Tulips! Tulips! Read All About Them!
I’m a sucker for flowers, especially flowers that are beautifully arranged. If you love flowers, too, the best place to experience their allure is Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands. You can join the millions of visitors who travel each year to see the garden artistry at Keukenhof!
For about two months of every year, Keukenhof is open to the public. Approximately 7 million flowers span 32 hectares of land. Hundreds of florists get together to plant their variety of tulips, the national flower of the Netherlands.
Each year, the park’s flowers follow a theme. The theme for Spring 2019 was “Flower Power,” and it had as much hippy-dippy influence as you’d imagine! The tulips are displayed in colorful patterns, such as rainbows, “flower girls,” huge flowers, and more. It is truly astonishing how many ways the tulips are planted.
Visiting The Gardens
Viewing the flowers on the park grounds is not the only way to do so. Inside the gardens are three buildings, each with its own take on the theme. To help express the Flower Power theme, a few old VW vans were on display, along with many psychedelic prints, bright colors, and other bohemian decorations. The buildings not only offered floral exhibitions; food and drinks were available for purchase. Be forewarned, the food can be quite pricey, so you may want to pack a lunch to save yourself a few bucks.
Yearly Theme
The “Flower Power” theme radiated throughout the gardens in more areas than just the interior areas. Near the exit of the park was a “flower girl,” butterfly, and a large flower made out of tulips. You could only see the pattern from above, so it was a great surprise!
There is a traditional Dutch windmill on the garden grounds. You can go inside it and get a breathtaking view of the colorful rows of tulips. Unfortunately, the flowers had died before I got to visit them.
Located next to the windmill, you can purchase tickets for a canal ride. I did not take a canal ride due to inclement weather, but I can only imagine that it would be another spectacular way to enjoy the tulips.
Tulips were not the only flowers on display at Keukenhof. I was happy to see many Calla Lillies, which are my favorite flowers.
Visitor Information
If you like what you read, be sure to visit in 2024. Keukenhof will be open from March 21 to May 12, 2024. Online tickets for adults are €19.50, and tickets for children (ages 4-17) are €9.00. If you choose to drive, car parking costs €8.00. Check the official site for more information about Keukenhof and how to plan your visit.
Fun Fact: The tulip bulbs are planted with the latest-blooming flower on the bottom and the earliest-blooming flower on the top to ensure there are flowers for the duration of the season.
Until my next adventure, xoxo
Read about the Valkenburg Caves, a historic cave also located in the Netherlands.