racetrack
Circuit Zolder
A Belgian circuit tragically linked to Gilles Villeneuve's death in 1982, with a rich history in Formula 1 and touring car racing.
8 km · about 15 min drive
EuropeBelgiumFlanders
Zonhoven
Flanders, Belgium · Europe
About Zonhoven
Zonhoven is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Houthalen, 20km from Hoge Kempen National Park.
Zonhoven is in Flanders, Belgium, with about 20,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Houthalen, about 5 km away.
Zonhoven (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzɔnɦoːvə(n)]; Limburgish: Zoneve) is a municipality located in the middle of the Belgian province of Limburg located north of Hasselt and also borders Houthalen-Helechteren, Genk and Heusden-Zolder. It’s an urbanized municipality, in the edge area of Hasselt. The municipality belongsRead more
to the On January 1, 2019, Zonhoven had a total population of 21,237. The total area is 39.34 km2 which gives a population density of 506 inhabitants per km2.
Archaeological findings from the period 11,000 BCE to 5,000 BCE, including the only fixed prehistoric polishing stone in Flanders, indicate early inhabitation of the territory. From the Middle Ages to the early modern period, Zonhoven and its neighboring villages belonged to the Land of Vogelsanck. Since the arrival of industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, the municipality has experienced a significant population increase: between 1930 and 1980, the population tripled. Iron ore mining, in particular, played a prominent role in the economy of Zonhoven.
The municipality includes the hamlets Halveweg, Termolen, and Terdonk.
Where to Stay in Zonhoven
Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.
Filter presets
Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.
Compare before you book!
Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Zonhoven.
Explore the Area
Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Zonhoven.
Loading map...
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Zonhoven?
Within an hour or so of Zonhoven: Circuit Zolder (8 km), Hoge Kempen National Park (20 km), Vrijthof Maastricht (27 km), Valkenburg Marl Caves (35 km).
Are there any good drives near Zonhoven?
The nearest famous roads are Baraque de Fraiture, Chimay Street Circuit and Brouwersdam.
Where is Zonhoven?
Zonhoven is in Flanders, Belgium, about 5 km from Houthalen.
Road trip
Drive to Zonhoven
Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.
Start planningWhat's nearby?
Swipe through places to go
Places within a drive of Zonhoven. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Explore now
Quick Information
- Population
- 19,922
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Belgium
- Region
- Flanders
- Timezone
- Europe/Brussels
- Coordinates
- 50.9906, 5.3682
Tags
Worth the detour from Zonhoven
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
national park
Hoge Kempen National Park
Belgium's first national park, a heath and pine landscape in Limburg with six gateway entrances and visitor car parks.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Vrijthof Maastricht
A grand cafe-ringed square anchored by two medieval churches in the Netherlands' oldest, most Burgundian city.
27 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Valkenburg Marl Caves
Hill-country Valkenburg hides Roman-era marl tunnels, a ruined castle and the Netherlands' only true hilltop drives.
35 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Thorn
The 'white village' of Limburg: an entire former abbey-principality of whitewashed brick lanes and cobbles beside the Maas, painted white in the Napoleonic era to dodge a window tax and kept that way ever since.
38 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Leuven Town Hall
A lacework masterpiece of late-Gothic stone, crusted with statues and pinnacles in Belgium's great university city.
48 km · about 55 min drive
museum
DAF Museum
Eindhoven museum charting Dutch truck maker DAF, from quirky Variomatic-transmission city cars to giant race trucks, displayed near the original 1928 workshop.
50 km · about 60 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Vaalserberg Drielandenpunt
The Netherlands' highest mainland point at 322.4 metres, where the Dutch, Belgian and German borders meet near Vaals.
53 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Zonhoven
- 53 kmVaalserberg DrielandenpuntThe Netherlands' highest mainland point at 322.4 metres, where the Dutch, Belgian and German borders meet near Vaals.
- 62 kmGileppe DamA 19th-century dam near Spa crowned by a 13-ton stone lion, with a 78 m panorama tower and forested Ardennes reservoir views a short detour off the Verviers road.
- 74 kmSignal de BotrangeAt 694m this is the highest point in Belgium, marked by a stone tower on the Hautes Fagnes plateau.
Driving in Belgium
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.74/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
Nearby Destinations
Other places to explore near Zonhoven.
Plan a trip around Zonhoven
Your trip starts here
Plan a road trip from Zonhoven.
Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.