"Apeldoorn, my hometown" Top 5 Page for this destination Apeldoorn by vtveen

Apeldoorn Travel Guide: 343 reviews and 1,017 photos

Between city and village

Apeldoorn has about 150.000 inhabitants and is the 10th city of the Netherlands. So it is more or less a city, with all facilities belonging to it, like a huge town hall, a brand new theatre, excellent library, some museums, nice shopping malls and a spectacular indoor sporting facility.
On the other hand it is still a village: no students, no real nightlife, deserted streets after shopping time, no real historical buildings/houses and last but not least it doesn't have city rights.

Apeldoorn is situated next to one of the biggest scenic areas of our country, called 'the Veluwe', with forest, heath and sand hills. There are lots of tracks, walks and cycle tracks. Accessible by car and only 15 minutes away with a bike. As you know (perhaps) every Dutchman has at least one bicycle.
On the east side lies the 'IJssel Valley', a landscape with small meadows, groves, little streams and some (water)mills. Stretching to the river IJssel, streaming trough typical Dutch landscape.

Apeldoorn lies more or less in the middle of the country. All the highlights (or west, east, north or south) are within easy reach from my city (or village), also for day trips. All together an ideal place to live.

Tourist highlights

one of the monkey's in Apenheul

The main attraction in Apeldoorn is 'Paleis Het Loo' (Palace Het Loo), nowadays a famous museum, which attracts lots of visitors (www.paleishetloo.nl).

Another great spot is the 'Apenheul' (www.apenheul.nl), a monkey zoo, where some monkeys walk around freely between the visitors. Located close to the city centre are the 'Dutch Police Museum' (www.politiemuseum.nl - from 1.1.2007 the museum will be temporary closed) and CODA, a museum with a mixture between 'old' Apeldoorn and 'modern' art (www.coda-apeldoorn.nl).

For the kids we do have in our city:
- 'Koninging Juliana Toren', an amusement park (www.julianatoren.nl);
- 'Malkenschoten', a children's farm (www.malkenschoten.nl);
- 'Kristalbad', an outdoor swimming pool (www.kristalbad.nl).

About 15 km's away you will find the 'Kroller Muller Museum' (www.kmm.nl), with an extensive collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh and an outdoor sculpture garden.

But Apeldoorn does have also a lot of hidden and unexpected gems, like(water)mills, monuments, small villages, nice scenery and some castles. I will try to add as much as possible of these 'off the beaten path' tips on my page.

Tribute to our Canadian liberators

Man With Two Hats

Apeldoorn the most 'Canadian' city outside Canada.

On May 2, 2000 a monument Man With Two Hats was unveiled to mark the 55th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands and to serve as a lasting reminder of the role of Canadians in securing freedom.

Two years later a replica of the statue was unveiled in Ottawa. And as the artist did intend this two statues are now bond on VT with a link to a picture on an Ottawa page of VT-member 'Kathryn'.

Since 1985 Apeldoorn had every five years a big parade of war veterans from Canada (and other countries) in Apeldoorn. May 9th 2010 was the last parade, because in the meantime the war veterans have become too old to take part.
But Apeldoorn will show its gratitude with a Liberation Festival, which was hold for the first time this year (2010) after the Veterans Parade.

Pictures of the impressive parades of 2005 and 2010 are on my travelogues.

Pros and Cons

Pros:in the middle of nice scenery, still a 'village'
In a nutshell:Apeldoorn is a great city to live

Intro Updated Feb 24, 2011
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (68)

Beekbergerwoud – unique new nature Things to Do (11)

The Beekbergerwoud was home to the last primary forest of the Netherlands, which was cut down in 1871. It was a swampy... more travel advice

Mariakerk - a national monument Off The Beaten Path (40)

The Mariakerk is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption is commonly called St. Mary's Church. She is the first and... more travel advice

Nijbroek and its old church Off The Beaten Path (40)

Nowadays Nijbroek is one of those peaceful and quiet rural villages in the Netherlands. And driving, biking or walking... more travel advice

Verzetstrijderspark: honouring... Off The Beaten Path (40)

‘Verzetstrijderspark’ is one of our city parks and didn’t have an official name - although locals always called it... more travel advice

Restaurants (3)
See All Raadhuisplein - pleasant sidewalk cafés
Favorites (4)
See All Find your way in the town
Shopping (2)
See All Royal Gifts from 'Het Loo'
Transportation (3)
See All Easy accessible

Hotels (1)
Accommodations in Apeldoorn
Local Customs (3)
See All Queensday
Nightlife (1)
All kinds of performances
Been to Apeldoorn?
Share your travels with the world!

Travelogues (6)

1 - 4 of 6

Comments (34)

Nemorino Oct 8, 2011 at 4:03 AM Report Abuse

That’s a great idea to restore the Beekbergerwoud to its (former) natural state. Also I like the new network of bike tracks with the numbered intersections ('knooppuntroutes' is a nice word!) -- -- I didn’t think there were any waterfalls in the Netherlands, but now I know about the ‘Niagara of the Veluwe’.
Redang Feb 16, 2011 at 2:26 AM Report Abuse

Looks a very nice city; I'll come back later to have a closer look
angiebabe Jan 2, 2011 at 1:37 PM Report Abuse

thought for sure Id visited yr pg as saw yr pic of Het Loo after my last trip to Holland-stopped my car in driveway to walk thru the trees to see this scene as too late to visit..but no comment here so..wonderful pg with many interesting places to visit!
mvtouring Apr 5, 2009 at 1:38 PM Report Abuse

Ek reken dat Apeldoorn defnitief besoek gaan word ;-)
balhannah Feb 20, 2009 at 1:39 PM Report Abuse

Looking forward to visiting this area. Enjoyed your pages, and have found places of interest to visit.
canuck68 Mar 25, 2008 at 7:09 PM Report Abuse

I enjoyed your Apeldoorn Page. The tips and pictures are very good. Thanks, Diane
ranger49 Jan 26, 2008 at 11:32 AM Report Abuse

Thank you for bringing back memories with your Apeldoorn Page. I was there a very long time ago - 33years! - The Kroller Muller Gallery was a special treat.
pieter_jan_v Dec 13, 2007 at 8:38 AM Report Abuse

OK Dat gedonder met die bussen ook altijd. Amersfoort had ik al omgezet naar Veolia; Apeldoorn is nu ook omgezet. Bedankt! PJ
littlesam1 Mar 4, 2007 at 10:22 AM Report Abuse

I love reading home town pages. You can learn so much about a city from the people who live there.
aussirose Mar 4, 2007 at 1:54 AM Report Abuse

Heya Jaap. Great pages here matey! Just love your park pix, especially the purple flower one!! Oh and pancakes... Yummy!! Hey check out all those bikes!! Wow! Enjoyed the read. Cheers, Ann "P_