Apeldoorn travel guide
A royal palace, free-roaming apes and the Veluwe woods
A spread-out Gelderland city whose draw is its leafy north-west: Paleis Het Loo, the Apenheul ape park and forest you can cycle into from town. Come between May and September, when Apenheul is open and the trails are dry. Two days covers the palace, the apes and a long ride in the woods. Dutch prices are very high, and Schengen rules apply.
Apeldoorn spreads across the eastern flank of the Veluwe in Gelderland, and almost everything a visitor comes for sits in its north-west corner: Paleis Het Loo, the 17th-century royal palace with its formal gardens, the Apenheul primate park and the forest that starts where the villa streets end. The rest is a postwar growth town of housing estates and office parks, so plan around that quarter rather than the shopping centre.
Give the palace and Apenheul a day between them. Buses 1 and 21 run from the station to the ape park in about 15 minutes. Apenheul opens only from late March to early November. On day two, rent a bike at the station: the woods start roughly 20 minutes' ride from the centre, and the heath beyond runs on for hours.
Evenings centre on the Caterplein, where bars, restaurants and a cinema share one square; the Leienplein a few blocks away is calmer. Architecture fans should walk five minutes west of the station to Herman Hertzberger's Centraal Beheer offices, a landmark of Dutch Structuralism. For cheap food, Nieuwstraat is lined with rival kebab shops undercutting each other.
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A palace, an ape park and a forest within cycling distance of the station.
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Best time to visit Apeldoorn
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Apenheul is open, the palace gardens are at their fullest and long evenings suit cycling in the woods.
Apenheul is shut for the winter, so focus on Het Loo, the CODA museum and quiet forest walks.
Apenheul runs roughly from late March to early November; check this year's dates before planning a family trip around it.
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Getting there
Schiphol Intercity and the Berlin train via the A1 corridor
Schiphol is the gateway to Apeldoorn: trains from below the arrivals hall run without a change in just over an hour. From Amsterdam Centraal most trips need one change, about 75 minutes in all, and some Amsterdam-Berlin ICE trains call here. Drivers have it easy, as the A1 and A50 motorways cross at the city.
- Schiphol (AMS)
- Direct train from below arrivals, just over an hour
- Amsterdam Zuid
- Direct Intercity, about an hour
- Amsterdam Centraal
- About 75 minutes, changing at Hilversum or at Utrecht and Amersfoort
- Eindhoven (EIN)
- Under 1.5 hours by car on the A50; by train via Utrecht, roughly twice that
- Teuge, 6.5 km north-east of town, is a general aviation airfield for light aircraft, so it will not show up when you search for flights.
- Book tickets for the Berlin train on the NS International website.
Where to stay
Villa streets by Het Loo or a Veluwe bungalow
Apeldoorn's hotels lean towards the pricier end, with villa streets near Het Loo the most attractive. The Veluwe around the city has more campsites and bungalow parks than any other part of the country, which makes self-catering the budget route, and local private rentals help too.
- Het Loo and the villa quarter
- Leafy streets near the palace, Apenheul and the forest, with a few hotels and guesthouses; quiet in the evening
- Around the station
- Handy for trains and every bus line, a short walk to the Caterplein
- Veluwe parks and campsites
- Bungalows and pitches in the woods outside town; suits families on longer stays with a bike or car
Getting around
Station bus hub, OV-fiets for the Veluwe woods
Apeldoorn's buses run like a clock face: every city line starts and ends at the station, timed to meet, so changes are quick. Buses 1 and 21 reach Apenheul in about 15 minutes, and regional buses run to the Juliana Toren family park. For the Veluwe woods, a bike from the station beats any bus.
- City buses
- Every line starts and ends at the station
- Paying
- Tap a bank card or phone on the reader (OVpay)
- Bus 1 or 21
- Station to Apenheul, about 15 minutes
- Bike hire
- OV-fiets at the station with an OV-chipkaart, or rental shops in town
- Ride west from the centre and you reach the first stretch of forest in about 20 minutes.
Know before you go
What makes Apeldoorn worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Het Loo's formal gardens, laid out in strict geometric beds behind the 17th-century palace.
- Apenheul, where several monkey species move freely among visitors on the paths.
- Cycling into the Veluwe, about 20 minutes from the centre to the first stretch of forest.
Good to know
- The city is large and sprawling; the sights cluster in the north-west, not around the shopping streets.
- Apenheul closes in winter, from early November to late March.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Apeldoorn, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Apeldoorn are being researched.
