Ironically enough, the first stage of the Grote Rivierenpad starts on the water, but not on a river. You start in Hoek van Holland, at the Hoek van Holland Haven station on the Nieuwe Waterweg. This canal was taken into use in 1872 as a connection between the sea and the port of Rotterdam.



Via the beach… read more

The second stage of the Grote Rivierenpad combines ports and industry with nature and tranquility. How special is that? You start in the village of Maasland, which is almost adjacent to Maassluis.



You cross the old streets of Maassluis before you take the ferry to Rozenburg. In the distance you can see… read more

Stage 3 of the Grote Rivierenpad is 15 kilometers long. You start in the small and picturesque Geervliet and only walk a short distance through the meadows before you encounter buildings again. No wonder, because Spijkenisse, Hoogvliet, Poortugaal and Rhoon have all almost grown into Rotterdam.



Yet this… read more

During stage 4 of the Grote Rivierenpad you are always very close to the city, but you hardly walk through the built-up area. You start at the Rhoonse Grienden, pilot whales where the tide still plays a major role. This has an effect on the special flora and fauna.



After the pilot whales you walk directly… read more

At 16.5 kilometres, the fifth stage of the Grote Rivierenpad is not exceptionally long. Nevertheless, we recommend that you allow enough time for this stage, because during your walk you will pass very special Dutch heritage: the windmills of Kinderdijk.



Before you get there, you have already covered… read more

While the first five stages of the Grote Rivierenpad often ran through or close to cities, buildings or industry, that is different during this sixth stage. You start your walk in Krimpen aan den IJssel and walk directly into the peat area.



From the start you walk along the Loet, the peat stream that… read more

Stage 7 of the Grote Rivierenpad is one of the longer stages. You have just over 23 kilometers ahead of you today. You start in Bergambacht and soon you walk along the Buitenlanden Ammerstol along the Lek.



After a few kilometers you will pass the silver town of Schoonhoven. And the town on the Lek itself… read more

During this eighth stage of the Grote Rivierenpad you broadly follow the meanders of the Lek through the Groene Hart. It is wonderfully quiet and green here and there is plenty of water. That means that you can spot birds here. For example, at the bird hide that you encounter after a kilometer or two… read more

It is virtually impossible to get lost on this ninth stage of the Grote Rivierenpad. Only a handful of times you turn left or right, the rest of the route you follow the mainly straight roads.



You start in Hei- en Boeikop and walk a few kilometers before you arrive in Schoonrewoerd, a small village with… read more

How straight the roads were during the ninth stage of the Grote Rivierenpad, how winding your route is during stage 10. You start in atmospheric Leerdam, where part of the city wall has been preserved. Soon you cross the Linge, which they might have better called the Slinger given the course. You follow… read more

During the eleventh stage of the Grote Rivierenpad you walk through the fruit orchards of the Betuwe. Who doesn't know Flipje Tiel? This advertising figure was created way back in the last century to promote jam factory 'De Betuwe'.



But before you finish in Tiel after twenty kilometers, you first start… read more

Stage 12 of the Grote Rivierenpad takes you from Tiel to Dodewaard, two places that are both located on the river Waal. You start your walk in Tiel, a lively city with a rich history. From there you cross the Waal and follow the path along the river. You walk through the beautiful floodplain area and… read more

The thirteenth stage of the Grote Rivierenpad starts in the small and quiet Dodewaard and ends in the lively student city of Nijmegen. Allow enough time for this walk, because the route can be called challenging with about 28 kilometers on the counter.



From the river Waal with its characteristic flood… read more

Stage 14 of the Grote Rivierenpad takes you from Nijmegen to Kranenburg, a town just across the border in Germany. Because both the start and the end of the stage have a train station, you can also do this route as a day hike.



You start your walk in the center of Nijmegen, a lively city with a rich history… read more

Stage fifteen is the last stage of the Grote Rivierenpad and runs entirely through German territory, just across the border at Nijmegen. You depart from Kranenburg, an interesting town with thirteenth-century ramparts and mighty towers.



A little further on you walk into the Reichswald, and continue your… read more

Stages 16 to 19 of the Grote Rivierenpad are not official stages that you must have walked to have followed the entire route. They are variants for the first few stages, where you follow a route along the north side of Rotterdam.



This variant runs from Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel to the Loetbos, via Moordrecht… read more

Stage 17 is not an official stage of the Grote Rivierenpad, but a variant that runs through a relatively quiet green area close to the port city of Rotterdam. Yet you can see the skyline of the city continuously, while you walk through the quiet area of the Rottemeren. The river Rotte is the namesake… read more

Stage 18 of the Grote Rivierenpad is not an official stage, but stages 16 to 19 are a variant of the regular route. Moreover, during this 11-kilometer walk you do not follow a large river, but a small one: the Rotte. The city of Rotterdam owes its name to this river that meanders through the country… read more

Stages 16 to 19 are variants of the route of the Grote Rivierenpad, with which you follow the route north of Rotterdam. Stage 19 also connects to the original stages 1 and 2.



This walk takes you through the green peat bogs of the Vlietlanden in Midden-Delfland to the north of the city. You can see the… read more

Stage 20 of the Grote Rivierenpad is not an official stage, but a variant. Moreover, it is a walk that you can do very well as a separate day walk. You cross the city of Rotterdam completely from north to south, or vice versa. In addition, this stage also connects the official stage 4 and the variant… read more