West of Utrecht, Kasteel de Haar (kasteeldehaar.nl; adult/child €20/12.50) is everything you'd hope for in a "medieval" fantasy castle, from the moat, drawbridge and spikey turrets to the paneled rooms filled with antiques. However, it's not medieval at all. The 13th-century original was almost entirely rebuilt over 20 years by Pierre Cuypers, the architect of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. The restoration project was so extensive that the church and the nearby hamlet of Haarzuilens became involved. The castle's owner, Baron Étienne van Zuylen, spared little expense and had the entire village moved so there'd be adequate space for the park and hunting grounds.
In its new 1912 guise, the castle's fame grew, and by the 1960s and '70s, it was home to lavish parties that attracted the global glitterati, including actors Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Roger Moore and Brigitte Bardot. It has a glorious chapel and is surrounded by a large English landscaped garden with broad paths, statues and canal-like stretches of pond. The French baroque garden near the entrance bears the stamp of Héléne de Rothschild, the baron's wife and heir of the renowned Rothschild banking family – it was her fortune that paid for the 19th-century restoration.
For a satisfying day trip by bike, add stops at Slot Zuylen (slotzuylen.nl; adult/child €16/8), another fine moated castle, and the brilliant archaeological museum, Castellum Hoge Woerd.
