Duivenvoorde opens its hidden attics

Most castle tours stop in decorated state rooms, but this one begins in Kasteel Duivenvoorde’s old servants’ kitchen and climbs narrow stairs into attics normally kept closed. From 28 July to 2 August, hourly groups encounter compact staff bedrooms, bell-loft beams carrying names from 1671, and art stores containing walking sticks, castle lady Henriette’s shells and a real giraffe piano. Adults pay €18.50, ages 7–17 pay €11.50 and children through six enter free; tours run from 11:00–16:00, extending to 18:00 on Saturday. It suits visitors curious about upstairs-downstairs life who are comfortable with steep, confined spaces. Choose a time slot first and check whether everyone in the group can manage the stairs and dusty attic route.

• The route begins in the servants’ kitchen and interprets the castle through staff work and living quarters, not only aristocratic rooms.
• Staff signatures on the bell-loft timber date from 1671, turning an abstract date into direct human traces.
• Tours depart hourly, with the weekday programme ending around 16:00 and Saturday continuing until 18:00.
• Narrow stairs and attic spaces may not suit limited mobility or claustrophobia; ask the castle about access before buying.

Hokimi field note: Choose an earlier slot if you want time with the timber details, then walk the estate; attic heat usually builds later in the day.