The 15 Best Castle & Palace Tours in the Netherlands

1.Royal Palace Entry Ticket and Audio Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6,475 reviews · from $15Our pick

Walk through Amsterdam’s working Royal Palace at your own pace with an audio guide in eight languages. See the Citizens’ Hall, Atlas statue, Golden Age paintings, Empire furniture, chandeliers, and rooms still used for royal receptions. Choose a shorter or longer route, enter through the priority lane, and visit for about $15 per adult.

“The museum was good-I did self guided as I do not have the bandwidth to wait on others and listen to areas of the museum with less interest to myself, I feel museums have certain points of interest to many. This museum could take 1 1/2 - 2 hrs or as much as entire afternoon. Not really a place for small kids or elderly who have issues with walking in my opinion. This is a very busy museum with little places to sit down and rest-please don’t be the dumb father and son who decided to sit on the stairs and impede people walking up and down the stairs which…”

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2.De Haar Castle & Park Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,350 reviews · from $23

Visit De Haar Castle and its 17 acres of gardens for one day at your own pace. Walk through towers, ramparts, moats, grand rooms, the Rose Garden, and Roman Garden. A free app offers maps, walking routes, and a virtual tour. Entry costs $23, with a required timeslot and no private guide included.

“The castle is amazing, 1 of the best I have visited. The architecture is wonderful & the route is well laid out. Most rooms had a guide to answer any questions. All the information was in both Dutch & English. Took about an hour to make a leisurely circuit. Unfortunately that day there was a business convention so the cafe was closed. However we were offered a free tea/coffee in the entrance lobby from a thermos flask. The grounds were very colourful with lots of benches so you could sit & enjoy the scene. It was well worth the walk to the deer park to see the magnificently antlered males…”

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3.Escher in The Palace Museum Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 896 reviews · 365 days · from $15

Visit Escher in Het Paleis in The Hague with admission valid for 365 days. See more than 130 original prints, including the 7-meter Metamorphosis III, in Queen Mother Emma’s former Winter Palace. Explore interactive puzzles, optical illusions, palace details, and a family treasure hunt. Audio guides are available in eight languages.

“Great experience! So interesting, both the history of Escher and of the building where his art is housed.”

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4.Apeldoorn: Het Loo Palace Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 277 reviews · 1 day · from $25

Spend a full day at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, exploring royal rooms, the House of Orange-Nassau collection, historic carriages and cars, and formal baroque gardens. Use the palace app or a €2.50 audio device in Dutch, English, or German, then climb to the roof for Queen Mary’s view.

“Goed. Vriendelijk personeel. Vanuit Den Haag een prima verbinding met het openbaar vervoer”

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5.Muiden: Entry Ticket to Muiderslot Castle

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 173 reviews · 2 hours · from $23

Visit Muiderslot Castle in Muiden for about two hours, exploring medieval defenses, 17th-century rooms, and historic gardens surrounded by water. Your ticket includes the gardens and an audio guide in 11 languages, including English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, Chinese, and Arabic.

“A experiência foi muito boa. O castelo medieval vale a pena ser conhecido, pela história envolvida, pelo local, que é muito bonito e pela cidade, que é linda.”

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6.Castle De Haar Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 101 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $151Top rated

Travel by air-conditioned minivan from central Amsterdam to Castle De Haar with a guide such as Sarah, Eva, or Renske. Spend about three hours touring the castle, gardens, park, maze, and restaurant. Expect a personal castle tour, free time to explore, snacks, and a soft drink or bottled water.

“This was a very interesting excursion. The castle as well as the surrounding grounds are very well maintained and not to mention absolutely beautiful. Our guide Renshe (apologies if I misspelled) was very friendly, knowledgeable and not to mention our personal photographer. This was well worth the money and time spent.”

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7.Castle De Haar Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 41 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $147

Leave central Amsterdam at 10:15 for a small-group trip to Castle De Haar, about 45 minutes away. Your guide, possibly Eva or another English, German, or French-speaking guide, handles the drive and castle visit. You get entry to the castle, garden, and park, plus water and a snack. Lunch is extra.

“Cool, the castle is gorgeous and time at the site is enough to visit it all”

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8.Hoensbroek: Entry Ticket to Hoensbroek Castle

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 37 reviews · 1 day · from $17

Visit Hoensbroek Castle at your own pace with an entry ticket, booklet, and a children’s Discover the Castle route for ages 7 to 12. Walk through more than 40 decorated rooms, see the grand ballroom, enter the dungeon, and climb the medieval watchtower. The visit is self-guided, with signs and optional castle activities.

