For the love of Art and more at De Hoge Veluwe National Park

Alison Laycock

Whilst visiting Arnhem, there was a gem awaiting me. The last few days I have been sending out requests for something different please. Let me experience a different side of the Netherlands. Here in Arnhem I found that something, today I visited De Hoge Veluwe National Park.

From Arnhem central station, you can take a bus number 105 which will drop you off at the entrance to Otterlo where another bus, number 106 will take you into the park. The bus journey cost me €10 for a day pass which I paid for by card as money wasn’t accepted. At the entrance of the park, you need to buy your tickets, €9.50 for the park only and €19 for the park and the Kröller- Müller museum. Once you have your tickets, the bus will then drop you off near the museum or you can carry on to the visitor’s centre where there is also lots of activities to try. A ticket to the park will gain you access to the activities and exhibitions at the visitors centre as well as the whole park which you can either walk around or borrow a free cycle.

The museum itself will take at least an hour and a half to look around at the various exhibitions. You may even take longer to properly examine and enjoy the Van Gogh collection, Maria Barnas ‘song for three rooms’ and ‘Origins’ where you hear the pieces speaking to you or making noises and you can also find other classics or modern Art to suit your tastes.

I was particularly pleased to find Claude Monet amongst other artists.

The museum feels vast when you are inside which is great in itself but it also means that you can enjoy the Art without others standing in your way! There are some pictures which pull you in and make you want to stand in front of it and examine each detail and therefore you can take advantage of all that space and time. This garden just pulled me towards it, but what a great picture it is as a whole.

There is much more to see inside and I won’t spoil it for you but there is also a huge sculpture garden waiting for you outside so maybe fill up with food and drink at the café before you head on outside. Again in the garden, there is a variety of pieces for you to enjoy as you wander around taking in all that you can see and experience. If for some reason you don’t like sculptures, then simply enjoy wandering around kicking the autumn leaves and taking in the natural scenery.

From the museum, you can walk or cycle to the visitors centre and enjoy their exhibitions on the surrounding park. Make sure you go through the Museonder which takes you on a journey through life underground.

I’m so glad I took the day to visit this park and I’m sure that during the summer months, it would be a great place to spend the whole day as you can wander or cycle around the park more than I had the chance to.

#Arnhem #DeHogeVeluweNationalPark #KröllerMüllermuseum #walking