Rural Holland - Gelderland & De Hoge Veluwe Park
Netherlands Bike Tours
A bike tour through the Gelderland region of Holland
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Tour Type
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Skill Level
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Length6 days
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Prices from€736 Rates
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Overview
When you think of a bike tour in Holland, and you are the typical tourist, then Amsterdam and the surrounding region come to mind.
For those who are not typical and seek the road less traveled - or in this case, less cycled - then we suggest that you consider the "other Holland": the Gelderland, a region filled with nature, history, and art.
On this tour, you will be based in Otterlo, surrounded by the stunning natural scenery of the Veluwe region, the perfect location to cycle out and about to discover the complete landscape and atmosphere of this other Holland.
Welcome to our home!
Highlights
- De Hoge Veluwe park
- Kröller-Müller Museum - host of the second-largest Van Gogh collection in the world, as well as masterpieces by modern masters including Monet and Picasso
- Hap & Trap, or bike and eat! Start your route with a coffee and pastry, continue cycling until you stop for lunch, and then onward to dinner
- Incredible Dutch cycling infrastructure
- Fascinating WWII history including the area of Operation Market Garden and Arnhem
Part of this tour can be combined with a hotel-based tour in Amerongen for a complete WW II experience. Please take a look at our World War II Reflections tour!
See a complete list of all our bike tours in the Netherlands.
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Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Otterlo
Day 2: Otterlo - Oosterbeek, 31 mi. (49 km)
Day 3: Otterlo - Arnhem, 32 mi. (52 km)
Day 4: Visit Hoge Veluwe National Park
Day 5: Hap and Trap
Day 6: Departure or extension of tourAll distances are approximate. Due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during your holiday. For example, along the route, you may find temporary deviations/detours necessary due to roadwork that will not be reflected on your maps or route descriptions. In this case, please follow the directions posted locally.
Day 1: Arrival in Otterlo
Otterlo is a village in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. You will have your choice of two accommodations and price levels, based on availability. After picking up your rental bike, you may want to take a ride around Otterlo or stroll the quaint town.Day 2: Otterlo - Oosterbeek, 31 mi. (49 km)
Today's route leads through a beautiful nature reserve on excellent cycle paths. The route runs for the most part through the area of Operation Market Garden. Operation Market Garden was one of the biggest Allied operations in WWII and occurred in September 1944. The operation aimed to conquer the bridges across the Meuse, Waal, and Rhine Rivers in Holland. This would allow Allied troops to avoid the Siegfried line, a defense line running from Switzerland to Kleve. It was hoped that a quick advance to the Ruhr area and Berlin would put an end to the war around Christmas. The bridges in Eindhoven and Nijmegen were captured intact but the Allied forces failed to conquer the last bridge near Arnhem: it was a 'bridge too far.' The route passes the Airborne War Cemetary and the Airborne Museum Hartenstein. As you bike, you will come across memorials in various places. You may consider a visit to Castle Doorwerth which was in the line of fire and seriously damaged in 1944. Today it is a hunting museum. It is strongly suggested that you consider booking our guide, a specialist in WW II history, for this day and Day 3.Day 3: Otterlo - Arnhem, 32 mi. (52 km)
Leaving Otterlo, you will cycle along beautiful moors and forests, on excellent bike paths. You may encounter sheep, cattle, deer, and perhaps, a wild boar. The city of Arnhem was badly hit during WWII. In 1944, there was bitter fighting between the Allies and the German troops. The goal of the Allies to conquer the bridge over the Rhine failed miserably at a great loss of lives. You will pedal over this hard-fought bridge. The Airborne Museum at the Bridge is worth a visit. Though small, it is very informative, providing information about Arnhem, the bridge, the battles, and the people. As well, Arnhem"s War Museum is on the route. The museum is a private museum, dedicated to keeping alive the memory of this important episode in history and to preserving a unique collection for posterity. A huge German bunker, a Luftwaffe Commando Center is also on the route. Again, this route will be best experienced with a guide.Day 4: Visit Hoge Veluwe National Park
