Moated castle on the Vecht near Utrecht with 18th-century interiors, birthplace of the writer Belle van Zuylen, and a historic garden.
October 21, 2026 – January 24, 2027
Starting from Belle's 1771 portrait bust, the exhibition brings together numerous busts of 18th-century thinkers by the French sculptor Houdon, with loans from institutions including the Louvre, Versailles and Potsdam; plus a fictional exchange of letters between present-day authors and Belle.
The origins of Slot Zuylen go back to around 1250, when Steven van Zuylen had a square residential tower with walls more than two and a half meters thick built on the Vecht. In the 14th and 15th centuries the castle changed hands several times, was destroyed and lay in ruins for almost a hundred years. From 1525 Count Willem van Rennenberg had it rebuilt as a late Gothic moated castle, whose outline and gatehouse survive to this day.
Through marriage the castle passed to the Van Tuyll van Serooskerken family in 1665. In 1752 Diederik Jacob van Tuyll had the architect Jacob Marot transform it into a country house in the French style: the inner courtyard became the central hall, a new wing created symmetry, and large windows and a forecourt were added. The museum openly acknowledges that these renovations were financed in part by profits from colonial ventures and plantation loans. Isabelle van Tuyll was born here in 1740; as the writer Belle van Zuylen she became a well-known voice of the Enlightenment.
The last residents established the Stichting Slot Zuylen in 1952 and opened the house as a museum. A major restoration in the 1980s largely brought back its 18th-century appearance. Visitors can see living quarters with tapestries, portraits and family furniture, as well as a garden with layers from several centuries, including a 120-meter serpentine wall and a vegetable garden that is still cultivated. Since 2022 the museum has been operated by the Stichting Exploitatie Slot Zuylen.
| Adults | €16 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €13Holders of a CJP pass, student ID or U-Pas |
| Children & teens | €8free up to age 3 · Children under 4 free, ages 4 to 15 €8. |
| Seniors | –No senior discount mentioned. |
| Students & apprentices | €13With student ID or CJP pass. |
| Groups | –No group rate mentioned; guided tours €99 per guide (max. 15 people) plus admission. |
| Families | –No family ticket mentioned. |
| Het Muizenuitje (fall-break children's program, per child) | €13October 20–22, 2026, for children aged about 4 to 8, with a scavenger hunt, music and pancakes; €11 with the Museumkaart. |
| Picnic basket in the garden | –For two or more people, reserve at least 24 hours in advance via horeca@slotzuylen.nl; bringing your own picnic into the garden is not allowed. |
Ticket valid for the castle and garden. Free with the Museumkaart, as well as with the Rembrandtkaart, ICOM card, VriendenLoterij VIP-kaart and lottery vouchers (Postcode-/VriendenLoterij, bring a printout). Booking online is recommended but not required. Cashless payment only (debit card, credit card, digital payment methods).
The castle is not wheelchair-accessible and has several staircases; in many rooms the window seats serve as places to rest. The garden and café are wheelchair-accessible. Guide dogs are allowed. On certain dates, special guided tours for people with visual impairments (companion free, registration via the ticketing system).
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
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Free Muizenspeurtocht (mouse trail) through the castle for the youngest visitors, children's tours with trained guides and special children's activities during every school holiday (e.g., Muizenuitje, a Lego castle, an Easter egg hunt). Sandbox by the coach house; in bad weather, coloring pages and more than 10,000 Lego bricks. Strollers must stay in the cloakroom.
Oud-Zuilen · 10-min walk
From Utrecht Centraal, take bus 12 (toward Maarssen) or bus 120 (toward Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA) to the Oud-Zuilen stop, then walk about 10 minutes following the signs for Oud-Zuilen and, from the drawbridge, for Slot Zuylen. OV-fiets rental bikes at Utrecht Centraal and Maarssen station.
Paid parking
Small parking lot of its own, €5.50 (pay at the exit or with a parking token from the ticket desk), free for under 20 minutes. Free parking on Burgemeester Norbruislaan, about 800 m or a 10-minute walk away. No tour buses, no overnight stays or camping in the parking lot. Bike racks in the parking lot.
GPS address: Dorpsstraat 10, then follow the signs for Slot Zuylen. From the A2, take the Maarssen/Utrecht-Noord exit, then follow Maarssen-Dorp/Oud-Zuilen; from the A27/A28, take the Utrecht-Noord exit. The drawbridge over the Vecht is closed to vehicles over 3.5 t (detour via the Franciscusdreef). By bike, about 25 minutes from central Utrecht. Public boat landing on Dorpsstraat, about 300 m from the castle.
Get directionsCafé in the historic coach house (Het Koetshuis) serving sandwiches, soup, homemade cake, Utrecht beer and produce from the castle's own vegetable garden, also accessible without a castle ticket; in summer, a castle terrace on the moat. Castle shop with souvenirs, books and garden products. Cloakroom with free lockers in the basement; bags larger than 20 × 30 cm are not allowed inside the castle. No dogs (except guide dogs) and no bicycles on the grounds.
Historic halls in the castle for weddings, business dinners and receptions with in-house caterers; two meeting rooms in the coach house for 10 to 80 people; the castle terrace can be rented; film and photo shoots also possible. Contact: verhuur@slotzuylen.nl or horeca@slotzuylen.nl.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
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| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Allowed for private use without flash or tripod, as long as other visitors are not disturbed; no drones. |
| Good to know | Book guided tours of the castle or garden (about one hour each, €99 per guide, max. 15 people, plus admission) by email at info@slotzuylen.nl; themed tours include "Verbluffende Vrouwen," "Slot Zuylen in Oorlogstijd" and "Personeelsgeheimen." Tours are usually in Dutch or English, other languages on request; the garden tour includes the vegetable garden, which is otherwise closed to visitors. School programs from groep 4 of primary school, as well as for secondary schools and universities. Strollers are not allowed inside the castle (parking space in the cloakroom). |
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