Few travellers venture to this far corner of the Netherlands, but those who don't go are missing out on the country's rural heart, a place where traditions are kept alive and prehistoric relics dot the landscape.
If ever there was a forgotten corner of the Netherlands, this is it. With no sea access or major city to call its own (postwar project Emmen is the largest), Drenthe is as Vincent van Gogh described in 1883: "Here is peace." His paintings of the peat collectors in the province's southeast bear him out.
Tucked away in the country's far northeastern corner, this overtly agricultural province is a treasure trove of pleasant surprises. At its heart lies capital, Groningen, a handsome 14th-century Hanseatic city that has lost none of its charm over the centuries and turns heads today with its prestigious university, contemporary food scene, edgy nightlife and innovative pulse.
These are the top experiences and sights in Groningen & Drenthe, according to Lonely Planet.
