Paleis Het Loo served as a summer residence for the Dutch royal family (the House of Orange-Nassau) starting in the 1680s, and remained connected to the monarchy for centuries after — genuinely comparable in ambition, if smaller in scale, to grander European royal palaces, with a level of formal garden design rarely seen elsewhere in the Netherlands.
The palace interior
Restored period rooms show how the Dutch royal family actually lived across different eras, from the 17th-century origins through the palace's use well into the 20th century — a genuinely different flavor of history than the merchant-class canal houses covered elsewhere on this site, since this was built for and used by actual royalty.
The formal gardens, restored to their original 17th-century French and Dutch classical design, are genuinely worth as much time as the palace interior itself — allow real time to walk them rather than rushing through on the way to the parking area.
The formal gardens
Precisely geometric, with fountains, sculpted hedges and gravel paths in the classical European palace-garden tradition — a striking contrast to the more naturalistic parks covered elsewhere on this site, like Vondelpark or Westerpark.
The surrounding area
Apeldoorn itself and the nearby Veluwe nature area offer additional green space if you want to extend beyond the palace grounds, though the palace and gardens alone comfortably fill a substantial visit on their own.
Realistic timing
Given the palace interior plus the extensive gardens, this rewards a full day more than a rushed half-day — one of the more substantial day trips covered on this site.
Getting there
Direct trains from Amsterdam Centraal take around an hour, followed by a short bus or taxi to the palace itself, which sits slightly outside the main town center.
This guide is reviewed and updated as part of our weekly refresh, including current palace opening hours.