The area around the city is highly varied.
In Eefde, a town next to Zutphen, you will find one of the largest inland stews in the country. Toward the north, in the direction of Deventer, you will find small towns, roads, forests and some farming. Toward the east you will find a highly varied landscape consisting of agricultural ground, farming, more small towns, and more small roads. To the south lies Doetinchem, a small town with which Zutphen shares a center-function for the surrounding villages, and to the west you will find the huge Veluwe National Park, consisting of a large forest spanning tens of kilometers in width W-E and circa one hundred kilometers in length N-S.
Other towns and cities nearby, with distances:
Arnhem and Nijmegen are 30 kilometers and 50 kilometers, respectively, to the south-west 4 trains every hour in both directions.
Deventer is 15 kilometers to the north 2 trains every hour in both directions.
Apeldoorn is 20 kilometers to the north-west 2 trains every hour in both directions.
Hengelo is 40 kilometers to the north-east 2 trains every hour in both directions.
Doetinchem is 20 kilometers to the south difficult to reach with public transportation.
summary of the train schedule from and to zutphen
For the latest train times and prices in both Dutch and English, check ns.nl.
Trains arrive and depart around the whole and half hours in five directions. Only the main stations have been listed here; especially the local trains stop at more stations. train schedules have changed since 7th of December 2006, not updated yet
--:58 Fast Train Sneltrein to Dieren, Arnhem, Elst, Nijmegen, 's Hertogenbosch, Tilburg, Breda, Roosendaal with connections to Antwerp, Brussels, Middelburg, Vlissingen
--:04 Local Train Stoptrein to Vorden, Ruurlo, Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo Lievelde, Winterswijk
--:04 Fast Train Sneltrein to Deventer, Zwolle with connections to Leeuwarden, Groningen
--:05 Local Train Stoptrein to Brummen, Dieren, Rheden, Velp, Arnhem, Elst, Nijmegen
--:06 Local Train Stoptrein to Klarenbeek, Apeldoorn with connections to Amersfoort, Amsterdam, Schiphol
--:06 Local Train Stoptrein to Lochem, Goor, Delden, Hengelo, Oldenzaal with connections in Hengelo to Enschede and Almelo
The same trains leave in the same directions 30 minutes later again, with one exception: the Local Train to Apeldoorn leaving at at --:06 connects to a direct Intercity to Amsterdam and Schiphol, while the Local Train to Apeldoorn leaving at --:37 goes one minute later and connects to a direct Intercity to Amersfoort, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam. Note that some trains go less frequently on Sunday mornings and on weekday and weekend nights; they leave only every 60 minutes then, instead of every 30 minutes.
When using the Intercity services to and from Apeldoorn, note that these trains are split into two parts in Amersfoort or Utrecht. The trains leaving Apeldoorn at --:28 go to Amsterdam and Schiphol and usually consist of 3 trainsets of 3 or 4 cars each. This train is split up in Amersfoort halfway. The two trainsets in front will go directly to Amsterdam Central Station. The trainset in the back will go to Duivendrecht, Amsterdam Zuid-WTC and Schiphol Airport. Be sure to be in the right part of the train! Ask the conductor or a fellow traveller if you're not sure. The trains leaving Apeldoorn at --:58 go to Rotterdam and The Hague and usually consist of 3 or 4 trainsets of 3 or 4 cars each. The front part goes to Amersfoort, Utrecht, Rotterdam Alexander and Rotterdam Central Station; the last part goes to Amersfoort, Utrecht, Voorburg, and The Hague Central Station. Again, be sure to be in the right part of the train! Ask the conductor or a fellow traveller if you're not sure.