TOP NETHERLANDS
BY ” LE MEILLEUR ESCAPE GAME “
Updated in January 2025
What is the best escape room of the Netherlands?
We traveled the Netherlands in 2020, a few weeks before the lockdown. Then during a second road trip coupled to Belgium in 2022. And then, we returned for a third trip in 2024.
Unlike Paris in France, Amsterdam is not really a point of interest to discover the best Dutch escape rooms. The rooms are scattered throughout the country and sometimes even in the remote countryside. The most striking example is undoubtedly “The Dome”, several times winner of the title of “best escape room in the world” at TERPECA. This escape room is located in Bunschoten, a town of about 20,000 inhabitants… That’s why the car is clearly the favorite way to travel during a road trip escape room in the Netherlands.
Specificities of the Dutch escape rooms:
What strikes first in the Dutch escape rooms is the remarkable ceiling height.
We even sometimes go through several floors on the same room. This gives remarkable perspectives and allows to appreciate even more the setting.
Consequence of the first two points: the overall surface of an escape room is well above the french average.
The sound system is much bigger than in France. One of our friend said about it: “In Holland, the walls vibrate”.
High-end setting: no faking of materials but an authentic and credible look.
A special effect to mark the transition between two rooms that is frequently found. A real Dutch trademark that you probably recognized if you’ve ever played in Holland..
Perfect fluency in English. There is no difficulty in communicating with the game-master before and during the game, unlike Spain for example.
The quality of the scenarios is essential with a remarkable work to engage players in a particular universe.
A powerful sound and a scenario worthy of a great SF movie make The End a world-class venue. An immersive show that will never be forgotten. Did you know that DarkPark collaborated with the creators of Westworld to create this masterpiece?
Beyond what can be expected from an escape room. The Dome exceeds the limits of the possible and the imaginable. Never before have we been so disoriented by an immersive adventure. Is the Dome the climax of the escape room? Who will ever be able to do the same?
Huge, a bunch of surprises… Molly’s Game has a lot in common with The Dome, but there is a big difference : the place of the storyline. The scenario is the main thing of Molly’s Game. In addition, this room amazed us with unique riddles and beautiful set.
#4
PRAY
Escape Room Katwijk
@Katwijk/Pays-Bas
Pray is a great success. Firstly, in terms of immersion, its setting is very realistic, detailed and spacious. The size of this escape room is almost 160m2. We can feel an Athenian vibe during the game : sound, light and smoke perfectly match. The fear is however limited, you will not have the scare of your life but will enjoy a very beautiful atmosphere. This impression is reinforced by the presence of an actor, a specificity that is still unfortunately too rare in Holland. The scenario brings a breath of fresh air to the horror scene, because it changes from the classic exorcism sessions, orphanages, abandoned asylums and other chases with a psychopath.
#5
ILLUSION
Epic Escape
@Waalwijk/Netherlands
Do you like magic and illusionists? So do we. This escape room is a jewel of narration. It will immerse you into a story full of twists and well worked characters. The rooms are full of objects that have really been used for magic tricks. We can say that its creators are concerned about details.
#6
THE ASYLUM
Silent Town
@Burgum/Pays-Bas
The atmosphere of this asylum is more than successful. The quality of the setting is perfect. The solid, detailed and aged appearance is sumptuous. The soundtrack is also very unique, closer to a heavy atmosphere than to a standard musical playlist of an horror escape room. The creators took care a lot to the sound and light effects. The room is based on exploration : game design is comparable to a video game of the genre. An excellent creation that will frighten you a lot. The best moments will be compiled into a souvenir video viewable after your session.
#7
THE ALCHEMIST
Sherlocked
@Amsterdam/Pays-Bas
If you are a fan of beautiful mechanisms and well-designed puzzles, this room will certainly be one of your favorites. The Alchemist lies on a dazzling and huge main room that is truly eye-catching. The story is quite conceptual, even metaphysical. The spectacular physical surprises that you will witness are perfectly integrated into a nice plot but the storyline is not really in the foreground. We recommend this room to puzzle room enthusiasts.
