The Netherlands - Castle Haar

Could we go on a holiday without visiting a castle? Don't think so.

Our history with this castle is not a new one, we wanted to visit it once, but it was during the Elf Fantasy Fair or Elfia and the entrance fee was preposterous. So we almost forgot about it until this visit to the seaside.

Facts about the castle that might interest you: it was built in 1391, burned and rebuild in 1892, it has 200 rooms and 30 bathrooms, it is the largest castle in the Netherlands and it was inhabited up to 2001 and opened to the public in 2011, its rooms were once inhabited by the celebrities of those times such as Brigitte Bardot, Coco Chanel, Elisabeth Taylor or Michael Cane.

We went there on a Sunday, so be advised if you want to visit it during the pandemic you have to book your tickets in advance. What I found interesting about the castle is that it doesn't look the same from all angles, it's almost like if you step one foot in any direction the castle changes its appearance. I've tried to capture that in pictures, but I don't know if you can notice.

Also for the people traveling with their dogs, as we do, you cannot visit the castle with your dog, but your friend can go in the gardens of the castle, but please, please be civilized, as there are less and less places one can travel to with their pets because of the people that misbehave.

As everything touristic in the Netherlands, the Haar Castle is on the expensive side, but I would not consider it a rip off, as you do see a castle and if you are patient enough I think you can spend hours touring the gardens, visiting the castle, having a coffee at the restaurant, so you can consider it a day out, but it's still a castle. For two people and a child with the parking and gardens we payed 40 euros. 

I will not post many pictures of the interiors because once you have to see it for yourselves, it's decorated in a shabby chic style which I'm not a fan of, with a lot of rose tones and ladylike furniture. BUT, it has a big entrance hall, which reminded me of the entrance hall at the Peles Castle in Romania, well I guess all the royals in Europe are relatives of some sort. If you do visit the castle and you are Romanian you might spot the figure of Queen Marie of Romania in one of the videos running in some of the rooms.

As the castle was inhabited up to 2001 it has contemporary items such as newspapers, so I was trying to pose next to a pink bed, but in fact I was checking the news on the paper left there.

The castle is richly decorated so even on the staircases pay attention to the details

I hope you liked my post and once in the area you will visit the Haar Castle and also Utrecht is a nice city with a lovely old town. As usual I am more active on Instagram @mademoiselle.ralu