De Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of my favourite places to visit in the Netherlands when I want to get away from the cities for a day.
Located in the province of Gelderland, between Arnhem, Ede and Apeldoorn, the park covers a huge area of forests, heathlands and open landscapes. But one of my favourite things about visiting De Hoge Veluwe is actually how you get around: there are free bikes that you can pick up and use throughout the park.
I visited De Hoge Veluwe as a day trip from Utrecht, and I think it makes a great alternative if you have already visited some of the more obvious Dutch day-trip destinations. In fact, I also include it in my guide to the 25 best day trips from Utrecht.
You can explore the park on foot, by bike or even by car, although I definitely recommend choosing the bike.
Here is everything you need to know before visiting De Hoge Veluwe National Park.
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Where is De Hoge Veluwe National Park?
De Hoge Veluwe National Park is located in Gelderland in the eastern part of the Netherlands, roughly between Arnhem, Ede and Apeldoorn.
Despite feeling very different from the busy cities in the west of the country, it is close enough to both Utrecht and Amsterdam for a day trip.
From Utrecht, you can reach Ede-Wageningen by direct train in around 25 minutes. From Amsterdam, the direct train journey takes just under an hour. From Ede-Wageningen, take bus 106, which takes around 20 minutes to the Otterlo entrance of the national park.
The three entrances to De Hoge Veluwe
There are three entrances to De Hoge Veluwe National Park:
- Otterlo – Houtkampweg 9, 6731 AV Otterlo
- Hoenderloo – Houtkampweg 13, 7352 TC Hoenderloo
- Schaarsbergen – Koningsweg 17, 6816 TC Schaarsbergen
If you’re travelling by public transport, Otterlo is probably the easiest entrance to use.
You can travel to Ede-Wageningen by train and then continue towards Otterlo by bus. Bus 106 connects Ede-Wageningen with the park. You can also reach the Hoenderloo entrance with bus 108 from Apeldoorn.
If you’re travelling by public transport, I recommend checking your exact connection on the day because Dutch bus timetables can change.
You can find the addresses of all three entrances and the latest public transport information on the official De Hoge Veluwe website.
How to get around De Hoge Veluwe
Once you’re inside De Hoge Veluwe, there are three main ways to explore: by bike, on foot or by car.
For me, there is one very obvious winner.
Cycling around De Hoge Veluwe
Cycling is definitely how I recommend exploring De Hoge Veluwe.
There are around 2,000 White Bikes available throughout the park, and using them is included in your entrance ticket.
You’ll find the bikes at the three entrances as well as several locations inside the park, including the Kröller-Müller Museum, Jachthuis Sint Hubertus and the central area.
You don’t have to reserve a bike or pay anything extra. If there is one available, you can just take it and start cycling.
The only thing to know is that the White Bikes can’t be locked or reserved. Once you leave yours at one of the designated bike racks, someone else is free to take it.
On very busy days, there may temporarily be no bikes available at a particular location, although with around 2,000 of them spread across the park, there are plenty overall.
For me, cycling was one of the best parts of visiting.
There are dedicated cycling paths throughout the park, and the landscape constantly changes as you ride through forests, heathlands and much more open areas.
Walking around De Hoge Veluwe
You can also explore De Hoge Veluwe on foot, and there are plenty of walking routes throughout the park.
However, the park is much bigger than you might expect.
The Otterlo entrance is around 3 km from the central area of the park, while Hoenderloo is around 4 km away and Schaarsbergen is approximately 10 km from the centre.
If you only have one day and want to see several different areas, walking everywhere will take up a lot of your time.
I’d rather combine the two: cycle between different areas of the park and stop for walks whenever you find somewhere you want to explore more.
Driving through De Hoge Veluwe
It is also possible to take your car inside De Hoge Veluwe, and you will have to pay extra for that, but personally, I don’t think it’s worth it.
Even if I were arriving by car, I would park outside one of the entrances and pick up a White Bike instead.
Cars follow different roads from many of the cycling and walking paths, and I think you miss a lot of the experience by driving through.
You also have to pay extra to bring a car into the park, while parking outside the entrances is cheaper.
For me, the whole point of visiting De Hoge Veluwe is being outside and cycling through the scenery, so I would leave the car behind.
