Apeldoorn grew from a scattering of Veluwe villages into a proper city, but it still feels like it hasn't quite shaken off its small-town roots. The centre is compact and manageable, ringed by some of the best forest and heathland in the Netherlands. It is not a glamorous destination, but it has genuine charm.
The main draw is the surrounding nature. The Veluwe is right on the doorstep -- miles of woodland and heath crisscrossed by cycling and walking paths. Within the city, the Apenheul primate park draws over half a million visitors a year to its forested setting in Berg en Bos park, where monkeys roam freely among the trees. Paleis Het Loo, built in the 1680s for William III of Orange, is the only Dutch royal palace open to the public and well worth a morning.
The Hoofdstraat is the main shopping street, anchored by the Oranjerie mall. For eating and drinking, head to the Caterplein at the bottom of the Hoofdstraat, where a cluster of restaurants, bars and terraces fills a single square. Apeldoorn is about 80 km southeast of Amsterdam, easily reached by direct train in under an hour.