World’s largest flower garden in Keukenhof (Holland)

The flower garden in Keukenhof – one of the most favorite tourist spots in Holland and probably also in the world, every year only for two months, the garden opens to the public, to welcome millions visitors from around the globe. In 2019 from 21st of Mar till 19th of May, once again Keukenhof is waiting for everyone to the Garden of Europe, the world’s largest flower gardens.

I’ve been to Amsterdam several times but never got a chance to visit Keukenhof, so this time I decide to go there with my cousin, who used to work in Holland, but unfortunately I couldn’t meet my cousin due to our different schedule. Anyway I did explore the garden by myself and I have to say – after Keukenhof, I’m having a color-blindness. The garden is so beautiful, so colorful and that mades me feel I’m so full of the flowers, of the colors and I don’t need anything else!

Keukenhof, not far from Amsterdam, in southwest. In Amsterdam, everywhere you can see the tour offer to Keukenhof , but you can also travel on your own. From Amsterdam I take a train to Leiden and at Leiden train station, I buy a combi ticket which includes return bus ticket Leiden-Keukenhof-Leiden plus the entrance fee, 25 Euro, (I have a free pass from Lieden to Amsterdam) and if return bus ticket to Amsterdam – 30! Better buy ticket at Lieden station to avoid the long queue in Keukenhof. Here is the official site to buy online ticket and to get more informations!

Every year Keukenhof has different theme, different flower display but mostly the tulips, 7 million of flower bulbs are planted in the park. Different activities like flower parade, flower shows, flower arranging demonstration…will be held during these two months.

The variety of tulips, the symbol of Holland, and mid-April is the best time as the tulips are in blossom. Right behind the entrance, I found some flower display by theme but suddenly, in front of me, a grandiose picture appeared – the flowers in the forest, like I just step into the wonderland, the fairytale forest…I was speechless!

After wandering around the garden a little bit, I take a rest here, sitting on the bench nearby, got some snacks with me, to feel the fragrance from these flowers, the morning freshness in the air…Actually I tried to capture the entire scenery – the flowers on the ground, on the trees, the track uphill…I failed with the camera but my mind did it, I still remember this glorious beauty!

The garden is huge, 32 hectares , I walk and walk, sometime got lost, sometimes just want to rest watching people around. There is many eateries in the garden, very crowded, also some exhibition hall where we can find some flower shows, the variety of tulips, flower arranging…

Actually you can take a boat trip around Keukenhof, along the endless bulbs fields that surround the park, there is daily cruise and the ticket can be purchased in windmill at the edge of the park.

Visiting Keukenhof you will learn something about Tulip mania, it was during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century) when the price of some tulips bulbs reached extremely high and then suddenly collapsed, At the peak of tulip mania some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of skilled craftworkers.

At that time, the tulip bulb became one of the leading export products of the Netherlands after gin, herrings and cheese. The price of tulips skyrocketed and many men made but also lost fortunes overnight. Those old stories are waiting for you in Juliana Pavilion.

On the way to Keukenholf you will see many vast tulip fields. I regret if I could go with my cousin, after the garden, we probably would have a chance to ride bike along the tulip fields…it reminds me of the sunflower fields in South of Russia, endless!

I’m totally new to the world of tulips, seeing the diversity, the varieties of tulips in Keukenhof, I’m simply amazed, I actually tried to take photos of each type as much as I can but failed, so many! Here are some types that catch my attention…

I took a lot of photos, many of them surely got lost somewhere in my USB, as I remember I got some shots of flower shows, flower display for kids next to a wooden house, with old well…like in fairytale world.

Ok, maybe time to say goodbye to this amazing garden, I’d love to come back, not every year but at least one more time to see the difference, to make sure that my love to this wonderland never changes. To finish this post, I’d love to share this phots with two blind dogs. Touching story!

Just by chance I sat next to the owner, a more-than-70-year old man, when I noticed his dogs and tried to touch them, the owner said: “They both are blind, I take them here every year, before together with my wife, but now only me, they miss the place, the smell, the people…in the park”! I’m not sure I could meet them again in my next visit!