Tynaarlo is a municipality in the north of the province of Drenthe, in the Netherlands. Tynaarlo is named after a small village in the centre of the municipality, but the municipality also includes the larger towns Zuidlaren, Eelde-Paterswolde, and Vries. Many of the villages in the municipality are so-called brinkdorpen, which means they are centred around a brink or 'village green', and the eastern part of the region is part of the Drentsche Aa National Park. Tynaarlo is located between the cities of Groningen and Assen, and Groningen Airport Eelde is within the municipality.
Tynaarlo is in the north of the province of Drenthe, bordering Noordenveld to the west, provincial capital Assen to the south, Aa en Hunze to the southeast, and the province of Groningen (city of Groningen and Hoogezand) to the north. It is a rural area with dozens of towns, villages, and hamlets. The larger towns function as commuter towns for Assen and especially the city of Groningen.
In 2019, it was home to 34,000 people.
There are three tourist information points (TIPs) in Tynaarlo.
The municipality of Tynaarlo is traversed by the A28 motorway, providing quick connections to the north (Groningen city 10 minutes) and south (Assen 15 minutes, Zwolle 45 min). In addition, the N34 expressway leads to Tynaarlo from the southeast (Emmen 40 minutes). Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport are about 1 hr 45 min from Tynaarlo.
Although the Zwolle-Groningen railway traverses the municipality of Tynaarlo, there is no railway station in the region. The nearest railway stations with intercity service are in Assen and Groningen. Both stations offer regular connections to and from the Eastern and Western Netherlands (including Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport), and Groningen station has more connections to and from Friesland province, other regions in Groningen province, and Germany.
The key bus routes to get into the municipality of Tynaarlo are listed below. All bus routes are operated by Qbuzz.
Groningen Airport Eelde 📍 (IATA: GRQ) is located in the municipality of Tynaarlo. The airport offers (multiple) daily flights to and from Copenhagen, London-Southend, and Munich, and various other scheduled and charter flights to and from cities and holiday destinations in Southern Europe. Car rental is available at the airport, and from the airport there are fast road connections throughout the region. Bus route 9 provides connections from the airport to Eelde-Paterswolde and De Punt. To get to Vries, a change to bus route 50 at the village of De Punt is required, and to get to Zuidlaren a change to bus route 5 at Groningen city is needed.
The easiest and fastest way to get around in the municipality of Tynaarlo is by car. However, for shorter distances using a bicycle is recommended. Good cycling infrastructure is available, and all villages are clearly signposted with dedicated signposts for cyclists. The four key bus routes as mentioned above can also be used for travelling within Tynaarlo. However, the main towns are not well connected to each other. To get from Eelde-Paterswolde or Vries to Zuidlaren or vice versa, you will need travel via Groningen city.
Just as in the other parts of Drenthe province, there are several dolmens (megalithic tombs) in Tynaarlo.
Tynaarlo is along the route of the most famous long distance walking route of the Netherlands, the Pieterpad. Stage 3 ends, and stage 4 starts, in the town of Zuidlaren.
The western shore of the Paterswoldsemeer lake is in the municipality of Tynaarlo (the remainder of the lake is in Groningen city and Haren), and so is the southern part of the Zuidlaardermeer lake (with the remainder being in Midden-Groningen). The lakes have facilities for swimming and water sports such as sailing and kayaking.
There are a few hotels in Tynaarlo. Additional hotels can be found nearby in the cities of Groningen and Assen.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division