There are so many place to see in Apeldoorn but there are five Apeldoorn Must Do's if you want to get the best out of your vacation. Being able to get an insight into the Dutch royalty ahd visiting some of the most beautiful parks in the Netherlands will help you enjoy your vacation trip.

Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij

This is a great trip but especially if you have children. The steam train rides out of Apeldoorn and goes all the way to Dirden but the main stop is just a bit out of the city. The main station at Beekberges is where you want to go to. The station has a huge main depot with a museum attached. The museum has all sorts of steam train relics such as models for types of former trains, important operator photographs and drawings and parts of steam engines. In addition to this, there is all kinds of steam train stuff strewn about the depot.

Het Loo

This royal Dutch palace is the only royalty residence that is open to the public in the Netherlands. The nice thing about coming here is that you can really get and idea and feel of what it would have been like to live here. The summer tour takes through 32 different areas of the palace, plus you get to go out onto the grounds. One special treat is going over to view the stables close up. The place has been kept the same for the most part since 1686 and even additions reflect that period of time.

Apenheul Primate Park

You will love this special zoo, especially if you enjoy primate animals. The main animals they have here are monkeys and there are many. Mostly, there are areas where a specific ecological enviroment is represented, like the Amazon, for instance. You will see all kinds of animals from that area but mainly they have most of the primates represented there. In some places the monkeys even come right up to you.

Apeldoorn City Parks

Apeldoorn is well known for the neatness and beauty of its town. The parks certainly help that reputation. It is one of the reasons royalty in years past used this area for their summer home. Just outside the center is the Oranjepark, the oldest in the city. Across the walkway is the smallest of the parks named Prins Hendrikplsin. Just slightly farther away is the renown Wilhelminapark. Then there is the Prisenpark and the Verzetstrijderspark, both beautiful during the spring and summer months.

The Man with Two Hats

What is so important about this monument is the special connection the Netherlands has with Canada. In May 2000, Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet unveiled this statue to show the gratitude that the Dutch citizens have for the Canadians who freed them from Germany during World War II. There is an exact replica in Ottawa, Canada, which was unveiled in May 2002. This is a must-see to get a sense of the freedom that these folks have and appreciate.