What is there to see inside De Hoge Veluwe?
I wouldn’t visit De Hoge Veluwe with a huge checklist of things you need to see.
For me, the park itself is the main attraction.
One of my favourite things to do was just get on one of the bikes and cycle without rushing between specific sights.
The landscape changes surprisingly often. You’ll cycle through forest and then suddenly reach huge open stretches of heathland and sandy landscapes. It’s a lot of fun!
And while De Hoge Veluwe can definitely get busy, especially when the weather is nice, it doesn’t necessarily feel crowded once you start exploring.
The entrances and central areas can have quite a lot of people around, but the park is so big that you can also find stretches where you’re almost completely alone.
That’s one of the things I enjoyed most about visiting. And I also saw a very cute fox, which was definitely the highlight of my visit.
Kröller-Müller Museum
One of the main attractions inside De Hoge Veluwe is the Kröller-Müller Museum.
The museum has a large collection of works by Vincent van Gogh as well as an extensive sculpture garden.
The museum is inside the national park, but museum admission isn’t included in your park ticket, so you’ll need a separate ticket if you want to visit.
If you’re particularly interested in art, I would allow quite a bit of time for the museum rather than trying to squeeze it into an already packed cycling route.
Personally, I think De Hoge Veluwe is still absolutely worth visiting even if you don’t go inside the museum.
The Park Centre and Museonder
You’ll also find the Park Pavilion, restaurant, shop and Museonder around the central area of De Hoge Veluwe.
The Museonder is an underground museum, and admission is included with your park ticket.
The central area is also a useful place to take a break during your cycling route.
Eating inside De Hoge Veluwe
There are several places where you can get something to eat or drink inside the park, including Restaurant De Hoge Veluwe at the Park Pavilion.
Alternatively, bring some food with you and stop for a picnic somewhere during your bike ride.
How much does De Hoge Veluwe cost?
In 2026, entrance to De Hoge Veluwe costs around €13.85 for adults and children aged 13 and over.
Children aged 6–12 pay €6.95, while children under six can enter for free.
Most importantly, use of the White Bikes is included in your admission, so you don’t have to pay extra to cycle around.
If you’re arriving by car, parking outside the park costs €4.90. Taking your car inside costs €9.80 on top of your individual admission ticket.
Tickets for the Kröller-Müller Museum are separate.
How long do you need at De Hoge Veluwe?
I would plan most of the day for De Hoge Veluwe.
You could technically visit for a couple of hours, but if you’re travelling from Utrecht or Amsterdam, I don’t think it would be worth making the journey for such a short visit.
With most of a day, you have enough time to cycle through different areas without rushing, stop somewhere for lunch, walk around a little and potentially visit the Kröller-Müller Museum.
If you’re travelling by public transport, you also have some flexibility because you don’t necessarily have to leave through the exact same entrance you used to enter.
If you’re driving and have parked outside one of the entrances, you’ll obviously need to plan your route so you eventually end up back at your car.
When is the best time to visit De Hoge Veluwe?
I would choose a dry day if possible, especially because cycling is such a big part of the experience.
Spring, summer and early autumn are particularly nice times to visit when you can comfortably spend most of the day outside.
However, good weather also means more visitors.
When I visited, some areas were fairly busy, particularly around the main facilities. But once I started cycling further into the park, there were still plenty of stretches where hardly anyone else was around.
So I wouldn’t be put off if you arrive and initially see lots of people.
Is De Hoge Veluwe worth visiting?
Yes, absolutely! It’s particularly worth visiting if you want to experience a completely different side of the Netherlands.
A lot of trips around the country naturally focus on Amsterdam and other Dutch cities. And while there are plenty of things to do in Amsterdam, I think it’s worth leaving the city for at least one day if you have enough time.
De Hoge Veluwe feels completely different.
Cycling through forests and huge open landscapes on one of the bikes is such a fun way to explore, and I love that you can get away from the busiest areas of the park surprisingly quickly.
Purchase your ticket to the national park in advance!
But it’s also completely doable from Amsterdam, making it a good option if you’re looking for a more nature-focused addition to your Netherlands itinerary.
Just give yourself most of the day, wear something comfortable and, most importantly, choose the bike over the car.
Let me know if you have any questions
