After a dark winter in Europe, nothing is more colorful than flower shows in the Netherlands!

The Netherlands, a western European country located next to Germany and above Belgium, attracts tons of tourists to attend its flower shows every year in the spring. Spring in the Netherlands is normally between the end of March and mid-May, while the May holidays (first week of May) are the busiest time for visitors to the flower fair. Spring is also considered the best time to visit the Netherlands, as the weather is much milder and less rainy than summer.

There is one official flower garden – Keukenhof in the Netherlands, while other tulip fields are located outside of Keukenhof. Here are some local tips to help you enjoy the Dutch spring flowers to the fullest.

Keukenhof

Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, is the largest flower garden in the Netherlands, as well as the largest outdoor flower garden in the world. The garden covers an area of ​​32 hectares, has around 7 million flowers, 100 different varieties of tulips and is the largest sculpture park in the Netherlands. You can easily spend a whole day there.

Some useful information for your visit:

To get to Keukenhof:

By Bus: Buses run from Schiphol, Amsterdam Leidseplein, The Hague Central Station, Leiden Central Station and Haarlem Central Station.

It is also possible to get all-inclusive tickets (tickets including bus fare and Keukenhof entrance ticket) from these departure points. Check their official website for more information (www.keukenhof.nl).

Opening period:

Keukenhof’s opening period varies each year. For 2011, the opening dates are from March 24 to May 20, including Sundays and holidays.

Opening hours:

8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Last entry at 6:00 p.m.)

Admission fee:

Adults and over 65s €14.50 per person

Children (4-11 years old) €7.00 per person

Apart from Keukenhof, there are also other FREE possibilities for you to enjoy the blooming Dutch flowers.

the parade of flowers

During Keukenhof’s opening period, there is a free Flower Parade (known as ‘Bloemencorso’ in Dutch) that runs along a 40 km route, from Noordwijk, through Keukenhof and on to Haarlem, along the so-called Bollenstreek. (bulb region) area.

The theme of the flower show varies from each other. Last year’s theme was ‘Journey through Europe’, while for this year (2011), the theme is ‘Musical Parade’. The floats and vehicles would be decorated with flowers and paraded down the route with marching bands.

The flower parade is scheduled for April 16, 2011 (Saturday) this year. If you visit Keukenhof on the same day, you can leave the park to enjoy the show and re-enter with the same-day ticket.

Check their official website www.bloemencorso.info for the best location to view the parade.

Visit to Bollenstreek

If you’re looking for even more authentic and local ways to enjoy the sea of ​​tulips, head to the local flower fields in ‘Bollenstreek’, the Bulb region.

The Bollenstreek area covers cities like Leiden, Hillegom, Lisse (the small town where Keukenhof is located) and a few other nearby villages. To get there, take a direct train or bus from Schiphol Airport to one of the stations mentioned above. It is also possible to rent bicycles to reach the fields. You can take amazing photos there with miles of sea of ​​tulips stretching across your lens.

Enjoy a flower holiday in the Netherlands this spring!