“Super mooie rondleiding die je zelf kan doen .. we hebben wel een boekje gekocht daarin stond nog meer informatie! Ook super leuk met kinderen”

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9.Drive it yourself electric History and Castle GPS audio tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

You drive a two-person Renault Twizy on a fixed 39-kilometer route from Lisse through South Holland’s famous bulb region. GPS directions and an audio guide in Dutch, English, or German lead you to Dever, Oud Poelgeest, Warmond, and Keukenhof castles. You choose a morning or afternoon departure and return to the starting point.

“We learned so much about country side and Flowers. Too bad they weren’t in bloom. I could only imagine how beautiful it would be. At some of the Castles had flower garden that were pretty and walking paths with little restaurants to get a coffee and apple pie. Highly recommended.”

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10.Amsterdam Castle & Utrecht City – Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · 7 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $354

Leave Amsterdam with a private driver-guide, visit 700-year-old Muiderslot Castle, then spend four hours exploring Utrecht’s canals, medieval cellars, Dom Tower, and old streets. Steve or Steven often adds scenic countryside roads and local stops. Pickup is available from select Amsterdam accommodations, with admission to the castle included.

“Steve was amazing! Lots of information about the history of the Netherlands, great recommendations, and a great day!!”

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11.Loevestein Castle Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 16 reviews · 1 day · from $20

Spend a full day at Slot Loevestein, a 14th-century fortress in Gelderland. Explore the castle, soldiers’ village, exhibitions, ramparts, and Hugo de Groot’s prison story. Guides speak Dutch and English, while the free izi.Travel app offers two audio tours. Expect spiral stairs and no elevator.

“It was wonderful step back into time and history. I did not have a guide and it was a quiet day so I could wander and take all the time and pictures I wanted. The property itself is very peaceful and picturesque.”

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12.Full-Day Private Historic Royal Tour around Palaces and Castles

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $444

Travel from your Amsterdam hotel with private guide Gopi to Paleis Het Loo and Muiderslot Castle. Expect a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, entrance fees, royal gardens, historic rooms, castle towers, and time to explore. The 6 to 8-hour outing is offered in English and suits anyone wanting an easy day beyond Amsterdam.

“This was an excellent tour, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to see sites outside of Amsterdam. Our guide, Gopi, was very knowledgeable, polite and professional. He gave us lots of information about the sites we visited along the way. His car was clean and he's and excellent driver. Paleis Het Loo was very impressive and is comparable to other top palaces in Europe. Despite its massive size, it wasn't overly busy with tourists, unlike most of the sites in Amsterdam. Castle Muiderslot was a much older, more rustic castle that was also neat to see. This tour made it possible to visit wonderful sites outside Amsterdam…”

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13.Muiderslot and De Haar Castle Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 6 hours · from $397

Leave Amsterdam by private car for two very different Dutch castles. Explore 13th-century Muiderslot at your own pace, then see lavish De Haar Castle and its 55-hectare park, gardens, maze, deer grounds, and covered bridge. English service, hotel pickup, entrance tickets, bottled water, and WiFi are included.

“Absolutely wonderful!!!!! Beautiful car, safe driver, castles are gorgeous with more than an enough time to tour each without feeling rushed. I recommend eating at the de Haar castle… very nice outdoor seating and good food and drink. Also recommend booking this toward the end of your trip when you need a break from walking all over. This felt luxurious and relaxing.”

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14.Private day trip to the Dutch castles from Amsterdam

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 8 hours (approx.)

Spend a full day beyond Amsterdam at two very different Dutch castles. Muiderslot offers a 700-year-old medieval stronghold, while Castle de Haar delivers restored 19th-century grandeur. Your private guide, possibly Yula, Bram, or Michael, drives your group of up to four in an air-conditioned vehicle, with castle admission included.

“Fantastic day on the castle tour. Saw and learned a lot. Beautiful countryside and excellent lunch too.”

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15.Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 9 reviews · 3 hours · from $238

Travel by private car from your Amsterdam hotel to Muiderslot, one of the Netherlands’ oldest castles. Explore medieval rooms, paintings, towers, and grounds at your own pace with admission included. Your driver, such as Hasan, waits during the visit and returns you to Amsterdam.

“About 30 minutes or so from downtown Amsterdam, the castle was lots of fun, especially for history lovers and young people. We were able to climb all around the castle, and we found that using the audio portion that was offered really helped us llearn details about the early days and the castle itself. Walking the castle grounds afterwards was quite beautiful and great for taking photos! If we had booked a little bit more time, I think I would’ve liked to have walked around the village And had lunch and done a little shopping, I would recommend extending it for an extra hour.”

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