How to Plan an International Trip: Travel Tales and Tips : How to Plan a Trip to Netherlands: Intro; Trip Report Day 15: TULIPS n MORE TULIPS... Keukenhof Part 1

The Netherlands is known for its picturesque canals, rainbow colored tulip fields and fascinating windmills.

We decided to spend 3 days in the country to get a flavor of these. We had an AWESOME time

LOGISTICS:

OUR GOAL:

We were primarily interested in enjoying the tulips in Netherlands

WHERE TO STAY:

So we chose to stay in Leiden. It's a beautiful old city, picturesque in its own right.

Keukenhof is a famous garden of tulips open for 2 months every year. The dates were 21 March until 19 May 2019, 08:00 – 19:30. Keukenhof is just 20 minute drive from Leiden. Several private tulip fields also are in the area. Our choice proved GREAT.

We booked months ahead and got very reasonably priced accommodation for 2 nights. We did add on another night later for convenience. [We arrived the previous night so that we could be early birds in Keukenhof and that proved a wise decision]

WHEN TO VISIT:

There is no foolproof method to forecast when tulips will be in bloom in a particular year. This site gives current updates:

https://tulipsinholland.com/faq-tulips-and-keukenhof/weekly-tulips-and-flower-update/

The blooming normally starts with the crocus at the beginning of March, followed by the bright yellow of the Daffodils. Later on the hyacinths get in bloom and at last the tulips. A cold winter and spring can cause a later blooming and more slowly. And warm weather will cause the tulips to bloom earlier and faster. Tulips are generally in bloom in the fields for three-week window.

We chose the last week of April, 28th and 29th for the tulips. In Keukenhof they stagger the day of planting in their beds so that it is worth the visit through out their season. We found most of the beds in prime optimum bloom. It was AWESOME!

It is better to avoid weekends and visit early to avoid crowds.

ADVANCE BOOKINGS:

https://keukenhof.nl/en/

is the official website. They ply Express buses to certain places. Leiden Central to Keukenhof BUS 854 takes 20 min. It's best to book the entrance and the bus tickets. We booked COMBI ticket (entrance + return bus) € 25 for our date in advance online.[Adult ticket € 17,00 entry only].

First bus is at 8.03 am.

Day 15: 28 April 2019, Friday:

We checked out of our hotel, kept our bags at the reception and went to the bus stand.

We did not have any provisions as our train had come in very late the previous night. The ALDI nearby was not open. We boarded the bus and reached the garden by 8.25.

The first few flower beds were not that impressive... most were past their prime bloom, even a little withering.

Thankfully we started seeing much better blooms.