#8
THE NON BELIEVERS
Your Escape
@Leyde/Pays-Bas
The pinnacle of moving setting in an escape room. From the beginning till the end, you will be amazed by so much technical prowess. We have to admit that we have never seen such a grandiose start. We have never seen so many machines and the room certainly required a lot of time and money. However, we think that a room can not be only based on an avalanche of special effects. What is the story of The Non Believers ? Difficult to answer this question. Narrative audios punctuates the room but we need more to feel involved into a captivating scenario. To compare it to another room of the Netherlands, The End does not have any moving walls or celling but we felt so much more immersed into its story. It can be also explained by the presence or the absence of an actor, a specificity more and more important for us. Finally, the puzzles are somewhat not very smooth. Many mechanisms are activated by the game-master, two or three seconds after solving a puzzle.
#9
REBECCA
Your Escape
@Leyde/Pays-Bas
An exceptional room regarding its special effects. You can expect major translations of setting, a Dutch signature. Like The Non-Believers, the narration of Rebecca is a weak point. It is sometimes difficult to understand the storyline beyond all the exceptional special effects of the room. The plot is quite simple but difficult to follow sometimes, due to some audio that are not clearly hearable. Even if we had a great time, we cannot say that you must put this escape room on your bucket list.
#10
SOUP DU JOUR
Rock City Escape
@Amersfoort/Netherlands
Game-design flowness is what best sums up Soup du Jour. What a pleasure to solve these multiple puzzles using mechanisms sometimes totally new. The level of fear is low and remains accessible to most players. We particularly appreciate the remarquable animation at the end of the game.
This is probably the biggest escape room we’ve ever visit. Located in a huge industrial area, Stay in the Dark is a mix between urbex and escape room. The interactions with the game-master are as frightening as they are entertaining, even if our actor sometimes seemed tired of his work.
#12
EXPEDITION BERMUDA
One Hour Lockup
@Naarden/Pays-Bas
A very immersive and unique briefing for us, enhanced by an intelligent use of screens. Expedition Bermuda also offers a beautiful scenography, based on a large range of lights, smoke and smells. Let’s also highlight the very convincing room movement effects that completely fits the plot. The pace of the room is intense and perfectly match to the action genre of the room. A nice surprise of our spring 2024 trip.
#13
POPPET
Rock City Escape
@Amersfoort/Pays-Bas
The beginning of Poppet is intense : an amazing briefing was delivered to us by an actress playing and ultra-strict schoolteacher, immersing us in a time when students still used inkwells. The phenomenal interpretation of our game master instantly took us back to childhood. Quite unique feature : you evolve in an old abbey and benefit from a setting that is largely natural and realistic, modified marginally for the needs of the plot. Beyond this exceptional introduction, the rest of the room is more traditional but still remains fun.
#14
CORPSE INC
Escape Room Junkie
@Baarn/Pays-Bas
A very good room mostly based on roleplay and riddles. The very good acting helped us to feel immersed into simple but convincing sets. The plot also contains unexpected twists and turns. The room suggests a gloomy atmosphere but actually offers a lot of fun.
#15
LOST AND FOUND
Kamer 237
@Volkel/Netherlands
Lost and Found is a beautiful escape room. In a refined style that Kamer 237 masters perfectly, the decoration of this hotel is more than successful. What we appreciate the most in this escape room is its storytelling. Grandfather Georges’ memories are hidden in certain objects. Finding them will allow you to gradually understand the secrets of this place.
The reference room on “Shining”. Who would have ever imagine that a small town in the Netherlands hosts an escape room of this quality ?Since the moment we entered the lobby, we felt that Kamer 237 was doing amazing things. Once inside, the magic happens more than once and obviously we won’t tell you how.
It is a room that starts off fairly banally and ends in apotheosis. We can’t tell you anything about the twist of the adventure. This brand hides one last surreal room whose content is not or little exposed on the web.
The Girl’s Room offers a breathtaking and anxiety-provoking staging. The huge playing space, its ingenious transitions and its beautiful decoration represent its strengths. Note that as for The Dome, the other room of Escape Room Nederland, you can see the best moments of your game during a video debrief.
