Hoge Veluwe National Park
A visit to Hoge Veluwe easily fills an entire day. Highlights include scenic cycling and hiking through pine forests and past unexpected open-drift sand…
Shutterstock / Rudmer Zwerver
Central Netherlands
The 'forgotten' provinces of the central Netherlands, Overijssel and Gelderland, combine historic trade centres of abundant cultural wealth with natural beauty. Hoge Veluwe National Park, containing the Kröller-Müller Museum (with one of the world's finest Van Gogh collections), should star in any Dutch itinerary.
Deventer, Zwolle and Kampen are centuries-old towns, filled with atmospheric buildings that recall their heritage as members of the Hanseatic League. Nijmegen has a waterfront vibe, masses of students and an annual march that now takes the form of a week-long party. On the other side of history, there are many WWII memorials and locations to contemplate around Arnhem.
Cut through by the Waal and IJssel rivers and their tributaries, this region also offers splendid cycling routes, particularly along the marshy banks of the Waal east of Nijmegen and the IJssel delta north of Kampen, a remote protected are laced with silvery channels.
Explore Central Netherlands
- Hoge Veluwe National Park
A visit to Hoge Veluwe easily fills an entire day. Highlights include scenic cycling and hiking through pine forests and past unexpected open-drift sand…
- KKröller-Müller Museum
Nestled between trees, this striking museum has works by some of the greatest painters of several centuries, from Bruyn the Elder to Picasso. Its Van Gogh…
- AAirborne Museum Hartenstein
Inside a 19th-century, primrose-yellow mansion used by both the British and the Germans as HQ during Operation Market Garden, this much-visited museum…
- HHonigcomplex
No address reflects the city's youthful zest more than this soup factory-turned-entrepreneurial hub, 1.5km west of Grote Markt by the river. Until 2022…
- MMuseum de Waag
At home in one of the country's oldest weighing houses (1528), this evocative museum in the middle of the Brink explores local history. During Deventer's…
- OOnze Lieve Vrouwe Basiliek
People from Zwolle say they know they're home when they see the iconic Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren (also known as the Peperbus, or Peppermill), a huge basilica…
- NNieuwe Toren
This landmark tower, built purely as a show of wealth in the 17th century, stands tall (albeit it with an incredible lean) on main street Oudestraat. Its…
- MMuseum De Fundatie
Housed in a neoclassical courthouse by the canal, Zwolle's acclaimed art museum stages large-scale temporary exhibits by contemporary figures. The small…
- GGrote of Lebuïnuskerk
The city's main church is named after the English cleric who founded it in 738; the present Gothic structure dates from the late 15th century. Its many…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Central Netherlands.
- See
Hoge Veluwe National Park
A visit to Hoge Veluwe easily fills an entire day. Highlights include scenic cycling and hiking through pine forests and past unexpected open-drift sand…
- See
Kröller-Müller Museum
Nestled between trees, this striking museum has works by some of the greatest painters of several centuries, from Bruyn the Elder to Picasso. Its Van Gogh…
- See
Airborne Museum Hartenstein
Inside a 19th-century, primrose-yellow mansion used by both the British and the Germans as HQ during Operation Market Garden, this much-visited museum…
- See
Honigcomplex
No address reflects the city's youthful zest more than this soup factory-turned-entrepreneurial hub, 1.5km west of Grote Markt by the river. Until 2022…
- See
Museum de Waag
At home in one of the country's oldest weighing houses (1528), this evocative museum in the middle of the Brink explores local history. During Deventer's…
- See
Onze Lieve Vrouwe Basiliek
People from Zwolle say they know they're home when they see the iconic Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren (also known as the Peperbus, or Peppermill), a huge basilica…
- See
Nieuwe Toren
This landmark tower, built purely as a show of wealth in the 17th century, stands tall (albeit it with an incredible lean) on main street Oudestraat. Its…
- See
Museum De Fundatie
Housed in a neoclassical courthouse by the canal, Zwolle's acclaimed art museum stages large-scale temporary exhibits by contemporary figures. The small…
- See
Grote of Lebuïnuskerk
The city's main church is named after the English cleric who founded it in 738; the present Gothic structure dates from the late 15th century. Its many…
