It seems to me an eternity ago that I visited Paleis 't Loo myself. And the kids haven't even arrived yet. A good time to pay a visit to the beautiful gardens and stables of this museum! I will take you along on our visit and can already tell you that we will visit it again next year because I really want to see Paleis t Loo inside.
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This palace doesn't really feel like a museum to me, but gives more of an impression of royal life. It gives you a kind of secretly watching-with-the-royalties feeling 😉 . From time immemorial (1684) Het Loo castle was owned by stadtholder William III, who was later proclaimed King of England, Scotland and Ireland. After that, Paleis 't Loo was always inhabited by stadtholders, kings and queens until 1975.
Queen Wilhelmina lived there for years, until her death, from 1948 to 1962. After that, part of the palace was still inhabited by Princess Margriet and Prof. mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven with their four sons. They lived in the East Wing from 1967 to 1975. I find it fascinating that this is actually only such a short time ago. The palace has not been inhabited since 1975 and only after that (in 1984) Paleis ’t Loo became a museum. So it's super fun to take a look at the gardens of this colossal palace and taste the atmosphere.
Not all kids are fascinated by museums, that's a fact. But Paleis 't Loo is very popular with most children. Not in the least of course because they can enjoy being outside in this museum and not have to walk around 'tightly lined up' inside. Even though it's not a playground, it still feels freer than indoors.
In addition, they have placed some nice elements in the gardens of 't Loo that offer that little bit extra for children. Think, for example, of the painting frames that make it very fun to take pictures of them †
You also have a number of fun assignments for children on the route to the gardens (for example walk like a princess, or make bows ) and they can a real horse race to hold.
At first Luc was going to go with us, but after the holiday in Austria he wanted to stay home alone for a day. Well, teenagers. So we took a friend of Lotte's with us and those two had a great time.
We spent about four hours with the children at Paleis 't Loo. Beforehand we enjoyed a high tea at the restaurant that is definitely worth it. A delicious royal soup beforehand and sandwiches, scones, cake and other delicacies afterwards. In between, have a nice color and look at the walking peacocks. Great entertainment!
You can easily walk through the gardens for an hour and a half, because you also want to see the beautiful view from the roof of the Palace †
The route to the roof is currently with a construction lift going up and with the stairs down. Palace 't Loo is especially doable at this time. You can keep a good distance and enjoy being outside.
Afterwards, of course, we paid a visit to the stables where we saw quite a few royal vehicles and some horses. All in all, a successful day for us to look back on with great pleasure.
For the smaller children they currently also have the Princes and Princess Days with games, theatre, taking pictures, crafts, dancing and singing. Can they dress up as if they have blue blood!
Address:Royal Park 16, Apeldoorn
When you arrive at the parking lot, you can buy your ticket at the entrance, or order it online in advance. In times of Corona it is recommended to order in advance, because you can then choose a time slot where you are sure you can go. The price for a ticket from 13 years and older is €8.50 and for children from 4-12 years it is €3.00. Parking the car costs € 5.00. More information can be found on their website.
Oh yeah… pssstt… the below is also a lot of fun to do 😉
If you go on time, you can still enjoy the Apenheul zoo in the afternoon, which is also nice!
