41km (25 miles) NE of Amsterdam; 30km (19 miles) W of Kampen
This ultramodern town (pop. 74,000) and capital of Holland's newest province, Flevoland, has little -- nothing, really -- in the way of traditional Dutch character to offer. Yet a number of standout attractions here justify an expedition across the flat, bare polders; indeed, a drive across those polders themselves, wrested from the IJsselmeer during recent decades, has its own peculiar fascination. Should you visit Lelystad on a Saturday, be sure to go by the town square to see vendors clad in traditional dress hawking everything from smoked eels to crafts to cheese, in a delightful example of a people holding onto tradition in the middle of modern-day progress.
Getting There -- Up to four trains arrive in Lelystad every hour from Amsterdam Centraal Station. Buses arrive every half-hour on average from Amsterdam. By car from Amsterdam, take A6 northeast; from Kampen take N307 and N309 west.
Nearby Attractions
All kind of thrills and enjoyment for the whole family are on offer at Walibi World, Spijkweg 30 (tel. 0321/329-999; www.walibiworld.nl), near Biddinghuizen, 22km (14 miles) east of Lelystad. Top billing goes to the Goliath, the highest, longest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster in the Benelux lands. There's plenty of other rides, a minitrain for young children, theme areas like Bugs Bunny World and Sherwood Forest, a Wild West show, and restaurants and snack bars. The park is open April to October daily from 10am to 6pm (to 5pm weekdays Apr-May and Sept-Oct). Admission is 28€ ($44) for adults; 25€ ($40) for seniors, visitors with disabilities, and children ages 4 to 11; and free for children 3 and under. To get here from Lelystad, take N309 and N306.
Just outside Lelystad is Holland's largest wetlands nature reserve, the Oostvaardersplassen, covering 60 sq. km (23 sq. miles). While this might not be wildly exciting to everybody, it should be for birders, since every year this area is visited by 100,000 nesting and migrating birds. The marshes lie west of town, on either side of the A6 Amsterdam expressway. There's a visitor center at Knardijk with information and several observation hides.
Art of Earth & Sun -- In 1977, American sculptor Robert Morris created a kind of modern Stonehenge, with his Observatorium, a little way northeast of Lelystad on N307. From inside twin concentric rings of embanked earth, 3m (10 ft.) high, you look through openings that spot the sunrise on the first day of summer, the first day of winter, the vernal equinox (Mar 21), and the autumnal equinox (Sept 23).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
