25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 45 - 47 - 77 - 78 - 79 - 48 - 26 - 53 - 45 - 28 - 15 - 71 - 67 - 3 - 4 - 65 - 15 - 16 - 18 - 49 - 52 - 55 - 56 - 54 - 97 - 96 - 17 - 42 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 52 - 53 - 87 - 88 - 86 - 5 - 7 - 60 - 31 - 53 - 32 - 30 - 33 - 29 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 6 - 5 - 1 - 28 - 35 - 32 - 29 - 27 - 26 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 11 - 17 - 8 - 7 - 18 - 13 - 43 - 62 - 63 - 24 - 61 - 14 - 12 - 74 - 99 - 69 - 67 - 91 - 57 - 52 - 65 - 4 - 51 - 63 - 26 - 8 - 9 - 5 - 2 - 61 - 60 - 59 - 13 - 58 - 57 - 94 - 21 - 49 - 48 - 46 - 45 - 32 - 22 - 1 - 33 - 34 - 79 - 76 - 49 - 12 - 80 - 63 - 51 - 95 - 94 - 93 - 46 - 2 - 1 - 83 - 10 - 84 - 82 - 85 - 86 - 88 - 17 - 14 - 76 - 43 - 10 - 86 - 58 - 38 - 80 - 81 - 12 - 30 - 13 - 73 - 74 - 46 - 87 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 10 - 38 - 97 - 6 - 48 - 21 - 61 - 60 - 55 - 54 - 39 - 53 - 22 - 50 - 31 - 78 - 41 - 40 - 56 - 54 - 52 - 50 - 51 - 2 - 36 - 75 - 13 - 48 - 29 - 28 - 5 - 3 - 30 - 6 - 50 - 34 - 22 - 20 - 80 - 81 - 82 - 83 - 36 - 41 - 43 - 91 - 44 - 92 - 93 - 45 - 46 - 24 - 79 - 93 - 92 - 80 - 94 - 22 - 12 - 11 - 52 - 53 - 29 - 36 - 39 - 38 - 98 - 99 - 69 - 40 - 41 - 20 - 16 - 30 - 31 - 79 - 26 - ?

NB 1. Use the above node list if you are going cycling and not the 'node strip' under the 'Print' button: unfortunately this 'node strip' is not reliable.

NB 2. This route is approximately 15% on unpaved paths: less suitable for racing bikes with narrow tires.

In 1654, the Swedish queen Christina abdicated and emigrated to the Spanish Netherlands. She stayed there for a year and secretly converted from Lutheran to Roman Catholic. The following year she travelled to Rome, where the Pope gave her a grand welcome. The abdication, the journey and the conversion caused a stir throughout Europe. This is the subject of the historical book Passage naar Rome by Frans Godfroy. Christina's journey from Stockholm via the Netherlands to Rome has been reconstructed as the Via Christina , a long-distance route from Northern to Southern Europe for motorcyclists and car drivers. This version for cyclists has also been derived from the fourth stage (Osnabrück-Deventer-Antwerp): the Christina Path.

The route is almost entirely set out via cycle nodes. Only in the first 21 kilometers from Osnabrück and in the last 2 kilometers in Antwerp there are no nodes available. Fortunately, we can start the Christina Path from Osnabrück on the excellently signposted 'Friedensroute' (a cycling route between Osnabrück and Münster in memory of the Peace of Westphalia), until we come to node 25 between Leeden and Lengerich. We now have the nodes of the Christinapad at our disposal up to Antwerp. In Antwerp, the road is easy to find in the last 2 kilometers with the help of the interactive map and the route instructions.

Occasionally, the unfavorable location of nodes causes an unpleasant detour. This is particularly the case in Lengerich (between Osnabrück and Münster) and in Baarle Nassau / Baarle Hertog. Pay attention to the 'shortcuts' that you will find there in the list of sights. These can be used to avoid the detours if desired. You will also find three 'shortcuts' between Deventer and Utecht on the cycle paths along the N344 and N237 in case you want to cut off the detours through nature. There are no cycle nodes available for the shortcuts: you drive on the map and the accompanying instructions.

The starting point for the Via Christina for motorcyclists and motorists was to follow as accurately as possible the route that Queen Christina took in 1654-1655. Such a reconstruction can never be perfect: the road network has changed over time, and there is not always certainty about the route that Christina took. Nevertheless, thanks to thorough research with the help of numerous reliable historical sources, it was possible to come very close to the historical reality.

The deviations from that historical reality on the Christina Path for cyclists from Osnabrück to Antwerp are greater. This is due to the choice of an attractive tourist cycle route via cycle nodes. This difference is evident from the number of kilometres to be covered: the cycle route (507 km) is 17 per cent longer than the Osnabrück-Antwerp stage of the Via Christina (433 km). Logically: such a cycle route winds much more than a motorcycle/car route. On the other hand, the tour by bike takes you through the most attractive surroundings, while the nodes also guarantee smooth navigation.

Also take into account the scarcity of nodes within the built-up areas of cities. For sights that are an essential part of Christina's historical journey, you will sometimes have to deviate from the node-to-node route. This applies in particular to the Petri Church in Münster, the former Athenaeum Illustre in Deventer and the historical centres of Amersfoort and Utrecht. The interactive map helps you cycle to the sights and find the node-to-node route again afterwards.