In 60 seconds
Covering 55 square kilometres of pine forests, purple heathlands and wind-sculpted sand dunes, De Hoge Veluwe National Park is the largest national park in the Netherlands and a singular fusion of wild nature and world-class modern art. Park visitors can hop onto one of 1,800 free 'White Bicycles' (Witte Fietsen) to glide silently through pine scent and open heath in search of red deer and wild boar. Hidden at the forest heart of the park is the Kröller-Müller Museum, possessing the second-largest Van Gogh collection on earth alongside a 25-hectare outdoor sculpture park featuring Rodin, Moore and Dubuffet. Nearby provincial capital Arnhem provides poignant historic depth with its famous John Frost Bridge and Operation Market Garden Airborne battlefields.
Best for
Known for
Skip if
You dislike cycling or walking; private cars are heavily restricted inside the national park, which is designed to be explored on two wheels.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Hoge Veluwe & Arnhem fits them. Choose interests
See
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
World's second-largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and vast sculpture park
Marvel at Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night and The Potato Eaters, then wander through monumental sculptures scattered through wild pine woods.
Free pedal-powered transport across 40 kilometres of car-free paved trails
Pick up a complimentary White Bicycle at any park entrance and pedal effortlessly across sweeping inland sand drifts and blooming heath.
Dramatic 1914 modernist hunting lodge designed by master architect H.P. Berlage
A total work of art (Gesamtkunstwerk) built for the Kröller-Müllers, complete with lakeside deer ponds and custom art deco furnishings.
The historic Rhine bridge immortalised as 'A Bridge Too Far' during Operation Market Garden
Walk across the fateful Rhine crossing held heroically by British paratroopers under Colonel John Frost in September 1944.
Eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Modern sustainable café at the central Museonder visitor complex
Relax on the wooden forest terrace with Dutch apple pie, artisan sandwiches or a bowl of hearty Veluwe pea soup.
Michelin-starred dining in a 17th-century thatched farmstead in Heelsum
Continuous Michelin-star excellence since 1971, serving seasonal Veluwe venison, wild forest mushrooms and refined French flavours.
Beyond the obvious
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Expansive 44-hectare historic park with historic windmills, farmhouses and vintage trams
Ride vintage electric trams through centuries of relocated historic Dutch architecture, from Zaan mills to Brabant paper works.
Rolling moraine hills offering the highest and most undulating views in the Veluwe
In late August, these glacial moraine hills turn a dazzling purple as the heather flowers blossom as far as the eye can see.
After dark
Grand brasserie and cultural bar set in a 1930s former bank building
A beloved Arnhem meeting place for evening drinks, craft ales and conversation near the city theater.
Orientation
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Vibrant creative quarter dedicated to avant-garde fashion design and boutique craft studios
Fifty converted historic shopfronts filled with independent Dutch fashion designers, jewelers and artisan bakeries.
Stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Forest hotels and woodland chalets right by the national park entrance
The most convenient base for cycling into De Hoge Veluwe right at opening time.
Practical
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
Industrialist Anton Kröller and art patron Helene Kröller-Müller begin acquiring land for a private estate and art sanctuary.
The Kröller-Müller Museum opens its doors to the public in the forest.
Operation Market Garden unfolds around Arnhem and the Rhine river bridges.
Further out
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
British headquarters during the Battle of Arnhem, now an immersive WWII museum
Experience the underground Airborne Experience simulating the fierce street fighting of September 1944.
