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City and municipality in Drenthe, Netherlands
Photo: Elgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Assen is a city in The Netherlands and is the capital of the province of Drenthe. Assen is the place to go for Dutch motorsports fans, as it is home to the TT Circuit where the annual Dutch TT Race is held. For a weekend in June, this town turns into a bustling, crowded destination full of partying fans, when the Dutch TT, part of the worldwide MotoGP, is taking place. If you're not a motorcycle aficionado, this city is probably not a particularly interesting city for you, but with some 65,000 inhabitants it's a rather large town and a regional centre for shopping and services. If you do find yourself here, don't miss visiting the Drents Museum, which has a very nice collection on local and general history. Assen is also useful as a transport hub, since many buses to small villages commence their run here and the city is served by fast intercity trains.
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The Drents Museum is one of the best ways to spend your time in town, with good and varied historic collections in archaeology and arts. Highlights include several displays of bog bodies and what's believed to be the world's oldest boat, a prehistoric canoe built around 8000BC. It's art section has some excellent works and includes a Vincent van Gogh.
A monumental mansion in the centre of town. It was built in 1778 and has beautiful English gardens.
"The Cathedral of Speed"
Famous for motorsports fans in all the world, the TT circuit was built in 1955 and, although it used to be longer, the track is now 4,555 m long. The sports arena can host some 100,000 spectators, and in fact does when the DutchTT in running. Usually held in June, this is the largest single day sports event in the country, drawing visitors from far and wide. Check the websites for any upcoming events, as there are events some 250 days of the year. After the track was shortened, a large area of land became available to develop the circuit into a more full-fledged tourist attraction in Assen. Heavy investments are being made to create a large scale leisure park around the circuit, including shopping and amusement opportunities.
This place has the looks and atmosphere of a simple bistro or pub, but its dishes are restaurant quality stuff. If you're not too picky, try the surprise menu.
Nice place with international style dishes. When in season, they sell a pretty good pan full of mussels.
This Italian place gets a bit noisy when it's busy and the service is not the fastest around, but the pizzas and pastas are good.
The most popular Indian restaurant in town, with friendly service and a very extensive menu. If you want to be sure of a table, it's best to call ahead.
Nice cafe in the museum, but open for all. Has some Drenthe specialties.
gourmet restaurant.
Best Western Hotel De Jonge
Although the interior is a bit outdated, this hotel offers spacious rooms with all the basic facilities right in the city centre. On weekends, rooms in the front can be a bit noisy.
Van der Valk Assen
Convenient location for a visit to the TT, with spacious, well-equipped rooms. It's outside of the city centre, though.
This place is on the edge of Assen, near the Asserbos, but has good facilities including indoor and outdoor pools, an extensive spa, and bowling alley, most of them for free.
Small, charming hotel in a small village some 10 km from Assen. It's run by a couple and has a great restaurant with a daily menu. They offer bike rental and upon request they'll arrange for flowers or chocolates in your room.
Open-air shopping centre with 30 shops.
Partially covered shopping centre with 17 shops, including an Albert Heijn XL, a larger supermarket with a larger product range.
Shopping center with a Jumbo supermarket, a Lidl, a Media Markt.
By train
By bus
Many buses traverse the countryside, and Assen is a hub in this network.
By plane
Assen is served by Head to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for a much wider selection of destinations.
By bicycle
It's an excellent place to cycle around and in. The LF9 and LF14 national cycle routes pass near to Assen.
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