The Kasteel / Fortress De Haar is the most important fortress within the Netherlands, and it’s pretty straightforward to go to on a day journey from Amsterdam to Fortress De Haar, because it’s situated close to Utrecht!
Often known as Kasteel De Haar within the Dutch language, this fortress was by no means meant for battle, nevertheless it was (and nonetheless is) used as a luxurious house of kinds.
You’ll be able to pay additional to go contained in the fortress, and the inside is gorgeous and really worthwhile. If you happen to solely have time to go to one fortress in Holland, it ought to be this one!
This journey information will clarify tips on how to get to Fortress De Haar, present hours and ticket costs, day tour choices, and every little thing else it is advisable know earlier than you go!
Visiting Fortress De Haar: What To Count on
First issues first — the De Haar Fortress is surrounded by 135 acres of landscaped gardens with colourful flowers, ponds, deer, and good surroundings, so that you’ll wish to discover that first. It’s the right place for a protracted stroll or picnic.
The skin of Fortress De Haar is spectacular and photogenic, with all the same old options you’d count on from a medieval fortress, like towers, turrets, moats, gates, and suspension bridges.
You’ll be able to take nice photos of the fortress from virtually any facet!
Kasteel De Haar
Morning reflections within the canal
In my thoughts I by no means actually related castles with Holland earlier than, however this one is actually spectacular, like a fairytale fortress.
It’s the most important fortress within the Netherlands, and you could possibly positively say it’s the nicest too. The fortress has a present store, cafe, and customer heart the place you should buy tickets.
The park grounds even have a deer park the place you may see pleasant deer strolling round and consuming grass.
Griffin statue on the entrance
If you happen to go to De Haar on the proper time of 12 months, there are even some particular seasonal occasions held right here, just like the Elfia Fantasy Honest and Christmas Market.
No advance reserving or reservation is required for Kasteel De Haar, though you may e book a small group day tour from Amsterdam if you wish to skip the effort of arranging your individual transportation (I’ll clarify extra on that later).
In any case, Kasteel De Haar is properly price a go to, particularly when you’re from the US or one other nation the place castles aren’t quite common!
Inside De Haar Fortress (Inside)
The within of De Haar Fortress is simply as spectacular as the surface! If you happen to purchase a combo ticket, you may tour the within at your individual leisure.
The inside of Fortress De Haar is extraordinarily detailed and delightful, with luxurious bedrooms, carvings and sculptures, work, fancy furnishings, stained glass home windows, units of armor, and rather more. It feels such as you’re touring an artwork museum.
The fortress has a whopping 200 rooms! Regardless that they solely allow you to stroll via lower than a dozen of those, the within tour was very thorough and worthwhile.
I’d extremely advocate it! The combo ticket is well price the additional worth you pay to go inside.
Inside of Fortress De Haar — the within is simply as good as the surface!
Wonderful sculptures
You are able to do an audio tour in Dutch or English, and there are additionally some pleasant multilingual guides accessible in virtually each room of the fortress to clarify a number of the historical past of the constructing and the individuals who lived in it.
Images is allowed contained in the fortress, together with cameras (with out flash), so we took plenty of photos. It was fascinating, and we simply might have stayed longer touring every room.
They don’t enable backpacks, tripods, drones, and different such issues inside De Haar Fortress, however there are some helpful lockers the place you may retailer issues whilst you tour the inside.
A snug bed room contained in the fortress
Opening Hours
- Park: 9 AM – 5 PM every day
- Fortress: 11 AM – 5 PM every day
Regardless that you may’t go contained in the fortress itself earlier than 11 AM, you may stroll everywhere in the grounds beginning at 9 AM, so morning is a good time to go to.
The fortress is open every day. Exceptions for holidays may be discovered right here.
Entrance Charges
These are the present ticket costs to go to the entire park grounds that encompass the fortress, however not go contained in the constructing.
- Adults: 7 Euros
- Youngsters (4-12): 5 Euros
- Youngsters (0-4): Free
- Parking: 6 Euros
If you wish to go contained in the fortress, there’s a extra dear combo ticket that additionally contains the park. You should buy that if you arrive, or e book it upfront right here.
Money isn’t accepted on the fortress, solely credit score or financial institution playing cards.
A view from the backyard
How To Get To Fortress De Haar
Fortress De Haar is situated in Haarzuilens, which is simply exterior of town in Utrecht, Netherlands.
You will get there with a bicycle, automotive rental (self drive), taxi, or public transportation, or you may e book a day tour package deal that features resort pickup and drop-off from Amsterdam. The fortress is a 30 minute drive by automotive from Amsterdam or Utrecht.
For public transportation to the fortress from Amsterdam Centraal, you’ll wish to price range extra time. You first should take the prepare to Utrecht Centraal, after which take the prepare from Utrecht with route Den Haag Centraal (4x per hour) to Vleuten prepare station.
When you arrive in Vleuten, take Bus 111 to Kasteel de Haar, with a 2 minute stroll (solely accessible summer season weekends). In any other case, you may take Bus 127 from Vleuten to Breukelen (cease at Brink in Haarzuilens), which is a 15 minute stroll to the fortress.
You need to use the map beneath for navigation on to the fortress, which is about 20 kilometers from central Utretcht or 33 kilometers from Amsterdam.
Historical past Of Kasteel De Haar
The De Haar Fortress seems medieval, however most of it was really constructed within the nineteenth century, changing some previous fortress ruins that had beforehand been there since as early as 1391.
The property was owned by the De Haar household till 1440, after which it was handed to the Van Zuylen household by marriage. Between 1892 and 1912, the Van Zuylens commissioned Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers to utterly rebuild and renovate the fortress, turning it into the masterpiece seen right now.
Within the Sixties, the fortress grew to become a well-liked place for the Van Zuylen household to host worldwide celebrities, together with Brigitte Bardot, Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Roger Moore, and Michael Caine.
In 2000, the Van Zuylen household handed possession of the fortress and gardens to the Kasteel de Haar basis, however the household reserved the correct to remain one month a 12 months within the fortress, which they proceed to do yearly. Fortunate!
De Haar Fortress
Finest Time To Go to
Any time of 12 months is good to go to De Haar Fortress, though summer season is greatest as a result of you may see the flowers in full bloom. The Rose Backyard is very nice, with over 1,200 roses and 79 completely different species.
My spouse was fairly unhappy we missed the well-known tulip season within the Netherlands on this journey, however the flowers in August have been nonetheless spectacular at De Haar Fortress.
The perfect time of day to go to is within the morning when the park first opens (9 AM), that manner you may take pleasure in the entire grounds with much less individuals. We went on a summer season morning, and for one or two hours it felt like we had the place all to ourselves!
I’d advocate spending 2 to three hours to discover the fortress and park grounds, relying in your tempo and whether or not the gardens are in full bloom if you go to. Most individuals will in all probability end touring every little thing in about 2 hours.
Summer time flowers
Finest Amsterdam Excursions
We advocate GetYourGuide for day excursions of Amsterdam and the remainder of the Netherlands!
They’ve small group day excursions of Fortress De Haar with pickup and drop-off from Amsterdam, plus different well-known sights and actions like canal cruises, the Van Gogh Museum, and day journeys to Keukenhof.
We’ve used this firm for many day excursions and actions world wide, they usually’re nice. Extremely beneficial!
Extra Journey Guides
Thanks for wanting! I hope you loved this journey information for visiting Fortress / Kasteel De Haar on a day journey from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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