WHAT IS THERE
TO SEE?

A spectacular sea of 7 million spring flowers awaits. There are daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses and, of course, tulips as far as the eye can see. Every year, 4.5 million tulips are planted here alone by hand.

You can explore the park by following the footpaths covering 15 kilometres. You’ll be strolling along a wide path and suddenly find yourself on a narrow trail leading you straight to another charming little garden. If the colourful flowers are the stars of the show, then water features are the supporting act. There’s even a lake with a fountain at the heart of the park. The landscape gardeners at the Keukenhof somehow manage to create perfect pockets of calm and tranquillity in the busy park.

There really is something for everyone at the Keukenhof. Little kids will have so much fun running around the play area and paying a visit to the goats in the petting zoo. The young and young at heart will enjoy finding their way through the maze and climbing up inside a windmill. Keen gardeners will be in their element flicking through great big folders to find their own favourite spring flowers for the next season. And art aficionados will be pleased to discover that the Keukenhof is home to the largest collection of sculptures in the Netherlands.

Now, we all know that the weather can be a little unpredictable during the spring months. Luckily, there’s always the option of taking shelter in one of the themed pavilions. You can learn everything there is to know about tulips and related plants inside the Juliana Pavilion, while an orchid exhibition is located inside the Beatrix Pavilion. I have to say that my own personal highlight was the floral display inside the Willem-Alexander Pavilion.

The Keukenhof is one of the most famous and most popular places to visit in the Netherlands. The sound of excited chatter in different languages fills the air along with the tune of the carousel organs that are so popular in the Netherlands, creating a fun fairground atmosphere.

You won’t be short of beautiful backdrops for your group photos and selfies – that’s for sure. Everywhere you look, people are posing, smiling and pouting for the camera. The tulips are more than happy to appear in every single photo – they are the stars of the show, after all.

Wandering among the flowers is hungry work. You’re welcome to bring a picnic with you, but there are plenty of restaurants, little cafés and food trucks at the Keukenhof too.

Keukenhof gardens
A BIT OF HISTORY

The history of the Keukenhof goes all the way back to the 15th century – and so does the name! Keukenduyn became Keukenhof, which means kitchen garden. The owner of the land at the time, Jacqueline of Bavaria, used to grow herbs for the kitchen here, you see.

Keukenhof Castle (Kasteel Keukenhof), which dates back to 1642, is just a stone’s throw away from the park. It was Adriaan Maartenzoon Block, a former commander of the Dutch East India Company, who had the castle built. If you fancy doing a bit more exploring while you’re in the area, you could always go for a wander around the castle grounds. They’re open every day from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and entry is free. Unfortunately, the castle itself is only open to the public on Open Monuments Day (the second weekend in September) and the Day of the Castle (6 June).

The Keukenhof park was designed in the style of an English landscape garden back in 1857 and its layout is still based on that design to this day.
In 1949, a consortium of Dutch bulb growers started to use the park to showcase their spring flowers. The Keukenhof gardens were opened to the public in 1959, and people have been flocking to the park to admire the flowers supplied by around 100 growers ever since.