Kröller-Müller Museum
8.45am
Meet and greet with your English-speaking guide in the hotel lobby, from where you will be taken for a 75-minute drive (depending of traffic) by luxurious private vehicle to the picturesque village Otterlo, for a guided tour of the Kröller-Müller Museum, one of the nicest museums in the Netherlands within a spectacular surrounding.
Kröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum and Sculpture Garden are located in the National Park Hoge Veluwe, which covers more than 5,400 hectares (13,500 acres). The museum houses a world-famous collection of fine art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries like for example Monet, Picasso, Isaac Israel, Mondrian, Latour, Toorop and many others. The focal points are the extensive range of works by Vincent Van Gogh (92 paintings and the second largest collection in the world!) and the amazing sculpture garden that covers 50 acres and is one of the largest in the world. You will see works by Rodin, Moore, Jean Dubuffet, Hepworth, Serra, Pan and others.
The Kröller-Müller museum and the Hoge Veluwe national park, the legacy of Mr. and Mrs. Kröller-Müller form a monumental ensemble of art, architecture and nature. www.krollermuller.nl
11.45am
After this exciting tour, there is leisure time for lunch. At Restaurant Waldhorn, in the village center they serve fresh food made with local products.
Palace Het Loo
1pm Fully refreshed, we continue with a 30-minute scenic drive to the picturesque city Apeldoorn, for a guided tour of the Palace Het Loo.
The former Royal Palace Het Loo, with very diverse residents, has been a museum since 1984. The furnished rooms and chambers show how the Dutch Royal Family lived and worked for 300 years. The palace itself underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2023.
It was stadtholder Willem III (1650-1702) who purchased the medieval hunting lodge ‘Het Oude Loo’ in 1684 together with the surrounding buildings, woods, estates and water courses. He wanted to build a new hunting lodge on this site, one which would compete with the country estates of other European royalty. Willem and his wife Mary Stuart (later Queen Mary II) were lovers of architecture and garden art. The ‘new’ Loo was envisaged as a magnificent summer residence where the stadtholder could hunt and entertain his noble guests in royal splendour.
In 1689, Willem III and Mary became king and queen of the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland and this international status deserved a larger palace. The gardens were extended and four pavilions were added to the palace; these connected the middle section with the East and West wings. After the death of Willem III, the palace was used by consecutive stadtholders, kings and queens as a hunting lodge and summer residence.
Princess Margriet (aunt of current King Willem-Alexander) and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven were the last residents until 1975. In 1977, a start was made on the radical restoration. The main idea was to return the exterior of the palace to its original 17th century glory. The additions made in the 19th and 20th centuries were removed.
The present Dutch Baroque garden with many symmetrical parterres, impressive fountains and historical planting are reconstructed to the original 17th-century design. The gardens were intended to give prestige and status to William and Mary and impress their guests. From April until October, you can enjoy the fountains, which always spout fresh water thanks to the high level of the ground water, surpass the Versailles ones! https://www.paleishetloo.com
4pm From here, you will be taken back to your hotel in Amsterdam, where you have the remainder of the day for your own leisure. You will arrive back around 5.30pm.