Maarssen

Understand

350px|thumbnail|Vegtvliet, one of the dozens of castles and estates along the Vecht The Vechtstreek is known for its many vestiges of the Dutch Golden Age, including castles, homes, parks and tea houses. They are remnants of the greatness and wealth of that period, the important commercial role played by the Vecht and the area's history as a residential area for the nobility and wealthy.

The landscape east and west of the river is also remarkable. Peat extraction in the 17th and 18th century turned vast low-lying fens into a collection of shallow, man-made lakes and bogs. Water lilies, reeds, swamps and wooded areas have developed spontaneously from the old peat canals (trekgaten) where the peat was extracted. About 70 km² have been designated as a series of nature reserves and are part of the European Natura 2000 scheme.

Get around

Getting around by public transport buses is possible, but complicated. The easiest way to get around is by car, by bike, or even better, by boat. Bikes can be rented at railway stations.

Do

There are lakes and waterways on both sides of the Vecht. These lakes and interconnecting waterways are referred to as the Vechtplassen ("the Vecht Lakes"), a series of man-made lakes resulting from the peat extraction. The lakes near Loosdrecht are especially popular for sailing. West of the river Vecht there is another important area of man-made lakes, the Vinkeveen lakes.

A good way to spend a day is by making a bicycle tour through the area, passing many estates, polders and lakes.

thumb|250px|Botshol, a lake area between Abcoude and Waverveen A popular activity with the locals in the summer is to rent a boat and hit the lakes.

Buy

Breukelen's historic town centre has some nice shopping options.

Eat

Due to the affluent demographic, there are some high class restaurants in the area. There are also plenty of restaurants that cater to the many cyclists, so finding a day time snack or beverage should not be too difficult. Ankeveen is known by the locals as "the village with 0 shops but 4 restaurants". 's-Graveland also has some posh up-scale restaurants. Eateries in Abcoude, Kortenhoef and Nederhorst den Berg are generally cheap and aimed at the locals.

Drink

There's almost no nightlife to speak of in the area, the locals go to the surrounding cities for a night out. It is, however, possible to grab a cup of coffee at one of the restaurants.

Sleep

It's fair to say that accommodation is limited; most visitors spend the night in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Hilversum or other nearby towns. But as the area is a popular getaway destination among the locals, there certainly are options.

Go next

Muiden and Weesp are a part of the Vechtstreek, and each have a lot to offer the visitor. Muiden has a historic river quayside and the magnificent Muiderslot. Weesp was once fortified and several of the bastions, moats and forts have survived till this day.