De Haar Castle

A very beautiful castle around 1 hr from amsterdam. 2.5 hrs is a comfortable time to spend here. First you can visit the interior of the castle to see the majestic rooms and the old furnitures, which takes around 1 hr. Then you can explore the surroing gardens, cannal, maze etc, take beautiful pictures around the castle. There are cafes in the castel which serve good snacks at reasonable prices. Tip - No cash payments are accepted anywhere in the castle - ticket counter, gift shop or cafes. Carry your bank cards with you Public transport is very convenient to use to reach the castle, although the nearest bus stop is around 1.5 km away from the castle - where you can either walk or rent a bicycle.

Buy your tickets in advance. Really cool place to visit, but don't go expecting an authentic medieval castle, there's has ga lot of renovation and modernization that take away from that aspect, but overall this is still a really great exhibit. Still plenty of history within the walls, I just question the walls themselves. Great displays, lots of artifacts, plenty of rooms, the gardens are wonderful, even the restaurant is solid for a quick bite. Highly recommend bringing the family, plenty of nice places to take family photos in the gardens.

Castle De Haar is absolutely stunning — a truly magnificent and beautifully preserved castle. The interiors are richly decorated with exquisite furniture, artwork, and tapestries that give a real sense of how the nobility once lived. The castle grounds are just as impressive, with manicured gardens, old trees, and romantic walking paths. It's the largest castle in the Netherlands and definitely worth a visit. A perfect mix of history, architecture, and elegance. Highly recommended!

What an incredible experience. Both the castle and the grounds are worth seeing. My words won’t do this place justice. Just…go if you can. Even better? Stay in Utrecht and hike there. Magical.

Omg amazing Beautiful This place is like a fairytale You have to walk 20 mins from the bus or there’s a car park or you can ride a bike There are lockers in the castle. You can’t bring in a bag or jacket. It’s very warm inside anyway. There’s not really any vegan food options Only like a juice But the gardens would be a cute location for a picnic There’s deer So cute

What an amazing castle. You feel the royalty. The park outside is equally good. Perfect for a day trip or picnic with family. Just walk around the park and get the splendid view of this majestic castle. For going inside the castle make sure to book tickets beforehand.

The garden was beautiful and well-maintained, the castle has been significantly renovated, and it's more modern than historical. Still, a good portion of it is open to the public. There is paid parking on site.

Castle De Haar is absolutely stunning! The exterior and the surrounding park are beautifully maintained, offering amazing views and plenty of photo opportunities. What surprised me most was the interior — it’s not just historical, but also has a modern and lived-in feel. It was fascinating to see a castle that had actually been used as a real home, blending historical charm with modern comforts. Definitely worth a visit if you’re into castles, architecture, or just looking for a scenic and unique day trip!

We've seen our share of castles (and planning on seeing many more), but this one here must be one of the most impressive that we've ever encountered. Not only the building, the castle itself. But also the park, the garden and the massive landscape surrounding it. It's nothing short of amazing and breathtaking. We had our Bulldog with, so we just came for the outside section and the park. Only 7 Euros a person. And really cool that dogs are allowed. Parking for 6 Euros (no time limit) is fair as well. Pay at the counter or get a ticket at the machine (a lot faster). The castle itself is a stunning piece of architecture and is now in this state the biggest castle in the Netherlands. There was a castle here dating back to 1391. But not as big as the current one. Renovations and restorations took place over the centuries. Between 1892 and 1912 the castle as is it today was built. It's a lot younger than one might think. The garden and park in front of the castle are as impressive as the castle itselft. Perfectly taken care of and maintained. That takes a lot of hours and man/women power. Don't miss out on the Kruisvijver behind the castle - a large body of water. Beautiful. We would have never thought that the area is so big. East of the castle is a massive park and forest with countless trails it seems. We were walking around for 2-3 hours, always discovering new places and sight. It was beautiful to just roam around the castle grounds. Never have we seen so incredibly big surroundings by a castle. A wonderful way to spend a day. One almost wasn't enough. And our Bulldog loved it as well. There was some heavy rain sometimes, but we brought our bad-weather gear. Be sure to bring some in case the weather changes quickly. But even in the rain it was a wonderful experience. Castles - in my opinion - look even more magical and eerie on foggy, grey and rainy days. Loved everything about it. A must-do when in The Netherlands. Liked it here better than our time in Amsterdam. And for 7 Euros it's a steal. Image how many employees and how much work it takes to keep this place in shape. Worth your money and your time. Highly recommendable.

One of the most beautiful castle I've ever been. It has a beautiful garden and the scenery outside the castle is like a fairy tale. The location have a good vibes. Family friendly and yes this is my favorite spot in Holland.

