Keukenhof in tulip season

What it is

Keukenhof began in 1949 as a showcase where Dutch bulb growers could display their varieties to buyers. It still works that way. Each autumn gardeners plant around seven million bulbs by hand in the grounds of an old estate, supplied by the growers, and the park opens from about mid March to mid May. Beds of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths run under tall beech trees and along a lake, with indoor pavilions for orchids, lilies and cut tulip shows. Planting is layered, with early and late bulbs in the same bed, so there is colour through the whole opening.

Before you go

• Mid April usually gives the widest spread of flowers, indoors and out.
• Book a timed ticket and arrive at opening or late in the afternoon.
• Allow three to four hours, and hire a bicycle at the gate if you want to see the fields beyond.

The flowers you will see

TulipSpring-blooming bulbs with showy, cup-shaped flowers in many coloursNarcissusSpring-flowering bulbs with trumpet-shaped blooms in white, yellow, and orangeGarden hyacinthA spring bulb with dense, fragrant flower clusters in many coloursCrown imperialTall spring flower with a ring of drooping blooms like a crownGrape hyacinthSmall spring bulbs with blue, grape-like flower clusters

Read more

KeukenhofA vast Dutch flower garden famous for its spring tulip displays

More in Lisse

🇳🇱 Lisse · Apr to MayThe bulb fields of the Bollenstreek in bloomLong stripes of hyacinth, daffodil and tulip on the sandy flats between Haarlem and Leiden, at their best in mid to late April. 🇳🇱 Lisse · Apr to MayCycling the bulb fields from Lisse to the dunesA flat day's ride on marked cycle paths through flowering bulb fields between Lisse, Hillegom and Noordwijk. 🇳🇱 Amsterdam · All yearThe floating Bloemenmarkt on the SingelA row of flower stalls built on barges along Amsterdam's Singel canal, selling bulbs, seeds and cut tulips. 🇳🇱 Aalsmeer · All yearWatching the Aalsmeer flower auction at dawnThe world's largest flower auction, seen from a gallery above a hall of moving carts near Schiphol airport.