Pick organic apples at De Olmenhorst in Lisserbroek for 3.50 euro a kilo: go on a Wednesday or by bike and skip the 6 euro parking

If you want a September weekend outside the city that is more than a walk in the park, Landgoed de Olmenhorst in Lisserbroek opens its organic apple and pear orchards for picking your own. This year the season runs from 5 September to 25 October, on Wednesday afternoons from 13:00 to 17:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00. Entry is free and you pay for what you pick, 3.50 euro a kilo for apples and pears alike. The estate posts the ripe varieties every Monday; this week, 9, 12 and 13 September, that means Santana and Elstar apples and Conference pears. For a family without a garden it is a rare chance for a child to twist fruit off a tree and put it on the scale themselves. The real decision is which day to go and how to get there, because driving at a weekend costs more than a Wednesday or a bike ride.

• When: the season runs 5 September to 25 October; outside the autumn holiday it opens only on Wednesday afternoons and at weekends, and from 10 to 25 October it is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. It goes ahead in the rain. (source 1, source 2)
• Paying: entry is free and the fruit is weighed and paid for at the picking stall, by card or cash. Fruit lying under the trees is not free to take; staff collect it and sell it at the stall as fruit for sauce and baking. (source 1, source 2)
• Parking: at weekends you must book a parking space online in advance, 6 euro per car per day, and bookings open only in the week before that weekend. On a Wednesday or by bike no booking is needed. By bus, the Bruidsbloemstraat stop is a 15-minute walk. (source 1, source 2, source 3)
• Before you go: you may not bring your own food or drink onto the estate and buy it at the estate's cafés instead; dogs are welcome on a lead but not in the cafés; the paths to the orchards are paved, but the grass between the trees is not passable by wheelchair; groups of 10 or more should contact the estate first. (source 2)

The number worth working out is the real price per kilo. Driving at a weekend, the total is kilos × 3.50 + 6 euro parking: 3 kilos comes to 10.50 + 6 = 16.50 euro, or 5.50 a kilo; 6 kilos comes to 21 + 6 = 27 euro, or 4.50 a kilo. The parking fee equals 6 ÷ 3.50 ≈ 1.7 kilos of fruit, so driving out at a weekend to pick one or two kilos means paying more to park than for the fruit. On a Wednesday afternoon, or cycling in at a weekend, you pay for the fruit only. Put in the kilos you plan to pick and the cheaper day and way of travelling follow.

Pears take some planning: the estate says they can only be picked at weekends, so a child who wants pears means a Saturday or Sunday and, if you drive, a booked parking space. The autumn holiday lines up too: in 2026 it runs 10 to 18 October in the northern region and 17 to 25 October in the central and southern regions, and the estate is open daily across that whole stretch, so children in all three regions can come during their holiday. (source 4)

Where

Lisserweg 481, 2165 AS Lisserbroek

When

Wednesday 13:00–17:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00

Price

Free entry; apples and pears € 3.50/kg

Note

Weekend parking must be booked, 6 euro per car per day・No own food or drink・Fallen fruit is sold, not free

Hokimi field note: agree with the children beforehand how many pieces each may pick, as the estate itself suggests, and bring your own bag or basket so you do not have to buy a cotton bag at the stall.