You can’t come to Holland and not look for tulips. Keukenhof is the most beautiful spring garden in the world ( their book says so ). The garden is in the town of Lisse, not far from Amsterdam. It was started in 1949 by the mayor of Lisse, to allow flower growers from The Netherlands and Europe to show their wares.
There are over 7 million bulbs planted every year in gardens that cover 32 hectares, making it the largest garden in Europe. It is only open from the last week in March to mid May. We just made it…3 days before closing. Some of the flowers were a little past their prime, but it is seriously beautiful here. My photos don’t do it justice, but here they are anyway.
There are other flowers besides tulips, including lilies and orchids and in a little corner I found these.
And these.
There is a windmill.
And a lively group of musicians.
There is also and animal nursery and a great playground for children, several restaurants and cafes, areas with demonstrations of flowers arranging and lots of other wonderful stuff, including a stand selling delicious hot ham rolls with sweet mustard.
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The gardens were packed with people the day of our visit. It was a fine day and a public holiday, but it was still possible to find a quiet place to enjoy the beautiful flowers.
Don’t miss Keukenhof if you come to the Netherlands.