Why you Should Take a Day Trip to Kasteel de Haar and Everything you Need to Know!
Kasteel de Haar (aka De Haar Castle or Castle de Haar) is the Netherlands’ largest castle and STUNNING. The castle alone is something to see, but it also sits on beautiful grounds and is surrounded by a moat, with a draw-bridge and all.
It was one of our favorite things we visited on our 5 Day Amsterdam trip!
However, getting to Kasteel de Haar tested my nerves a little because I wasn’t fully prepared. But let me tell you, it was worth it and I am here to help make getting there and planning a trip to the castle easier!
Here is everything you need to know including how to get there, how much time you will need, whether you should visit the inside and more!
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Why Visit Kateel de Haar?
As I mentioned, Kasteel de Haar is the biggest castle in the Netherlands and is located just outside of Utrecht, Netherlands. Why take a trip to Kasteel de Haar?
I think the pictures speak for themselves! 😍 Maybe I’m alone in my obsession with castles, but, if not, this castle should be on your list to see! It has Disney-approved (I’m sure) architecture, surrounded by a moat and beautiful gardens outside.
To learn more about the history of the castle and the family, you can visit the Kasteel de Haar site!
How to Get to Kasteel de Haar
A day trip to Kasteel de Haar is easiest from Utrecht, though it can be done from Amsterdam as well. Directions to get there also depend on what day of the week you visit!
Utrecht to kasteel de Haar:
Monday-Friday
Take the sprinter train from Utrecht central to Vleuten train station
- This is only about a 10 minute train ride
- Be sure you get the right train; not all of them stop at Vleuten station!
From the Vleuten train station you will walk down the stairs to the Vleuten bus station
- Take bus 127 to the “Brink Haarzuilens” stop (about a 5-10 minute bus ride)
- From the bus stop you will have about an 18 minute walk to the entrance where you can purchase tickets (I know, quite a walk!)
Saturday-Sunday
You still train from Utrecht Central to Vleuten train station
However, on the weekend, take bus 111 from Vleuten to “Kasteel de Haar, Haarzuilens” stop. This bus route will take you to the castle entrance and save you quite a walk!
This information was given to me by someone who worked at the castle when I asked if there was an easier way to get back to Utrecht from the castle
- They looked up the bus routes and informed me the bus that came to the castle entrance was on the weekends only. I’m not sure if this is year-round or not, honestly!
Everything you need to know about visiting Utrecht, including whether you should day trip or stay overnight there!
Amsterdam to kasteel de Haar:
Do all of the above, but you will train from Amsterdam central station to Utrecht central station and then continue on from there
- This ends up being about an hour and a half travel time
Grounds Tour or Inside Tour?
As you can see above, it takes a little effort to get to the castle. Therefore, I recommend if you are going to take the time to go to the castle then you should see inside the castle as well.
The rooms are set up as they would have been when the castle was used regularly and workers are available in some of the popular rooms to explain what the room was used for, etc.
I’ve visited various castles around the world because I love the architecture and find them fascinating, and I will say that Kasteel de Haar is well-staged with the furniture and props and felt it was really worth seeing!
Book tickets to the grounds and entrance to the castle!
Other Things to Know About a Day Trip to Kasteel de Haar
You are going to be FULLY prepared for this day trip to the castle!
How Much time is Needed to visit
Obviously the time will depend on where you are coming from and what day.
You should prepared for about 50 minutes to an hour to get from Utrecht to the castle and about an hour and a half if day-tripping from Amsterdam
- If you would rather, you can also take a Taxi or Bolt to the castle, which is likely between $40-$50 one-way from Utrecht but cuts the trip to 20-30 minutes to the castle
We spent about 2 hours at Kasteel de Haar exploring the gardens and did a self-guided indoor tour of the castle.
In total, prepare for 4-5 hours at the least for a day trip to Kasteel de Haar!
Good news is, though, if you arrive around 10am you can spend some time in the gardens, explore the inside and be back in Utrecht by about 2 or 3 pm giving you time to fit other activities into the afternoon.
Cost of a day trip to Kasteel de Haar
The price of the day trip will depend on if you opt to visit just the gardens or if you opt to visit the inside as well. As I mentioned before, if you are taking the time to visit the castle, I recommend visiting BOTH!
Prices:
- Garden only: 7 euros per person
- Gardens and castle self-guided tour: 19 euros per person
- Train tickets are about 3.5 euros one-way to Vleuten station and bus tickets to the castle are about 2-4 euros one-way
Total cost of a day trip from Utrecht to Kasteel de Haar: around 32 euros (give or take a few euros) with entrance to the castle.
From Amsterdam, your day trip to Kasteel de Haar will be closer to 47-50 euros with the additional round-trip train ticket.
Book Tickets to Kasteel de Haar
Secure your tickets to see the castle!
Kasteel de Haar hours
Kasteel de Haar doesn’t open extremely early, so you can leave Utrecht at a reasonable hour and still be at the castle when it opens!
Kasteel de Haar hours:
- Gardens: open from 9am to 5:00 pm
- Castle: open from 11am to 5 pm (doors close at 4:30pm)
Guided Tour to Kasteel de Haar from Amsterdam
If you are coming from Amsterdam and would rather not spend 3 hours of travel round-trip navigating your way to/from the castle, a guided tour may be a good option.
The tours leave from Amsterdam at around 10:15 in the morning, drive you the 45 minutes direct drive to the castle and then will do about a 3 hour tour around the castle and the gardens. Entry is included in the ticket.
Book a guided tour of Kasteel de Haar from Amsterdam!
Kasteel de Haar Recap!
Kasteel de Haar was one of our favorite day trips on our 5-day itinerary to Amsterdam! Though it was a bit out of town (and took us longer because we got on the wrong train), we enjoyed seeing more of the Dutch countryside on the trip there and really felt like it added something different to the itinerary!
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