A Maze, Castle and Butterflies

Park your car here. You can go for a walk in the direct surroundings to start up your day, or choose the 5 km walk mentioned next.

Why not start today with a little stroll on the path of love? You will discover amazing nature and can have some rest stops at the funny-looking, arty love benches.

The maze in Ruurlo is the biggest one made of hedges in the whole wide world. No wonder people get lost here. In the maze, you may spot some weird looking creatures, or are you meeting yourself? Can you find your way out? You can buy your tickets at the entrance. It opens at 10.30, but if you are here earlier you get to spend some awesome time in the surrounding area.

At the same spot as the maze, you will find Ruurlo castle. It's one of the most beautiful castles in this region. It was built in the 14th century and the original blueprint is still intact. Not only is the castle special because, well it's a castle which is pretty awesome, to begin with. But it is also the place where you can find artwork by Dutch famous artist Carel Willink who painted neorealistic paintings of buildings and ominous skies.
More info and tickets here
Open hours: Monday - Sunday: 11:00 - 17:00

Although the greenhouse isn't all that big, there are a lot of butterflies flying around. I bet you have never seen so many different ones in one spot. Maybe you will see species you have never seen in your life before! And what is that sitting there on your shoulder? Wow, this must be a fairytale. The butterfly garden is open from Easter until fall.
Open hours: Wednesday - Friday: 11.00 - 16.00 Saturday - Sunday: 11.00 - 17.00
More info (in Dutch) here

Time for lunch. You can have a good meal at De Zessprong. Which is very nicely located in the middle of nature. For the kids there is a nostalgic playground to run around. It's also a great spot to start a little hike after lunch. Beware the restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. But you can still park your car.

From the restaurant, you can walk different paths. The whole area is 110 hectares in size and mainly overgrown with heather and coniferous and deciduous forest. When the heather is in full bloom (around August/September) you are lucky, because it is a spectacular sight.

With some tired kids in the car, it is probably time to head back to Amsterdam. But how about making one more special stop. You can park at the parking with the same name and walk towards Uitkijktoren Kootwijkerzand. Climb up to have an awesome view of the beachlike surroundings, without an ocean nearby. Is it a dream?

What better place to eat after two days of traveling than in a pancake restaurant. You can try all sorts of different pancakes, sweet ones or pancakes with cheese or vegetables. A fun restaurant to end your road trip. You can find the menu here