Hoge Veluwe National Park (Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe) occupies an area of 13,750 acres, is the largest continuous nature reserve in the country, and is notable for its diversity of scenery, from dense forests to high sand dunes. It is home to an abundance of wildlife, including deer, wild boar, and mouflon. It's also an important sanctuary for birds and has long been a popular destination for bird watchers. As with so much of the Netherlands, Hoge Veluwe National Park is predominantly flat, making touring by bike one of the best ways to enjoy its magnificent scenery. This park was once owned by the Kröller-Müller family and a stop at their main residence, St. Hubertus, a magnificent mansion, completed in 1923, will be noteworthy. A visit within is only possible with guided tours. However, the other highlight of this park are the Kröller-Müller Museum and Sculpture Garden, which houses an amazing collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. There are 280 paintings and drawings by Vincent Van Gogh alone. To enter the park, you must pay an entrance fee and it is highly recommended to include a visit to the museum. It is a must-see!Day 5: Hap & Trap, Otterlo - Kootwijk - Harskamp - Otterlo, 30 mi. (48 km)
What is this you ask? Literally translated, this means 'Eat & Pedal', a cycling experience that entails pedaling from one restaurant to another with all that is Holland in between! Wonderful bike paths, incredible cycling atmosphere and infrastructure, forests, heather fields, sand dunes, and more are your landscape on this "De Caitwicker" route. In Otterlo, you report to the restaurant "De Waldhoorn" at 10 am where you will enjoy coffee and a snack, lunch will be at the Restaurant De Brinkhof or "t Hilletje" in Kootwyk, followed by an appetizer at the restaurant "De Vergulde Leeuw" in Harskamp, and finally dinner at De Waldhoorn back at your starting point!In your final travel information, you will receive the GPS tracks with the route descriptions for this day and for each of the routes.
Day 6: Departure or extension of tour
Looking for more? View all our featured bicycle tours, specials, and news or look at our full list of bike tours in Europe.
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Map
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Accommodation
You will be based in Otterlo, where you will cycle out each day. You will stay in the 3-star Grand Cafe Hotel Kruller and can request an upgrade to the 4-star Hotel De Sterrenberg.
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Inclusions
What’s Included
- Accommodation for 5 nights
- 5 breakfasts
- Hap & Trap meals: 1 mid-morning coffee and pastry, 1 lunch, 1 appetizer, 1dinner
- Bike route tracks for Garmin (GPX files) & maps.me (KLM files) (excluding the park routes). Please bring a handlebar holder for your device for the bike (you will be glad you did)
- Bike rental with pannier and helmet
- Tourist tax
What’s Not Included
- Lunches (other than lunch on your Hap & Trap day)
- Dinners - excluding the Hap & Trap dinner.
- Electric bike - available for a supplement
- Entrance fee for De Hoge Veluwe National Park - approx. €13 not including the museum visit
- Entrance fee for Kröller-Müller Museum - approx. €13 (in addition to the entrance ticket for the park). Please purchase your ticket in advance and reserve a time slot via the website of the Kröller-Müller Museum
- Entrance fee for other museums if applicable
- Bike Protection
- Travel Insurance
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Dates & Pricing
Dates
Arrivals are possible daily from April through October
Please Note
- Rates are per person, based on double occupancy
- Tour prices are based on the fuel costs at time prices are set, often months or years in advance. In rare cases, additional fees may apply for fuel cost increases.
