Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly into flowers, it’s difficult not to be taken aback by the sheer, dazzling scale of Keukenhof. The Netherlands’ largest and most famous flower festival is pure tulip mania: its displays contain a whopping 800 varieties of the bulbs, with some seven million blooms overall.
Keukenhof’s 2022 edition kicks off this Thursday (March 24), and will last all the way through to May 15. During that time all the gardens will be open to the public, who can expect the displays to transform on a weekly basis. And while, obviously, there’ll be plenty of tulips (this is the Netherlands, after all), also on display will be irises, lilies, daffodils, orchids, hyacinths and much more.
In other words, this place is an unforgettable assault on both eyes and nostrils. It’s all set in the grounds of a seventeenth-century castle in the town of Lisse, around half an hour from The Hague, Haarlem, Leiden and Amsterdam.
And there’s much more to do at Keukenhof than just gaze at gorgeous flowers. Throughout the gardens, you’ll find loads of themed pavilions, as well as plenty of opportunities for tours (on bike and on foot), boating and picnics. This year there’ll be lots of new stuff, too, such as a special garden recreating Johannes Vermeer’s famous ‘Girl with Pearl Earring’ painting.
Fancy a visit? You can buy tickets for Keukenhof 2022 online here.
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