Camping Betuwe

Start off first at Ouwehand Zoo, under 10 minutes away near Rhenen on the Laarschenberg hill at the south-eastern tip of the Utrecht Hill Ridge. Next up should be a day at the zoo of Royal Burgers' in Arnhem (35 minutes), one of the largest zoos in the country and home to over 500 species and 10,000 animals on its 45 hectares. If you're up for being active, hiking, biking and horse riding trails snake around the 6,000 hectares of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park, half an hour's drive away; if you're more of a nature spotter, this is the second biggest forest site in the Netherlands so has plenty of species to see including over 100 types of bird. (Much) more of the same, as well as the famed Kröller-Müller art museum, is at the Hoge Veluwe National Park within about 40 minutes' drive. Ancient Utrecht, with Cathedral Tower, museum quarter and lively student vibe, is 50 minutes' drive away.