Top 5 sustainable cities in The Netherlands

PART 4 - ALMERE

Welcome to the 4th day of our top 5 of the most sustainable cities in the Netherlands!

If you missed the other posts, I leave here the links to the cities of Utrecht, Amsterdam and Alkmaar.

Today’s city is also not very known, but is considered one of the most sustainable ones in the country! And why? Because they’re building the first self-sustained eco-village of the world!

This village will have 60 hectares with some pretty unique characteristics attached to it: cars are not allowed, so all the streets leading to it will only have enough width for people and bicycles; the landscape will be composed by with fruit trees, greenhouses and vegetable patches; water from rains will be collected for its inhabitants use and it will also be filtered to be drinkable; food waste goes to animals and land; if you wish you can volunteer at this village and, in return, you receive discounts that you can use, for example, in the electric buses that go daily to Amsterdam city!

Almere is one of the newest cities in the Netherlands, meaning that its sustainability concerns are being implemented into the new architecture of the city! The city is still building many of its areas and plans to be as sustainable as possible in every way. For example, they are planning to use 45 hectares to plant a great diversity of plants and then lodge a University which will be designed according to different climates, to accommodate a variety of plants across the year.

So what there's to visit in Almere?

Now that you know why Almere came to this top 5, let’s see what you can explore! Almere is known for its modern architecture, but also its nature, as it has 42 kilometres of coastline, so let’s explore! Differently from the other three cities we already explored, this one will give you more contact with nature and not that typical dutch architecture we saw from the last three places.

These are the best spots to see in Almere:

Oostvaardersplassen: one of the most beautiful natural reserves of the country;
Lepelaarplassen natural reserve: another natural place not to miss;
Thermen la Mer: the perfect place to relax during your journey. In this resort, you can use the saunas, do some massages, among many other things;
Almeerderstrand Beach;
Forteiland Pampus – a fortress located on a small island on the sea between Almere and Amsterdam;
Do a boat cruise;
Water sports: this city has a great connection with water and you’ll find a lot of water-related activities!
Havenkom area: a place where you’ll find the best restaurants located over the water;
Go for a city walk to see all its modern architecture.

If you have a car from Alkmaar you can easily do a day tour to Amsterdam.

If you want to discover other places I advise you to see the city’s official website! All photos were taken from there.

Sustainable accomodations in Alkmaar

Now let’s look for some sustainable accommodations. As it happened with Alkmaar, as this city is not so touristic it’s harder to find sustainable accommodations, but these were the ones I would choose:

Apollo Almere Hotel city centre

This hotel is the only one in the city with sustainability certification, having the green key silver and it is located right in the city centre!

Marinaparcs Almere

Why not staying in a cosy camping site? This is the perfect place to stay closer to the beaches and also great if you’re travelling with pets!

Lodgerie Het Groene Geheim

This is a unique place located in nature! This accommodation is managed by a couple who owns a farm and decided to turn their place into accommodations to show their love for nature.

Had you ever heard about Almere before? It seems a great city to explore the more natural side of the Netherlands!

Let me know in the comments if you ever visited it.

Have a great day

Yours,

Patrícia Mano Ahmad, Travelling to the Green