Archeon

About the museum

Archeon opened in 1994 on the initiative of the Stichting voor Experimentele Archeologie en Educatieve Vorming. The aim was to present the results of archaeological research in a vivid way while comparing the life of earlier societies with our own – including how people treat the environment. Since 1998, Jack Veldman and Monique Veldman-Gaastra have run the park.

Today, more than 40 houses, huts, and farmsteads reconstructed from excavation findings stand on around six hectares: a hunter-gatherer camp, farms from the Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages, the Roman frontier village “Trajectum ad Rhenum” with a bathhouse and arena, early medieval Dorestad, and the 14th-century town of “Gravendam.” Costumed “Archeotolken” (living-history interpreters) demonstrate crafts and daily life there, and visitors can try many things for themselves.

In 2011 the Archeologiehuis Zuid-Holland was added next to the entrance. Housed in a reconstruction of a Roman villa excavated in Rijswijk, it displays original archaeological finds from the province, and a Roman museum with interactive stations occupies the first floor. In 2015 the park itself also received official museum status. Since 2017, six Roman river barges from Zwammerdam have been conserved in a restoration shipyard; they are to be displayed later in a planned National Roman Shipping Museum near Archeon.

Highlights

• Reconstructed settlements from the Stone Age to the 14th century with costumed Archeotolken
• Roman frontier village with a bathhouse, arena, and gladiator show
• Medieval town of Gravendam with craftsmen’s houses
• Restoration shipyard for the Roman Zwammerdam ships
• Archeologiehuis Zuid-Holland with original finds and a Roman museum
• Hands-on activities such as dugout canoeing, archery, and fire-making

Permanent exhibitions

• Archeologiehuis Zuid-Holland & Romeins Museum – Original archaeological finds from South Holland from prehistory to the early modern period, including a Bronze Age grave, plus an interactive Roman museum.
• Restauratiewerf Zwammerdamschepen – A glass shipyard where six Roman river barges from Zwammerdam are being restored, with an exhibition on ships and the Limes (the Roman frontier).

Founded

1994

Operated by

Stichting Museumpark Archeon

Director

Jack Veldman und Monique Veldman-Gaastra

Admission & discounts

Online prices valid October 1 – December 31, 2026 (ages 10 and up €28.95 instead of €29.50 at the ticket desk, plus a €0.10 service fee). Free with the Museumkaart, as well as with the VriendenLoterij VIP-kaart, ICOM and EXARC passes, and the Rembrandtkaart (time-slot reservation requested); a surcharge applies on Grijze Jager Dag and during the Kerstmarkt, Licht Festival, Midzomer, and Midwinter Fair. Residents of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn get 25% off regular prices at the ticket desk. The Museumkaart is available on site.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair-accessible paths throughout the park (some paths in the prehistoric area and lanes in the medieval section are bumpy), elevator in the Archeologiehuis, accessible restrooms in the Roman inn and the medieval monastery. Loaner wheelchairs at the entrance for a coin deposit. Tours for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors on the last Saturday of the month (13:30), tactile tours for visitors with visual impairments on the first Saturday of the month (11:00); park guide in Braille. Accessible parking spaces in the front rows (parking ticket required).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Lots of hands-on activities (dugout canoeing, fire-making, archery, drilling with the Romans); with the Activiteitenpas, children make souvenirs, and there is a Paspoort for a scavenger hunt (€1). Playgrounds and a maze; strollers allowed everywhere except in the arena; several baby changing rooms and a nursing room. The gladiator show may seem a little bloody to the youngest visitors. Named a “Kidsproof Museum” every year since 2015.

Getting there & parking

Via the N11, exit 9 (Alphen aan den Rijn – Centrum/Hoge Zijde/Kerk en Zanen), third exit at the traffic circle; do not enter a house number in your GPS. Rental bikes (OV-fiets, Fietspoint) at Alphen aan den Rijn station.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

Het Klooster pancake house and the Roman inn Trajana (stone-oven pizza, pasta). Online shop with park guides and books.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The Roman inn (according to Archeon, for more than 400 guests), Roman bathhouse, medieval monastery, arena, and tournament field for corporate events, conferences, family celebrations, and weddings; themed brunches and overnight stays in medieval houses.

Plan your visit