De Hoge Veluwe National Park

Matt Keedy
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
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De Hoge Veluwe National Park

  • July 18, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
De Hoge Veluwe National Park

An easy day-trip from Amsterdam, the De Hoge Veluwe National Park has a lot to offer to any family visiting the Netherlands. A friend of mine suggested we take our kids (2, 7, 9, and 13 years old) there to check it out. I am so glad that she did!

With 5,000 hectares of varied landscape to offer us, we found the park between Arnhem, Ede, and Apeldoorn. We easily drove to the entrance via Hoenderloo by typing 188243 into our GPS system. (Don't you just LOVE those things!)

After you park, you can buy tickets for the art museum (an extra 7 euros per adult, 3.50 per child under 12) in the center of the park as well as pay for entry to the park itself. Both my friend and I love the work of Vincent Van Gogh, so the museum was a must. Once a part of a private collection, the paintings here are amazing. Kids are given a sheet with parts of a painting they "scavenger hunt" for as they walk up and down the halls. They will like the modern works on display though my friend's daughter kept exclaiming as she saw certain pieces -blocks littered across the floor, a video of a man's face as he screamed into a fan, dots on a canvas- "They call this art?!?" Out of the mouths of babes...

Any parent who wants to teach their kids about some of the masters will find plenty of opportunity here though.

Walk from the dark brown and black canvases that Van Gogh painted of people in the countryside in the Dutch style before he discovered the light and color that explode off the canvases he composed in France. Look closely at art by Picasso and explain how he filtered the world through an artist's eye. Wander the sculpture garden and discuss this different kind of art form.

If you don't have kids in tow, linger longer, but we took an hour.

Afterwards, grab one of the 1,700 white bikes littered around the park. This is why you are visiting the De Hoge Veluwe. You can take advantage of the miles and miles of bike trails that will take you through forests and by sand dunes. Yes, that's right. Sand dunes. At times the terrain here looks like a desert! Very, very cool.

If the kids need a break from pedaling, go to the "underground museum" near the visitor center. All of our kids loved this tactile learning experience. They peered through holes in the floor to see fox cubs in burrows, worms in the earth, and all kinds of other things. They liked the reprieve from the sun...and they didn't realize it was all educational!

This was one of the nicest experiences I had in the Netherlands. From riding the bikes, having a picnic, looking at art, everything felt so.... Dutch. A must-do if you can swing it.

Need more info? Go to www.hogeveluwe.nl and choose the English option at the top.

From journal G-rated Amsterdam

De Hoge Veluwe National Park

  • February 12, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Matt Keedy from indianapolis, Indiana
The Hoge Veluwe National Park, which was once the private property and hunting grounds of the Kroller-Muller family, is now the largest national park in the Netherlands and can be easily transversed on foot or by bike without impediment. It offers endless moors, vast forests, and expanses of grasslands and sand drifts.

The best aspect of the park is the 1,000 white bicycles that are free to visitors. The park has over 42km of scenic cycle paths, and visitors can pick up bikes at any entrance to the park or at the visitor center. Specially adapted bicycles for disabled visitors are also available. I spent a whole day here riding bicycles through the park, eating alfresco at one of the two restaurants, and exploring the Kroller Muller Museum, which houses one of the world's largest collections of van Goghs and a sculpture garden featuring Rodin (among others). See my separate write-up for the museum. There is also an excellent visitor center, where you can learn more about the nature, landscape, wildlife, culture, and history of the park.

This is a great cultural "day away" for the family, as you can easily combine outdoor explorations and riding bikes with a heavy dose of art. What a combo!

From journal The Great Waterways of Europe/Amsterdam

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