Cycling route through Terneuzen and Axel

An idyllic cycling route through Zeeuws-Vlaanderen via Terneuzen and Axel, a route full of history.

On to Terneuzen
This cycling route of almost 60 kilometers starts just outside Axel, at the river Grote Kreek. You cycle through small villages and the beautiful polder landscape along the Canal from Ghent to Terneuzen to Terneuzen. This city was founded around 1300, when it was still called Ter Nose. The city has been closely related to shipping since its origins. In the old harbour, where the Markt is now, goods were transhipped and transported to Ghent by barge.

In the middle of the 19th century, Terneuzen was provided with a fortress. You can still see that in the city center today. With the arrival of a larger sea lock in the 1960s, a number of international companies settled here. The city thus became the economic heart of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

End point: Axel
Then you get back on your bike to cycle a short distance along the Western Scheldt and at the village of Griete you go inland again towards Axel. Axel is one of the few cities in the Netherlands that has a clearly recognizable traditional costume.