Keukenhof

Its spring time and the tulips in Keukenhof are set to bloom!

This beautiful garden is a short hop away from Lisse, in Netherlands.
In the garden, you can just relax and admire the wonderful colors of nature.


How to reach:
The park can be reached through the fast trains bound to Amsterdam, or can be reached by flying to Schiphol (AMS). From the airport, Connexxion buses run every 15 minutes to Keukenhof. You can pick up the tickets for both the bus (return too!) and the park entrance. This serves as good option because; you can avoid the long queues in the park.

The park can also be reached from Amsterdam central station and from Leiden central station by bus. Leiden is the nearest station to Keukenhof.

More information at http://www.reiziger.connexxion.nl/web/show/provincie=12?id=80014

Where to stay:
I stayed in the Etap and once in Novotel near the Amsterdam airport. This was convenient for me as I came to visit only the gardens. The accor hotels have bus service from the airport to the hotel and it runs frequently late into the night. Also the bus journey from the airport to Keukenhof is just 20 minutes or so. Travelling from Amsterdam would take time. But if you have Amsterdam in your travel plans, then a stay in Amsterdam would be better. Hotel information can be found at
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/home/index.shtml

Information about the garden
Every year, Keukenhof garden opens on a different time frame. They open the gardens based on the arrival of spring. This year the garden is open from 19th of March till 21st of May. The best time to go is sometime in between. If you go too early, then you would see just the bulbs without the flowers, and if you go too late, then all the flowers are already reaped. The garden is open from 08:30 till 19:30.

Also, the garden hosts a number of indoor flower shows. The flowers on display vary from daffodils, orchids to roses. The schedule varies and if you are interested in one particular type, then it’s a good idea to check and go.

There are ample restaurants inside the garden, where you can have your lunch. Don’t miss the windmill inside the park and the view of the tulip fields from the top of the windmill.
Note, Keukenhof is a walking park. So riding bicycles is not permitted inside the park. However you can rent the bicycles outside and go on tour along the nearby fields.