Arnhem: Discover parks, trails and culture

Arnhem offers a range of options for your trip: trails wind through parkland and past waterways, while museums, historic buildings and city districts offer their own insights. You can shape your stay around the places and themes that interest you most—from landscape design to Arnhem’s history.

Parks, waterways and walks

The municipality of Arnhem manages more than 2,500 hectares of nature areas in its forests and parks. One way to explore part of this landscape is the five-kilometre Water Walk through Sonsbeek Park. The route passes springs, springheads and waterfalls; mills once stood at these locations. Its starting point, Bothaplein, can be reached from Arnhem Centraal station by public transport in ten minutes. As this travel time may vary, it is advisable to check the current connection before setting out.

For a different focus, the four-kilometre Arnhem City Walk takes you to historic buildings and sites in the historic centre. It is one kilometre shorter than the Water Walk and focuses on the city’s history rather than the waterscape in Sonsbeek Park. Check the current route of the Arnhem City Walk on the route page in advance. The two distances can help you choose the length and theme of your planned walk.

The grounds of Huis Zypendaal also combine landscape and history: formal French and romantic English garden styles meet springs, streams and ponds. The house was built between 1762 and 1764 for the prominent Arnhem regent family, the Brantsens. You can walk and picnic in the surrounding park. Huis Zypendaal is one of the seven castles open to visitors run by Geldersch Landschap & Kasteelen; check the current opening hours before your visit.

Museums, architecture and history

Eusebius Church has a panoramic lift that takes you up to a height of 73 metres, as well as glass balconies with views of Arnhem’s skyline. Museum Arnhem offers a different view of the surroundings: it is located on a high push moraine and overlooks the Rhine. Both places pair their views with a specific connection to the city—the church with the skyline, and the museum with its position above the river.

At the 44-hectare Nederlands Openluchtmuseum, you can explore how people lived in the past. The museum also offers rides on a historic tram. Airborne at the Bridge, by contrast, focuses on personal memories of the Second World War. There, personal stories tell of the service members who fought and died at the John Frost Bridge during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. The two attractions therefore offer different historical perspectives.

Burgers’ Zoo also makes nature a central theme. Its eco-displays recreate natural environments as faithfully as possible; the animals often live among hundreds of plant species and have plenty of room to move around. The habitats on display include tropical rainforest, the rocky deserts of Arizona, the savannahs of East Africa, a tropical coral reef and the jungles of Malaysia. The examples range from desert and savannah landscapes to tropical habitats.

City districts, water and local experiences

The Modekwartier is in the Klarendal district, just a few minutes’ walk from Arnhem city centre. Its main themes are fashion, design, art and food. In the studios, visitors can watch designers at work and often talk to them about what they do. Whether these conversations are possible depends on each studio’s opening hours.

The Nederlands Watermuseum explores the importance of water in daily life, in the Netherlands and around the world. Games and activities take place in or around the museum. The Waterlab offers changing activities at weekends and during school holidays; the programme may change. If the Waterlab is important to your plans, check the latest information for the dates of your visit.

Wine and regional food can also be part of your stay. Wijnproeverij de Ontdekking combines a tasting of three wines with a guided tour of authentic wine cellars and a visit to the Nederlands Wijnmuseum. Check the programme and availability of the wine tasting for your planned date. The Nederlands Openluchtmuseum also serves freshly baked poffertjes from a traditional stall. Whether they are available on the day of your visit may depend on the day of operation.

For an overview of the wider trip: Arnhem.