Beautiful grounds, didn't even see all of it but it's beautiful. Great place to just go wander. They do have a restaurant on the grounds so you can grab a drink and a bite to eat if you so desire. It's also possible to view the inside of the castle and I believe the church if there isn't an event. The gardens are really a site to see though :D

A-mazing castle. Breathtakingly huge and beautiful, complete with huge storks nested on top of the giant chimneys. Took a self-guided tour around and we loved it. In the main hall, we were greeted by the best tour guide (Puck) we have ever encountered. Young, incredibly well-spoken in English, amazingly engaging with our kids - I wish she could have showed us around the whole place! The grounds, too, were impeccable. So glad we got to visit and we would absolutely come back again.

Wow, what a beautiful castle. I went there for the X'mas festival and it was incredible. There were plenty of vendors selling everything you can think of and you must eat at La Place. The food was very good! From their website: "De Haar Castle is the biggest and most luxurious castle of the Netherlands. With its towers, turrets, moats, gates and suspension bridges, De Haar Castle resembles a true medieval castle."

Spent the day here. What a great castle. Lots of areas to explore and lots of area to explore that is on the property as well . Good tour guides. We got access with the museum pass, don't know if the regular prices are worth it Quite a trek on public transport - had to take a train and then a fairly long bus

We visited for a wedding and everything was beautiful! It was unexpectedly hot, so the ceremony was moved from the rose garden to the chapel. It was uncomfortably hot in the chapel, but thats not their fault. We didn't find any air conditioning on the grounds. However, the workers did manage to find a few rotating fans for the reception. We had the opportunity to take a tour of the castle and we loved it! The downstairs kitchen was the most impressive to our group. Such a beautiful location for any special occasion or just a day to walk around and take great pictures.

This is a beautiful castle, but pretty expensive! I didn't appreciate that the entry fee for kids and adults is the same. In order to view the inside of the castle, you have to pay for a tour which isn't the most exciting for little ones. Walking around the grounds is nice, but there isn't much beyond a Maze for the kids. The Christmas markets sound like they would make up for the price of admission, but during early spring not much is going on there besides a lot of renovation. Tip: The cafe there is over priced and doesn't have the best service. Took forever to get a simple slice of Apple pie! I would eat somewhere outside the castle grounds.

Beautiful castle! Worth the trip. Very quiet, secluded and peaceful. The cafe in the castle is also really good. Check it out. The insides of the castle are remodeled but have a very good 19th century touch! And the canal and park around it makes you feel at rest. And there's a really cute picnic area! One of my favorite castles.

One of the best castles I have ever been to. The grounds are just as impressive and they'll let you stay past closing if you just let yourself out. Check out the labyrinth on the side. Great fun for all ages and a great way to break from the norm.

A wonderful way to spend an afternoon. We just walked the beautiful grounds and gardens and had a lovely picnic in the picnic area.

The walk up to the castle is through a long tree-lined path with cute cows lazily grazing to your left and I could feel myself already falling in love. We were staying out of town and made the trip by train to Utrecht and then by bus (though you can bike) to Haarzuilens just to explore for the day, and I'm glad we did. The highlight of the castle is its grounds. For that reason I strongly recommend choosing a day with nice weather for your visit so that you're able to explore the gardens and bridges at their best. I especially loved how few tourists were walking around because it gave it a special, serene vibe. It somehow manages to feel un-touristy and totally relaxing. To just enjoy the grounds is free of charge. To enter the Castle is 14€ per person and you must go on a guided tour in Dutch, though they have English audio available, but it is forbidden to take any photos within the castle. To enter the Chatelet, which is the actual living quarters of the family, is 7.50€ per person and you can walk around at your leisure. They have informative signs posted in Dutch and a little English packet available. We opted just to do the Chatelet. They didn't have an English map of the grounds available, but we made do. Within the square with the welcoming center is a cafe with outdoor seating available. We weren't expecting much but our lunch was really quite good with a nice sandwich selection and my favorite bitterballen of our whole trip. You are also welcome to bring your own picnic. I originally found out about Kasteel de Haar on pinterest through its popular photo of what's known on pinterest as "the bridge of romance." When we asked the staff they had never heard of it, lol, but we did find it right behind the chapel to the left and it was just as beautiful as it looks on pinterest. The reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because the Chatelet was under renovation while we were there (April 2015) and touring the unfinished interior didn't feel worth the ticket price. I also don't like that photos aren't permitted inside the castle, and I like to be left to see places at my own pace, not on a mandatory group tour in a language I don't understand. The lovely grounds, lovely lunch, and lovely staff made for a very lovely day. Edited to add ticket prices.

Fell in love with this place! The grounds, the buildings, the personnel. All excellent. Our English-speaking guide was amazing. Bought a museum card here so I can enjoy even more great places during my vacation.

What an amazing place, wonderful tour for the price 15 euros which is spoken in Dutch but they have audio tours available in different languages for 1 euro extra. The grounds and gardens are absolutely gorgeous! Allow yourself plenty of time to roam. Would be awesome to have a picnic on a nice day. We ate at Koetshuis de Haar which had really great sandwiches.

the castle was beautiful and it was really worth the trip! I wish they have an English-speaking tour guide though.