Het Loo gardens, Apenheul's monkeys and a ride to the Wenumse Molen
Give Apeldoorn two days. Be at Paleis Het Loo early on the first for the 17th-century royal palace and its formal gardens, then take bus 1 or 21 to Apenheul, the primate park, in the afternoon. On day two, hire a bike at the station and ride west into the Veluwe woods to the Wenumse Molen.
It usually shuts at 17:00 (an hour later from mid-July to late August) and closes entirely from early November to late March. Evening: eat around the Caterplein, where bars, restaurants and the cinema share a square, or walk a few blocks to the quieter Leienplein.
In about 20 minutes the villas give way to forest, and the paths carry on over open heath and drifting sand for as long as your legs allow. Another ride leads north to the Wenumse Molen on Oude Zwolseweg, a listed water mill and a survivor of the nearly hundred that once worked the streams around the town. If it rains, CODA on Vosselmanstraat combines the city museum, archive and library, and Herman Hertzberger's Centraal Beheer offices, a landmark of Structuralist design, stand five minutes' walk west of the station.
Nieuwstraat kebabs, the Caterplein and forest-edge pancakes
Apeldoorn has no signature dish but eats well on every budget. Evenings start on the Caterplein, with bars, terraces and a cinema, while the Leienplein is calmer. Nieuwstraat is the budget street, lined with kebab shops, and the more expensive kitchens sit on the outskirts, many by the forest, including pancake houses.
The centre holds most of the restaurants, and the Caterplein is where evenings start, with bars, terraces and the cinema complex sharing the square. The Leienplein, a few blocks away, is calmer, and the streets between the two are lined with places to eat.
Nieuwstraat is the budget street. Kebab shops stand almost door to door there, and they undercut each other so often that the simplest tactic is to pick the busiest. Snack bars all over town sell patat with mayonnaise and kroketten for a quick bite.
The more expensive kitchens sit on the outskirts, many of them close to the trees. After a day in the Veluwe, a pancake house on the forest edge is the classic Dutch way to refuel: a pannenkoek as wide as the plate, topped with bacon, apple or cheese. In autumn, game from the surrounding woods, wild boar and venison especially, turns up on menus around the region.
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How we research our Apeldoorn travel guide
Apeldoorn's trains and buses are checked with NS Dutch Railways and the city's official website, and the Het Loo, Apenheul and Veluwe notes against Holland.com and Wikipedia's Apeldoorn entry.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of ApeldoornHolland.comNS Dutch Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Apeldoorn.
General
Direct trains leave from the station under the Schiphol arrivals hall and take just over an hour. There is no need to go via Amsterdam Centraal.
Two days works: one for Het Loo and Apenheul, one for cycling or walking in the Veluwe forest.
Allow about 75 minutes with one change, at Hilversum or via Utrecht and Amersfoort. The Berlin-bound ICE is quicker on the runs that stop here but carries a supplement.
A 17th-century royal palace and its formal gardens, laid out in geometric beds. Plan at least half a day for the two together.
Yes. Rent a bike at the station and ride west; the forest begins about 20 minutes from the centre.
The Caterplein, with bars, restaurants and a cinema on one square. The Leienplein nearby is quieter.
Apeldoorn's buses run like a clock face: every city line starts and ends at the station, timed to meet, so changes are quick. Buses 1 and 21 reach Apenheul in about 15 minutes, and regional buses run to the Juliana Toren family park. For the Veluwe woods, a bike from the station beats any bus.
Apeldoorn is best known for:
- Het Loo's formal gardens, laid out in strict geometric beds behind the 17th-century palace
- Apenheul, where several monkey species move freely among visitors on the paths
- Cycling into the Veluwe, about 20 minutes from the centre to the first stretch of forest
Timing & weather
No. It opens from about late March to early November, usually 10:00 to 17:00, with an extra hour from mid-July to late August.
The best time to visit Apeldoorn is May to Sep. Apenheul is open, the palace gardens are at their fullest and forest paths are dry.
- Best overall: May - September (Apenheul is open, the palace gardens are at their fullest and long evenings suit cycling in the woods)
- Off season: November - March (Apenheul is shut for the winter, so focus on Het Loo, the CODA museum and quiet forest walks)
Getting there
Take bus 1 or 21 from Apeldoorn station to the Apenheul stop, about 15 minutes, then walk through the Berg en Bos park to the entrance.
Regional buses run from Apeldoorn station towards the Juliana Toren; check the current line in the 9292 planner. Like Apenheul it is a seasonal park, which makes the two an easy family pairing.
Prices & payment
In the campsites and bungalow parks of the Veluwe, the densest concentration in the country. Hotels in the city are relatively expensive.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules govern entry to the Netherlands. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime in the Netherlands is low. Bike theft and pickpocketing in busy areas are the main issues; watch out for cyclists.