- Information to read before you book
- We recommend purchasing trip insurance
- Please see our FAQ
Pricing
2025
Small room (one double bed) $ 1242 £ 627 $ 1,116 € 736 Ft 301550 kr 110040 ₪ 2812 ¥ 120815 Mex$ 16009 NZ$ 1383 kr 8785 zł 3124 S$ 1057 kr 8481 CHF 714 $ 783 Twin room (two beds) $ 1351 £ 683 $ 1,215 € 801 Ft 328182 kr 119759 ₪ 3061 ¥ 131484 Mex$ 17423 NZ$ 1505 kr 9561 zł 3400 S$ 1151 kr 9230 CHF 777 $ 852 Large room (two beds) $ 1453 £ 734 $ 1,306 € 861 Ft 352765 kr 128729 ₪ 3290 ¥ 141333 Mex$ 18728 NZ$ 1618 kr 10277 zł 3654 S$ 1237 kr 9921 CHF 835 $ 916 Single supplement On request Extra Options
Electric bike
Price $ 127 £ 64 $ 114 € 75 Ft 30729 kr 11213 ₪ 287 ¥ 12311 Mex$ 1631 NZ$ 141 kr 895 zł 318 S$ 108 kr 864 CHF 73 $ 80
Extra nights
Touring bike included Electric bike included Small room (one double bed) $ 152 £ 77 $ 137 € 90 Ft 36874 kr 13456 ₪ 344 ¥ 14774 Mex$ 1958 NZ$ 169 kr 1074 zł 382 S$ 129 kr 1037 CHF 87 $ 96 $ 172 £ 87 $ 155 € 102 Ft 41791 kr 15250 ₪ 390 ¥ 16743 Mex$ 2219 NZ$ 192 kr 1217 zł 433 S$ 147 kr 1175 CHF 99 $ 108 Twin room (two beds) $ 175 £ 89 $ 158 € 104 Ft 42610 kr 15549 ₪ 397 ¥ 17072 Mex$ 2262 NZ$ 195 kr 1241 zł 441 S$ 149 kr 1198 CHF 101 $ 111 $ 196 £ 99 $ 176 € 116 Ft 47527 kr 17343 ₪ 443 ¥ 19041 Mex$ 2523 NZ$ 218 kr 1385 zł 492 S$ 167 kr 1337 CHF 112 $ 123 Large room (two beds) $ 197 £ 100 $ 177 € 117 Ft 47937 kr 17493 ₪ 447 ¥ 19206 Mex$ 2545 NZ$ 220 kr 1396 zł 497 S$ 168 kr 1348 CHF 113 $ 124 $ 218 £ 110 $ 196 € 129 Ft 52853 kr 19287 ₪ 493 ¥ 21175 Mex$ 2806 NZ$ 242 kr 1540 zł 548 S$ 185 kr 1486 CHF 125 $ 137 Single supplement On request -
Extra Info
Skill Level — Easy
This is an easy self-guided or partially guided tour through a beautiful and relatively undiscovered part of Holland. You will cycle on the infamous and well-maintained Dutch cycling network and quiet country roads. Entering and exiting any town is either done so on separate bike lanes or well-marked lanes.
Airport Info
Fly to Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport
Local Travel
From the airport, utilizing public transportation, you will first take a train to Ede-Wageningen. From this station, you then take a bus to Otterlo.
Climate
Best time of year to enjoy this tour is spring, summer, or fall. The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate influenced by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, with cool summers and moderate winters. Always check local conditions before you travel.
Remarks
We strongly advise you to request our guide who specializes in WWII history to accompany you on Day 2 and Day 3. See pricing.
Important to know
Travel Documents
It is each traveler's responsibility to ensure that you are in compliance with the country or countries you plan to visit. This includes and is not limited to passport validity, visa requirements and acquisition, blank passport pages required for your destination (s), etc.
US citizens: A good website to research the requirements of the Schengen Agreement and entry into other countries is travel.state.gov.
Non-EU and EU residents: Please research the requirements of your country of residence for international travel and your destination country or countries.
*Important note: Please check on the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) status as once implemented, this will be required to visit any of the 26 Schengen-member countries for tourism, business, medical, or transit. This is an additional check on security rather than a visa.Extra Stay
Just ask!
Tour Operator
This tour is run by Tripsite.
We value the strong relationship we have with our local partners and the services we provide.
We are not a broker.
We do not inflate tour prices.
We are simply travelers helping travelers.Would you like to learn more About Us? How about What Makes Us Different than other companies?
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