Embrace the Beauty of Nature

Have you ever been to the national park De Hoge Veluwe, one of the largest in the Netherlands?

I highly recommend it, especially during summer!

In the heart of the Netherlands, in the Gelderland province, the park is located near Arnhem, between Ede and Apeldoorn. There are three entrances to the park, which is totally fenced to keep all animals from running away.

How to get there?

From Den Haag:

• By train: It will take you about 2 hours.
• You can take the train to Apeldoorn and take the bus ‪#108 towards Station Ede-Wageningen and stop at Hoenderloo. Or you can take the train to Ede-Wageningen and take the bus #108 towards Apeldoorn and stop at Hoenderloo.
• By car, option 1: 1 hour 20 min (116km), passing through Gouda, Utrecht, Ede, you will arrive at the south entrance – Schaarsberger
• By car, option 2: 1 hour 30 min (126km), passing through Gouda, Utrecht, Amersfoort, you will arrive at the west entrance – Otterlo

From Leiden:

• By train: It will at least take you 2 hours and a half. The itinerary depends very much on the time you travel.
• By car: 1 hour 15 min (103km), passing through Gouda, Utrecht, Ede, you will arrive at the south entrance – Schaarsberger

What to do?

The park is 55 km2 and has 50km of paths for you to cycle. You can even bring your own horse to visit the park! I wish I had one!

There is the possibility of buying a map of the park at the entrance for 2,5 euros however throughout the park there are indications and maps, which are enough for you to wander around.

The park brings together nature and culture. You can choose to discover both or to only focus on nature, as I did.

The Kröller-Müller Museum is a second home to Vincent van Gogh. When I spent the day at the park, I wanted to connect with nature for the entire day and did not visit the museum. But for those who would like to combine both nature and culture:

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays 
10.00 AM – 17.00 PM

(Sculpture garden closes at 16.30 PM)
 (closed on monday and 1st of January)

Admission tickets:

– Adults:
 € 17,60

– Children 6-12 years:
 € 8,80

Do note that the park entrance is included in the admission tickets.

For more information, check the website.

What to eat?

If you spend the whole day at the park, you will get hungry! A great idea is to bring your own food to enjoy a pique-nique surrounded by nature. I did not know this was allowed and I regretted it! It would have been lovely to have a pique-nique in the park and it is the cheaper alternative too.

Naturally, there are restaurants in the park! But for a student, it may seem a bit expensive and probably for others too… I had a small salad for 6 euros. A bread roll cost me 1,60 euros… So it is up to you really, and your wallet!

I do not want to describe you too much the park because it must remain a surprise! I can only say the various landscapes were amazing and I had a great day!

So, if you still don’t have plans for the weekend, the weather seems to be good enough for such a visit! To future students and nature lovers, this gives you another facet of what the Netherlands has to offer. I really did not expect such a beautiful park in one of the most densely urbanized countries of Europe.