#19
JASON’S LEGACY
The Escape Room Rijswijk
@Rijswijk/Pays-Bas
As its name suggests, it is a legacy room. It succeeds to Jason’s Curse, a sadly famous room known for the fire that completely destroyed it. This sequel is like a tribute to the first room. It plays more on the register of tension than horror. Among its strong points: numerous spaces to discover as well as a nice set movement. Even if its strong points are undeniable, it lacks the presence of an actor and a storytelling that involves more the player.
This exploration of death row offers a surprising introduction. Its sets are realistic and immersive. The final sequence contains a beautiful special effect: one of your actions will radically change your environment…
The Honeymoon Hotel looks like these luxurious American properties of the past century. You know, the ones where the concierge puts a little doorbell in case of need. The room was a a bit old when we played it in February 2020. However, it has quality special effects, not terrifying but effective enough to keep you tense.
#22
WATER OF LIFE
Emmelocked Escape Room
@Emmeloord/Netherlands
A fairy room that makes players travel to an enchanting universe. Everything is homemade with a lot of expertise in the production. A remarkable playing space and parallel puzzles that will adapt well to large groups.
#23
HERE I AM
Escape Room Katwijk
@Katwijk/Netherlands
Even if the game design does not contain much surprises, Here I Am is an excellent puzzle room. We like to go back to these classics enhanced with decorations of new generation and removed from its old locks.
With a uncommon theme, Questomatica offers an atypical room with pleasant manipulations. Mario fans know where they can experience their passion in real life now…
Jason’s Curse was the first episode of the Jason’s saga. It had all the features of a first-generation room. Immersion and puzzles have since reached a higher level. To get an idea, play The Execution, the other room of the brand.
#26
THE LOST DUTCHMAN
Escape Ede
@Ede/Pays-Bas
The introduction of Escape Ede takes a lot of time for not much. It lacks credibility and the level of acting does not help either. The sets are generally good even if some of them are less detailed. The puzzles are repetitive and struggle to catch attention and give dynamism to a very conventional game. Some special effects are still appreciable and raise the level.
#27
BELLA CIAO
Escape Room Katwijk
@Katwijk/Pays-Bas
A first generation room, composed of padlocks and action moments. We advise you to watch the Netflix serie before playing the room if you want to enjoy it more. Bella Ciao is far from the biggest Dutch rooms but you can easily add it to the list of your next Dutch trip if you are looking for a smooth old room.
#28
ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND
Escape from Wonderland
@Leiden/Pays-Bas
A good first generation puzzle room. Take into account that there will be many locks, that the story is secondary and that you will have to succeed an intellectual challenge more than living an adventure. The sets are quite simple but nice, some of them have a special smell. You can debrief your game enjoying a snack in a beautiful reception area.
#29
INFERNO
Timed Adventure
@Katwijk/Pays-Bas
You are recruited to strengthen the Oudeland fire brigade. “Experience the sensation of entering a burning building” promises Timed Adventure on its website. We thought it was cool to experience such an original and rare theme. Unfortunately, most of the rooms and actions you have to do have nothing related to the job of a firefighter. In the very end of the game, a unique special effect reminded us that it was a firemen theme but you will have to wait a long time before that happens. In terms of content, expect first generation puzzles. Don’t think that you will live and act like a fire-fighter in this game.
A consistent room that is not spectacular in terms of special effects or scenery. Some actions are fun to do. The rooms lack of fantasy considering the opportunities offered by this dreamlike story.
The Experiment is an inconsistent escape room. Its part of madness and role-play catch up with classic puzzles. Each player is entitled to a personalized briefing that arouses some fear by anticipation. The actors’ interpretation sounds right. They will intimidate the most sensitive of you.
Amsterdam Catacombs has authentic sets, with all its pros and cons. Perfect to jump right into the game, not necessarily to make a great impression. Priority is given to interaction with actors during good-quality immersive theatre sequences, for which the knowledge of English is essential.
A spacious and beautifully decorated room that does not really create fear because of game-design and surprise effects. Choose The End if you only have one room to play at DarkPark.
#34
DE MORFINEKLUIS
De Morfinekluis
@Vlijtseweg/Pays-Bas
The outdoor start brings a touch of originality to this first generation room. It includes a large number of padlocks and is based on not very immersive settings. A few interventions from actors fortunately spice up the game. Don’t expect horror ambiance but just a little tension.
