Welcome to the summer palace of William and Mary! Built in the late 17th century the royal palace is situated in the middle of the Veluwe moorland, an extensive hunting ground. Beautifully decorated with extensive unique baroque palace gardens and fountains, this tour brings you back to the core of Europe’s royal history! After Willem and Mary the Dutch royal family kept Het Loo as their summer palace. In 1795 the French army invaded the Netherlands and the palace was plundered. But by 1806 Het Loo was occupied once more, by Louis Napoleon, who had been appointed King of Holland by his brother Napoleon Bonaparte. Both King Willem I and Willem III loved to spend time at Palace Het Loo, far from their busy lives in The Hague. Het Loo was very special to Queen Wilhelmina, and there was no place she would rather be! The last residents of the palace were Princess Margriet and her family who resided in the palace until 1977.

After we visit the palace you have about an hour to discover the extensive unique baroque palace gardens and fountains around the palace. These are the only remaining Baroque gardens in the Netherlands. This visit includes time for lunch at one of the Palace's restaurants.

In the afternoon we take you into a magical fairy tale to the most impressive medieval castle in the Netherlands! Castle de Haar is characterized by its rich and extravagant history and the many special stories hidden behind the castle walls. First built in the 13th century it came in the van Zuylen family in the 15th century. The castle found itself in ruins after centuries of wars, and several bad storms, until Baron Etienne van Zuylen, who married Baroness Hélène de Rothschild, took it upon himself to rebuild the castle at the end of the 19th century. He enlists architect Pierre Cuypers for this project, the same architect who designed the Rijksmuseum and central station in Amsterdam! In the 1950’s the castle becomes a sought-after hotspot for the international jet set with guests such as Roger Moore, Brigitte Bardot, and Maria Callas visiting Etienne’s grandson: baron Thierry. The baron’s daughters and grandchildren still come to the castle for their holidays!