My favorite season must be spring! And aren’t we lucky, spring decided to come and spoil us a bit earlier in the year. While the sun was shinning, making the world a happier place I decided to cruise to the estates in Amelisweerd and Rhijnauwen, outside of the city. Here you can enjoy some well deserved me-time in the nature. Get lost on one of the many trails but always stumble upon a teahouse, lunchroom or restaurant. The Amelisweerd estate is located along the Kromme Rijn so you will see people in boats and canoes going down the river. If you want to see all the estates from the water you can also rent a boat or a canoe at Rijnstroom. Estate Amelisweerd is divided in two parts: new Amelisweerd and old Amelisweerd. And is adjacent to estate Rhijnauwen. When you visit one estate you cannot resist to see the rest as well. There are many routes to Amelisweerd or Rhijnhauwen. I usually take the route via the stadium to the Uithof. But when I feel like a long ride to the estates I take the Koningsweg route. Whichever route you choose there are some restaurants along the way or located in Amelisweerd or Rhijnauwen which I can recommend for a stop.
Fun fact: from 1808 up to 1810 Lodewijk Napoleon Bonaparte owned the Amelisweerd estates, he eventually ended up living there for eight days.
This list is in no particular order: restaurants Amelisweerd and Rhijnauwen.
1. Restaurant Vroeg
This is the place to get out of the city and enjoy a pitstop in nature. At Vroeg (almost) everything is homemade. They have even got a price for the best bread! It’s a place to have breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner.
2. Parkcafe Buiten
Along the road to the estates via the Utrech you will find Parkcafe Buiten. This cafe is very popular with the (Wilhelmina)park lovers and with cyclists. All stopping by the cafe for a cold beer or other beverage on the terrace.
3. Ik smelt voor jou
The pink ice cream truck ‘ik smelt voor jou’ has a small terrace along the road to Utrecht coming from the Theehuis in Rhijnauwen. Stopping for an Italian ice cream is always a good idea.
4. De Veldkeuken
The Veldkeuken has its own bakery so everything you buy is organic and fresh. The pictures of their Instagram account always have my craving a piece of sweet pie. The Veldkeuken is located near the Museum of Amelisweerd, along the Kromme Rijn. A perfect location to stop for lunch before continuing on one of the many trails. On the menu; sandwiches, soups, cakes, coffee, tea and cold driks. You can also buy fresh bread or sweet stuff for home. The Veldkeuken is heaven for kids and their parents, on a sunny day in the afternoon the place is packed with families.
5. Theehuis Rhijnauwen
I love sitting along the Kromme Rijn reading a book, sipping on a latte and watching the boats slowly go by. The beach seats close to the water are of course very popular with the crowd visiting the estates. But if you are lucky you can snatch the seat. Everyone goes to the theehuis for pancakes but there are other dishes as well. I always order a sweet pancake, don’t like the savory ones at all. But this is something personal. In the fall I tend to order something else then pancakes, like the stoofpotje (beef) with a large piece of bread. It is delicious!
Do you know a restaurant we can add to the list? If so please enter this in the comment box below.
These are some of the pictures I took during my bike ride to Amelisweerd and Rhijnauwen.
