Daytrip outside Amsterdam: Muiderslot / Naarden, Amsterdam

A few km from A`dam is Muiden. Nice typical village with the river and boats all along. On its edge you find this castle now, after many years, open to the public.
April up to and including October:
Monday to Friday from 10:00 - 17:00
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 13.00 - 17.00
The Castle can only be visited under guidance. The conducted tours start several times an hour. A tour will take appr. 50 minutes. The last tour starts at 16:00
Getting there:
By car: coming from direction Amsterdam or Amersfoort on highway A1 just follow the blue-white signs indicating Muiden - Muiderslot.
By public transportation:
(1) You can take the NZH Bus Line 136 leaving from Amstel Station at Amsterdam. Departure weekdays and Saturday every hour at 10 minutes past the hour. At Sunday each hour at 31 minutes past the hour.
Or (2) you can take the train to Weesp station and from there take the NZH Bus Line 153. Departure weekdays and Saturday every half hour at 8 minutes to and 22 minutes past the hour

Just outside Amsterdam, in the small fortified town of Muiden you’ll find a medieval castle called Muiderslot.

As this was the defence line for Amsterdam and the heart of Holland, many ancient forts and more recent bunkers are spread out all over the region. In Naarden, one of the best preserved fortified towns of Europe, there is a Fortress Museum. Great for kids !

And in between these places there is the beautiful classic Dutch countryside with rivers and canals, cows and windmills. Ideal for a cycling trip. Also for families with children, as you only have to cycle short distances.

You can cycle out of Amsterdam. Or rent a bike at the train station in Weesp. I takes only 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central station to Weesp ; four trains per hour.

On this link page a lot of practical information on the region, and suggestions for routes.

To the east of Amsterdam is located a small friendly town of Muiden which has a magnificently-restored castle of counts of Holland. If you are interested in history, you will be delighted by your visit.

This is probably the most famous castle in Holland : the Muiderslot. It is not so far from Amsterdam, and this would make a perfect day out when you are visiting Amsterdam. You can find more information on the Muiderslot on this website http://www.muiderslot.com/

A wonderful town to visit from Amsterdam is Naarden which is the only remaining complete fortified town in the Netherlands.
Seen from the air this small town is snowflaked shaped and is surrounded by moats.
There is a very interesting museum and the opportunity to go underground and see some of the fortifications.The Nederlands Vestingmuseum is situated at Westwalstraat 6 in Naarden.
And in the former Arsenal complex there are now small shops and workshops for you to visit.
There is a very attractive Stadhuis (town hall) at Marktstraat 22 and from this street you can also visit the Grote Kerk of Saint Vitus and climb the steps of the Church tower.
There are also pleasant shops and cafes in the small town itself ~ a trip to Naarden Vesting is a very pleasant way to pass a day!
To reach Naarden by bus from Amsterdam first take the Metro (any one) to Amstelstation and from there take the 136 bus to Naarden Vesting. The journey takes about 50 minutes and passes through the pleasant Dutch countryside and buses return at very regular intervals back to Amstelstation .

I have been out of luck with visiting the Muiderslot so far, it has been closed everytime I got there. But I have seen it several times from the outside. It looks really pretty from across the water, like you can see in the picture below. But I would love to see the interior sometime.

The next time that I try to visit the Muiderslot I will make sure that it is open :-)

Opening times:
April - October : Monday until Friday from 10 until 5, Saturday, Sunday and on holidays from 1 until 5 o'clock.

November - March the castle is opened on Saturdays and Sundays only from 1 o'clock until 4. There are guided tours (50 minutes) a couple of times per hour. The last tour is one hour before closing time