Keukenhof Gardens

Keukenhof is the most spectacular spring garden in the world, a vast park in the Dutch bulb region where some seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are planted each year into dazzling ribbons and drifts of colour. Open for just eight weeks each spring, it is the showcase of the Dutch flower industry, surrounded by the striped bulb fields that blaze across the flat countryside.

History

Keukenhof lies on the 15th-century hunting grounds of Slot Teylingen and was the castle's kitchen garden, supplying game, fruit and vegetables, in the time of Countess Jacoba van Beieren (1401-1436). In 1638 the estate was bought by Adriaen Maertensz Block of the Dutch East India Company, who in 1641 built a manor house he named Keukenhof (Wikipedia, Keukenhof).

Highlights

• The tulip displays - the millions of tulips in ribbons of colour.
• The themed gardens and pavilions - the flower shows and indoor displays.
• The surrounding bulb fields - the striped fields of colour around the park.
• The windmill viewpoint - the mill with a view over the blooms.

When to go

It opens only from around mid-March to mid-May; peak tulip bloom is usually mid to late April, though it shifts with the weather. Book ahead and go on a weekday morning to avoid the heaviest crowds.

Before you go

It is open only for about eight weeks in spring, and the exact peak bloom shifts with the weather, so timing is a gamble. It is extremely popular, so weekends and mid-day are mobbed; go early on a weekday. Outside spring there is nothing to see.

Nearby

The striped bulb fields spread around Lisse; Amsterdam and the coast are a short trip away.

Key facts