The week before and during the Dutch TT, Assen town centre hosts the TT Festival — a free public event with live music stages, motorcycle displays, stunt shows, rider appearances, and food markets. The atmosphere starts building from Wednesday and peaks on Saturday evening. Even non-race-goers come to town for the festival. Free entry. Runs in the main squares and streets of Assen centre.

A dedicated motorsport museum near the circuit celebrating the history of the Dutch TT. Vintage bikes, race memorabilia, and the story of how a road race through Drenthe became the longest-running Grand Prix in the world. A must for any MotoGP fan visiting Assen. Open year-round. Allow 1-2 hours.

Drenthe is one of the best cycling provinces in the Netherlands. The landscape is flat, quiet, and covered with well-marked cycling paths through forests, heathland, and small villages. Renting a bike and exploring for an afternoon is one of the best things you can do on non-race days. Bike rental available in Assen town. The Dutch knooppunten (numbered junction) system makes navigation easy.

A 64 km signposted cycling route that follows the original public-road TT course through the historic TT villages — Rolde, Borger, Schoonloo, Grolloo, and Hooghalen. You cycle the roads that motorcycle racing legends once raced on. A unique piece of motorsport history you experience on a bicycle. Route maps available at the tourist information office or via visitdrenthe.com.

The cultural heart of Assen, established in 1854. Houses the famous "Girl of Yde" (a preserved 2,000-year-old bog body), prehistoric hunebed exhibits, mammoth bones, and the oldest boat in the world. Also hosts Van Gogh works and contemporary exhibitions. One of the best regional museums in the Netherlands. Open daily — easy to visit on a non-race day.

Drenthe has 52 of the Netherlands' 54 surviving hunebedden — prehistoric stone burial chambers dating back to 3350-3050 BC. Hunebed D17 is just outside Assen. The largest is Hunebed D27 near Borger, about 25 km from Assen. Genuinely impressive ancient structures, free to visit. The Hunebedcentrum museum in Borger provides context.