Keukenhof

The world's largest bulb flower park, with 32 hectares planted with some 7 million tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. It opens for about eight weeks each spring, surrounded by sweeping flower fields.

Keukenhof lies in Lisse, about 35 km southwest of Amsterdam, at the heart of the Dutch bulb-growing region. Founded in 1949 by local growers to showcase new varieties, it is now the world's largest spring garden. Across its 32-hectare grounds, roughly 7 million bulb flowers are planted, including more than 800 tulip varieties, along with hyacinths, daffodils and crocuses. These are spread across English-style gardens, streams, windmills and four indoor pavilions (the Willem-Alexander Pavilion for tulip displays and the Beatrix Pavilion for orchids). The park opens for only about eight weeks each year, usually from the third week of March to the second week of May. Early spring is dominated by daffodils and hyacinths, mid to late April is the peak when the tulips are in full bloom, and late-flowering varieties still hold into early May. Tickets cost about €20 and should be booked in advance on keukenhof.nl as timed slots, as no tickets are sold at the entrance; combined tickets with return bus transfers are also available. Getting there: from Schiphol Airport, take the Keukenhof Express bus, route 858, about 30 minutes; from Amsterdam RAI, take route 852; or from Leiden or Haarlem, take route 50 or 854. Tour buses are also plentiful. Around the park, endless flower fields stretch to the horizon. You can rent a bicycle at the entrance (about €15 for a half day) and ride the marked flower-field routes, which is the best way to see the vast colourful fields, as the park itself focuses on landscaping rather than flower fields. Weekends and the Dutch Easter holidays are extremely crowded, so consider entering early on a weekday morning or after 3 p.m. Park food is on the pricey side, so you may want to bring your own picnic. Do not walk into the flower fields or pick the flowers, as growers will chase you off.

Keukenhof

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