nearby museum harbour, where you can admire many restored ships.

Today you cycle along numerous small canals and wide moorland areas through a landscape characterised by its rugged charm. Again and again you cycle over picturesque bascule bridges and past quaint farms to the old fehn colony of Papenburg. With its many canals and bascule bridges, it is also known as the "Venice of the North". A special attraction in Papenburg is the internationally renowned Meyer Werft shipyard, where huge cruise ships are built. A visit is highly recommended (prior booking required). Let yourself be fascinated by the construction of the modern cruise giants during a tour. During a stroll through Papenburg, many things are reminiscent of the times of peat extraction and shipping. Marvel at the baroque Altenkamp Manor with its beautifully landscaped garden and the historic Bockwindmühle windmill or walk in the footsteps of the first settlers in the Von-Velen Open-Air Museum. Historic dwellings from the peat huts to the captain's houses tell the eventful history of the town.

You leave Papenburg on flat paths and cycle first to the Dortmund-Ems Canal and the Ems, both of which you cross to the German-Dutch border. Look forward to a "new" and completely different atmosphere, which you will feel just over the border in the Dutch province of Groningen. Take a worthwhile break in the old border fortress of Bourtange. This lovingly restored, picturesque fortified town dates back to 1580 and, like most fortified towns, is star-shaped. Stroll through the medieval centre with its historic shops and nice restaurants. Then cycle past large farms and restored, ancient locks to the water-rich municipality of Stadskanaal, which used to play an important role as a trading centre when peat was mined. The name Stadskanaal came about because a canal was built from the countryside to the city of Groningen. Even today, there are still endless houseboats, skippers, sailors, canoeists and rowers on the many waterways around Stadskanaal.

Today you cycle through many idyllic villages of the province of Drenthe to Zuidlaren. Make a short stop at the De Wachter museum mill, which specialises in grain and oil and has its own bakery. Passing the large inland lake Paterswoldsemeer, you cycle on perfect cycle paths to the city of Groningen, the centre in the north-east of the Netherlands. Look forward to this hidden jewel. Here you will find oases of tranquillity next to lively student hangouts and bustling market squares. Discover the Groninger Hofjes, once free shelters for the poor, widows and the sick, today private individuals live here. You can just walk into some of the courtyards and marvel at the romantic design many a time. Stroll through the fish market, where market people loudly offer their wares, and fortify yourself with a portion of chips or kibbeling. You will also be warmly welcomed by restaurants and shops in all the historic buildings around the market. Marvel at the old warehouses on the quay and the imposing station hall or spend quiet minutes in the watery Noorderplantsoen city park.

Enjoy another day of the good cycle paths in the Netherlands, which will first take you to Uithuizen to the Menkemaborg, which you can visit. Besides the historic castle, the unique baroque garden with rare flowers, vegetables, herbs and tea house is worth seeing. The garden has been faithfully reconstructed according to plans from 1705. Marvel at the sundial from 1722, the large labyrinth of hornbeams, the pear arbour, a rose tunnel and the kitchen garden with old vegetables and herbs. You should definitely make another stop today in the historic town of Appingedam. Let yourself be enchanted by the charm of this old Frisian harbour town. Visit the imposing Nicolaï Church, marvel at the town hall built in 1630 in Renaissance style and stroll through the monumental Solwerderstraat street. Along the banks of the Damsterdiep with its beautiful bridges and hanging kitchens - one of the city's greatest attractions - you then cycle on to Delfzijl, where the Ems flows into the North Sea.

Look forward to this day in the saddle as you cycle on idyllic paths along the Dollart. You will pass through the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park and enjoy this piece of land, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tidal flats, sandbanks, salt marshes, beaches, dunes and river mouths into the North Sea as well as the fauna and flora typical of the Wadden Sea are among the protected habitats of this national park. In a good mood you reach the pretty town of Ditzum again. As at the beginning of your cycle tour, you will use the ferry between Ditzum and Petkum again before you roll the last kilometres back to Emden. Those who started their cycle tour on a Sunday also have the option of taking a boat trip from Delfzijl across the Dollart to Emden as an alternative to the cycle route. Either way, you will spend the night again in the pretty harbour town of Emden at the end of your circular tour.

After breakfast, your varied cycle tour of northern Germany and the Netherlands comes to an end. There is still much to discover here, so we will be happy to book you additional nights in Emden.