Surroundings

The Vrouwgeest windmill and the cottage are beautifully located right in the middle of the 'Green Hart' in the west part of the Netherlands, on the edge of Alphen aan den Rijn; only 30 to 40 kilometers from the cities Amsterdam, The Hage, Utrecht, Rotterdam. Nearby lies the city of Leiden, and the small villages of Woubrugge and Hoogmade. And it is only a 30 minute drive to the beach!

The windmill is built on the waters edge alongside the Heimanswetering, a canal built between the Old Rhine river (Oude Rijn) and the beautiful waters of the Braasem and Wijde Aa (large natural lakes). On the other side of the canal is a residential area and a small marina.

You can explore these beautiful green surroundings by hiking and biking. There are lots of possibilities for water-sports in the immediate area, such as sailing, renting motorboats/yachts or swimming. We also have canoes for use. And of course you can do some fishing!

If you are especially interested in windmills, in the immediate area are lots of windmills to discover! Within a one hour's drive you can visit the 'Zaanse Schans' or 'Kinderdijk', famous places because of their windmills.

Other attractions in this region:

Avifauna Birdpark and big playground in Alphen
Keukenhof Flower park/expo in Lisse
Archeon Archeologic theme park about the Middleages and before in Alphen
Madurodam Holland in miniature in The Hague
Het Rijksmuseum Museum with the old Dutch masters, like Rembrandt, in Amsterdam
De Linnaeushof    Attraction park/playground in Heemstede

Photos of the surrounding