Hunebed Highway by car
Drive the N34 past the oldest monuments in the Netherlands: the dolmens on the Hondsrug ridge, with the Hunebedcentrum in Borger. From De Punt to Coevorden. For convertible, touring car, motorbike and camper.
Google Maps starts from your own location. For Garmin, Komoot or TomTom: download the GPX.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: dolmen D27 and mill De Wachter by Gouwenaar (public domain).
Past the oldest monuments in the Netherlands
Almost all the dolmens of the Netherlands lie on a single sandy ridge in Drenthe: the Hondsrug, a moraine from the ice age. The N34 that runs over it earned the nickname Hunebed Highway, and it is one of the finest short scenic drives in the north. You pass the five-thousand-year-old burial monuments that farmers of the Funnel Beaker culture built from giant boulders, through heath, arable ridges and old green-square villages. About 82 kilometres in all, a half day or a relaxed full day with the museums.
You start at De Punt in the north and finish in the fortress town of Coevorden in the south. Along the way lie the villages of Zuidlaren and Gieten, the Hunebedcentrum in Borger with the largest dolmen in the country, and the dolmens and zoo of Emmen. The whole route lies in the UNESCO Global Geopark de Hondsrug, where the landscape itself tells the story of the ice age.
The route on the map
A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.
Soon: your time and starting point
The places along the route
1. De Punt
De Punt lies on the border of Groningen and Drenthe, where the Hondsrug begins and the N34 dives into the countryside. From here the old Drenthe landscape opens before you: sandy lanes, hedgerows and the first arable ridges. A quiet place to start for the drive south.
Practical: park by the approach road; the nature area around the Zuidlaardermeer lies close by.
2. Zuidlaren
Zuidlaren is one of the loveliest green-square villages of Drenthe, with broad grassy squares, old farms and the famous Zuidlaren market, once the largest horse market in Western Europe. On the edge the museum mill De Wachter still turns, a fully fitted corn and oil mill.
Practical: park by the green; mill De Wachter can be visited on opening days.
3. Gieten
Gieten lies on the highest part of the Hondsrug, an old arable village where the roads meet. Around it lie rolling fields on the ridge and forest paths that lend themselves well to a stop. From here it is only a short way to the beating heart of the route.
Practical: park in the centre; a good place for coffee halfway along the northern part.
4. Borger
Borger is the dolmen capital: here stands the Hunebedcentrum, the museum about the builders of five thousand years ago, and right beside it lies dolmen D27, at over twenty-two metres the largest in the Netherlands. The giant boulders, carried from Scandinavia by the ice age, were lifted onto one another by hand. This is the must-see of the route.
Practical: park at the Hunebedcentrum; the largest dolmen is a short walk beside it.
5. Exloo
Exloo is an atmospheric village with one of the finest greens in Drenthe, framed by old oaks. Around it lie several dolmens and the vast heath, which turns purple in August. A good place to step out of the car and walk the ridge and the heath.
Practical: park by the green; short walks to the dolmens and the heath nearby.
6. Odoorn
Odoorn is a small, quiet arable village on the route, known for the international folklore festival held there each summer. Outside those days it is a still green with an old church, exactly the kind of pause that suits this landscape.
Practical: a short stop; park by the green.
7. Emmen
Emmen is the largest place on the route and the southern dolmen centre: several dolmens lie around the town, including the long one in the Emmerdennen woods. In the town itself the Wildlands zoo draws many visitors. Here you leave the Hondsrug and the route drops south.
Practical: park in the centre or by the Emmerdennen woods; the dolmens lie scattered around the town.
8. Coevorden
Coevorden closes the route: an old fortress town with a star-shaped moat, a castle and a well-preserved old centre. Once a strategic border fortress, now a quiet town to end the tour, far from the dolmens but with a history all its own.
Practical: park on the edge of the centre; you walk the fortress and castle in half an hour.
Practical: for convertible, motorbike and camper
From which town: the route starts at De Punt, but you need not start there. Enter your own address or holiday address in the planner, choose your time, and Touren.app rebuilds the same route from Assen, Emmen, Groningen or wherever you are staying.
For which vehicle: the Hondsrug is rolling and green, with quiet roads through heath and arable ridges, ideal as a scenic drive. It drives well with a camper too; Drenthe is prime camping and camper country.
The dolmens: there are fifty-two dolmens in Drenthe, almost all on the Hondsrug. The finest and largest, D27, lies by the Hunebedcentrum in Borger; that museum is the best place to start to understand the story. Many dolmens lie freely accessible in the field; leave them as you find them.
Best season: all year, but the Hondsrug is at its best when the heath blooms, mid-August to early September, and in autumn. Then the landscape turns purple and gold and the ridges and forest paths are at their finest.
Why this road: we follow the N34 and the quiet back roads over the Hondsrug rather than the motorway. That way you stay on the sandy ridge where the dolmens lie, with the rolling ice-age landscape on both sides.
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Mail this route to yourselfFrequently asked questions
What is the Hunebed Highway?
It is the nickname the province of Drenthe gave the N34, the road that runs over the Hondsrug and past almost all the dolmens of the Netherlands. Our car route follows that road from De Punt to Coevorden. We provide the drive; the nickname and signposting are the province's.
How long is the route by car?
About 82 kilometres, with some 1 hour and 40 minutes of pure driving, measured via Google Maps with motorways avoided. With the Hunebedcentrum and a heath walk it is a fine half or full day.
Where is the largest dolmen?
Dolmen D27 near Borger, at over twenty-two metres, is the largest in the Netherlands. It lies right beside the Hunebedcentrum, the museum that tells the story of the builders of five thousand years ago.
Is the route suitable for convertible, motorbike and camper?
Yes. The Hondsrug is rolling with quiet roads, pleasant for any vehicle. Drenthe is also true camper country, with plenty of room to stop and stay over.
Are the exports really free?
Yes, free with a Touren.app credit on them. You never pay us for exports; those who want to drive ad-free and offline choose Plus.
Keep exploring
Fancy this drive, but from your own front door?
Touren.app rebuilds the same Hunebed Highway from any starting point in Drenthe, within the time you have. Choose your vehicle, slide your time, and drive.
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