I wanted to share a handful of the hundreds of photos I took while at Keukenhof — the attraction claims it is the most photographed place in the world — but these gardens really are a seen-to-be-believed sort of experience.
The colors at Keukenhof are beautiful – and the groupings so huge, they seem unreal.
Here’s a snap of those famous striped fields. You’ll see a few of them on the way here to Keukenhof, and there are several on the outskirts of the massive gardens.
I can only imagine the amount of engineering, expertise, and creativity that goes into designing the elaborate layout each year.
As you may have noticed, it isn’t just tulips here at Keukenhof.
Further to the point, Keukenhof also has a lot of “lawn art” – not surprising as you do need some fountains and strange garden decor to break up all that color. This piece was rather striking (and oddly, mirrors some other cow-themed statues in this area of the country).
This isn’t one of those fly-eating flowers, but simply a tulip with a bit of a fringed edge. It’s kind of cheerful, in a way.
Awww: daffodils. Why do they make me smile, every time?
I loved the color of these stripy tulips, especially as they swayed in a passing breeze.
Pink is also a very popular color at Keukenhof. Hard to complain with views like this.
Keukenhof covers around 80 acres of ground. There are 7 million flower bulbs on those grounds. That’s almost ninety thousand flowers per acre!
When I first started filing through my photos to pick the Keukenhof shots for this photo essay, I knew I had to grab an image of these infamous black tulips. I hadn’t seen them before living in Amsterdam, and honestly you don’t see them often in the flower shops, though I have seen them as ultra-modern decor in restaurants and hotel lobbies. I’m not sure how I feel about them.
This yellow-and-red stripe was almost like impromptu border fencing. So sad to think they’ll all be out of bloom in a couple of months.
Last but not least is another shot of pink, because it’s so cheery and vibrant that it has to be good for you. And so is a trip to Keukenhof.
Good to Know
You’ll no doubt be visiting Keukenhof as a daytrip from Amsterdam. You’ll just want to take a train or bus to the airport (ask your hotel for the most convenient line). From there bus 58 runs to Keukenhof; during the major opening times, the buses are clearly marked (seriously, you can’t miss it), and you can buy a bus+entrance ticket for one price, around 20EUR. It’s a quick trip from Schipol Airport, about 35 minutes.
You’ll want to save 2-3 hours, at a minimum, to explore the grounds. There is food and drink (pretty good food and drink, actually) to get you through the day, but wear good footwear and appropriate coats/wet weather gear as you’ll be very outside/exposed.
Always check the Keukenhof website for opening dates and times.
And enjoy. It’s not just the world’s largest flower garden, but one of the prettiest as well.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Ahhhhh tulips are my absolute favorite flower, I’m gutted that I visited Amsterdam in the winter and couldn’t visit this! I would have been in heaven!
Yes, it is a shame the window for enjoying the really over-the-top displays is only for a couple of months!
Oh, these are beautiful! I love the tulip with the fringed top. Would love to visit this. Can’t believe they have this in winter though… Wouldn’t spring be easier?
You should try to go – and March is Dutch spring.
I just ordered tickets for the first week of April. Hopefully the tulips will be in flower then. I can’t wait!
Yup, there should be a few good things blooming by then. Let us know how it goes!
Beautiful pictures Andy of one of my favourite places! I have a similar photo of one of those fringed tulips, I found it so interesting. I keep promising my mother I’ll take her here one day because she’s a real tulip freak. (Bit far from Oz but one day we’ll get there!)
Nice to see you ’round these parks, Amanda! You are right, that is a long trek from Oz – esp. when you have such a short window of time to get there – but I hope your mother can make it, well worth it!