My great-uncle is buried at Margraten — how do I visit his grave?
Write to the cemetery before you travel: ABMC asks relatives planning a visit to contact NLVC@abmc.gov, and whenever the cemetery is open, daily from 9:00 to 17:00 except December 25 and January 1, a staff member in the visitor center escorts relatives to the grave. From Amsterdam it is about 221 km by road, which makes it a full day by car: €780 for 12 hours in Business Class, with the chauffeur waiting while you are there.
Last updated:
By the hour from Amsterdam, per car
| Option | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Class, family day to Margraten | €65 / hour | per hour · minimum 2 hours · 40 km included per hour · E-Class, EQE, EQE SUV, BMW i5, BMW 5 Series · up to 3 passengers, 3 bags |
| Van Class, family day to Margraten | €80 / hour | per hour · minimum 2 hours · 40 km included per hour · V-Class, EQV · up to 7 passengers, 7 bags |
| First Class, family day to Margraten | €100 / hour | per hour · minimum 2 hours · 40 km included per hour · S-Class, EQS, EQS SUV, BMW i7 · up to 3 passengers, 3 bags |
A 12-hour day covers the round trip of about 442 km. The chauffeur waits for as long as you need at the cemetery. Prices are per car, not per person, with 9% Dutch VAT included, and the same day and night. Booked less than 12 hours before pickup: +10%. At an airport or an intercity station the first 60 minutes of waiting are free, elsewhere 15 minutes; after that waiting is charged per minute at the class's hourly rate (Business €65 an hour). Free cancellation up to 1 hour before pickup.
Before you go
| Step | How |
|---|---|
| Find the grave | ABMC’s online burial search gives the plot, row and grave, or shows a name on the Walls of the Missing |
| Tell the cemetery you are coming | E-mail NLVC@abmc.gov with the name and your date |
| On the day | Go to the visitor center; a staff member takes relatives to the grave or memorial |
| Opening times | Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4:45 p.m.; closed December 25 and January 1 |
| Cost | Free; no booking needed to enter |
American Battle Monuments Commission, checked September 29, 2026.
What is included in the price
- A fixed price confirmed at booking, with VAT included: no meter and no surge
- The chauffeur’s name, car and phone number before pickup, plus e-mail reminders 24 hours and 2 hours ahead
- Water and phone chargers (iOS and Android) in the car
- Status updates to the person who booked, if that is not the passenger: confirmed, chauffeur en route, guest in the car, arrived
- Waiting at the cemetery as part of the hours booked
A cemetery adopted by its neighbors
The Netherlands American Cemetery holds 8,288 burials, and 1,722 names are recorded on the Walls of the Missing, where rosettes mark those since recovered and identified. Since 1945, people from the surrounding villages have adopted the graves: they bring flowers and research the lives of the soldiers. Today the Foundation for Adopting Graves at the American Cemetery Margraten runs the program.
If you would like to know whether a local family has adopted your relative’s grave, ask the cemetery staff or the foundation before your visit, so there is time to hear back.
Related questions
What if his name is on the Walls of the Missing?
Then there is no grave, but his name is recorded in the court of honor, and a rosette beside it means he was later recovered and identified. Staff can take you to the name just as they would to a grave.
How much time should we plan at the cemetery?
That is yours to decide; the drive takes about 3 h 01 each way, so with a 12-hour booking and an 8 a.m. start you have most of the afternoon. The visitor center tells the story of the more than 10,000 Americans commemorated there.
Can the car wait while we are at the grave?
Yes. On an hourly booking the chauffeur waits for the whole visit, and if you stay longer the booking runs on at €65 an hour in Business Class.
Sources
- American Battle Monuments Commission — Netherlands American Cemetery: 8,288 burials, 1,722 names on the Walls of the Missing, graves adopted by local families since 1945, Memorial Day ceremony on the Sunday before Memorial Day, visitor center open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m., free tours for groups of 10 or more booked two weeks ahead, NLVC@abmc.gov for visits to a relative’s grave (checked September 29, 2026)
- ABMC — plan your visit to Netherlands American Cemetery: open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. except December 25 and January 1, last admission 15 minutes before closing, free, staff escort relatives to graves; direct train Amsterdam–Maastricht, then bus 350; about 155 miles from Amsterdam (checked September 29, 2026)
- OpenStreetMap road routing (OSRM) — distances quoted as “about … km” (checked September 24, 2026)
Book it, or ask dispatch first
Book online in a few minutes (no account, no app), or send your flight number and address on WhatsApp and dispatch replies in English, 24 hours a day.