LF3 Hanze Route

The LF3 Hanze Route (Hanzeroute) runs from Kampen to Millingen aan de Rijn on the Dutch–German border, linking seven Hanseatic towns along the IJssel river. It is the middle section of the LF3, one of the Netherlands' signposted long-distance cycle routes known as LF routes (Landelijke Fietsroutes), which are designed with multi-day cycling holidays in mind.

Most of the riding is on separate cycle paths and winding dikes, with the IJssel's floodplains and side channels alongside. The river follows a largely untamed course here, and its many branches shape the landscape between the towns. The route's other half is urban: Kampen, Hasselt, Zwolle, Hattem, Deventer, Zutphen and Doesburg all sit on the route, each a place to stop for a café terrace, a look at the old town or an overnight stay.

LF3 Hanze Route at a glance

• Route network: middle section of the LF3; the Rietlandroute and Maasroute make up the rest of the LF3
• Route type: mainly separate cycle paths, plus winding sections along the dikes
• Start: Stationsplein in Kampen, junction 41
• End: the Dutch–German border at Millingen aan de Rijn, between Dutch junction 94 and German junction 33
• Direction: signposted in both directions
• Alternative starting points: Hasselt, Zwolle, Hattem, Deventer, Zutphen or Doesburg

How the Hanze Route is signposted

The Hanze Route is marked with LF route signs in both directions, so you can ride it north to south or the other way round. It also lines up with the Dutch cycling junction network (fietsknooppunten), which gives you a second way to navigate: the route starts at junction 41 in Kampen and finishes at the border near Millingen aan de Rijn, where Dutch junction 94 meets German junction 33.

The GPX track is available directly in VeloPlanner, so you can load it onto your device or phone before setting off.

Which Hanseatic towns does the LF3 Hanze Route pass?

Seven Hanseatic towns are connected by the route, and you can join it in any of them:

• Kampen, where the route starts at the Stationsplein
• Hasselt
• Zwolle
• Hattem
• Deventer
• Zutphen
• Doesburg

Between the towns, the scenery is defined by the IJssel itself: open floodplains (uiterwaarden), dikes and the river's side channels.

Where to stay on the Hanze Route

The Hanseatic towns are the natural overnight stops. Each offers places to eat and stay, which makes it straightforward to turn the route into a multi-day trip and to choose where each day ends.

Connecting routes

The Hanze Route links directly to the other two parts of the LF3, the Rietlandroute and the Maasroute. Together, the three sections run through the provinces of Friesland, Overijssel, Gelderland and Limburg, so you can extend the trip well beyond the IJssel. To combine Dutch and German Hanseatic towns, the separate Hanzesteden Fietsroute is another option.

Final tips

Because the route is signposted both ways and passes seven towns you can start from, it adapts easily to the time you have, from a single stretch between two Hanseatic towns to the full ride to the German border. Open the route in the VeloPlanner planner to split it into days that end in the towns where you want to stay.