Only a 20-minute drive South of Amsterdam is the popular nature and watersports area the Vinkeveense Plassen. I went kayaking there a few times over the years with friends. We rented kayaks at Vinkeveen Haven (about €20 for 4 hours per kayak). They also have the convenient free map “Vinkeveense Plassen Recreatie- en Plassenkaart”.
Here are two interesting routes that I’ve paddled and put on Google Maps:
Routes
| Over the big lakes (little wind protection) | 10 km |
| Through the Vinkeveen canals (more wind protection) | 10 km |
Both routes take about 3 hours of easy paddling. When it’s windy (say more than 28 km/h or Beaufort 4) you better take the route through the Vinkeveen canals because there you have more wind protection.
More routes can be found on the Dutch website of the local canoe club “De Ronde Venen”.
Finally, prepare to get wet so store valuables in a waterproof container/bag 🙂