The finest castle routes
Castles make ideal stops for a scenic drive: they almost always sit on old back roads, many look great from the public road already, and a photo stop takes ten minutes while a visit fills half a day. These are our measured castle routes, from seven castles in the South Limburg hill country to the fortresses above the Meuse just across the border, plus the 15 castles that passed our own vetting. The Eight Castles route at Vorden is now live; more Gelderland castle routes will follow.
4 measured castle routes
Castle route South Limburg
Seven castles across 72 kilometres of hill country, 0 percent motorway: from the only hilltop castle in the Netherlands to its only terraced castle. The densest run of castles you can drive in a single morning.
Castle route through the Ardennes & Meuse valley
The big castle day just across the border: fortresses and citadels above the Meuse and in the Ardennes, with Vêves and Bouillon as highlights. 142 kilometres of back roads, 0 percent motorway.
Eight Castles route Vorden by car
The classic loop past the eight castles around Vorden, extended through the Achterhoek to Ruurlo and Lochem: 52 kilometres of quiet lanes with zero motorway.
Utrecht Hills route by car
A 90-kilometre loop past the castles and estates of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, from Zeist via Doorn and Amerongen to Rhenen and Wijk bij Duurstede.
Plan a castle drive from your own starting point
Type your start town and we build a round trip of about two hours with castles from our own selection as stops. Then adjust everything: duration, number of stops (1, 2 or 3), vehicle.
15 castles approved as a stop. No need to share your location, a place name is enough; if there is no approved castle near you on the route yet, we say so honestly instead of dropping a random pin.
The castles that passed our own vetting
This is the full, current selection from our own database that the planner may pick as a stop. Not a list copied off the internet: every point is scored on view, stop and route value.
Gelderland 5
- Slot Loevestein visit stop
- Paleis Het Loo visit stop
- Kasteel De Cannenburch photo stop great from the road
- Kasteel Doorwerth photo stop great from the road
- Kasteel Ammersoyen photo stop great from the road
Groningen 2
- Menkemaborg visit stop
- Fraeylemaborg photo stop great from the road
North Holland 2
- Muiderslot photo stop great from the road
- Kasteel Radboud photo stop great from the road
Utrecht 2
- Kasteel de Haar visit stop
- Slot Zuylen visit stop
Limburg 1
- Kasteel Hoensbroek visit stop great from the road
Noord-Brabant 1
- Kasteel Heeswijk visit stop
Overijssel 1
- Kasteel Twickel visit stop
South Holland 1
- Kasteel Duivenvoorde visit stop
Castle route, castle drive or castle tour
Whatever you call it, a castle route, a castle drive or a castle tour, it is the same way of touring: back roads from castle to castle, with the drive as the main course and the stops as the breaks. In the north of the Netherlands these castles are called borgen; Groningen has two in our selection, and a borgen route through the Groningen countryside joins the list once coverage there is strong enough.
Frequently asked questions
Can I plan a castle route from my own address?
Yes. Type your start town above and we build a round trip with castles from our own selection as stops; or open the planner, switch on "Nice stops along the way" and choose the castles category. Every stop is checked by hand, no random internet point ends up in your route.
Which castles can you actually visit and which are a photo stop?
That is shown per castle in the selection above: a visit stop has an open interior or grounds, a photo stop you admire from outside. Many of our castles also look great from the public road, which is exactly why they work so well as a driving stop. Opening times change; check them before you set off.
Are all the castles in the Netherlands in your selection?
No, deliberately not. We only add castles that clear our bar: how they look from the road or grounds, a safe place to stop, and a setting on beautiful back roads. The selection grows with each curation wave; what does not clear the bar, we leave out.
Are these castle routes free?
Yes. Viewing, generating from your own start, downloading the GPX and roadbook and sharing are free, with a small Touren.app mark. Plus adds ad-free and offline driving.