Keukenhof, Holland's famous spring gardens, will be in full bloom again when it opens its gates on the 23rd of March this year. Thousands of visitors from all over the world come to marvel at the sea of colours each year, when the park transforms into 80 acres of seven million tulips, narcissi, daffodils, hyacinths and a great variety of perennials.
That means if you join all 7 million flowers together to form a chain, you could encompass approximately 6000 full size football pitches!
Keukenhof Gardens
Located in Lisse, between Amsterdam and The Hague, Keukenhof and its surroundings form a colourful scene in the heart of Holland. Due to special planting techniques, the bulb flowers in the park will bloom at the same spot three times from March till May. First come the late-blooming tulips, deepest in the ground, above them the early-blooming tulips, followed by the crocuses.
Rembrandt flourishes at Keukenhof
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth rembrant400.com. During Keukenhof's opening season from 23 March to 19 May 2006 it will commemorate this great painter of the Dutch Golden Age in various ways. For example, this year the opening of the park will focus on Rembrandt, and the Keukenhof float taking part in the flower parade (April 17th) will be completely devoted to this theme. In addition, Keukenhof will also be organising several other 'Rembrandtesque' activities.
Act like the Dutch, take your bicycle
Nestled in Holland's bulb growing region, Noordwijk is one of the country's most picturesque towns in the spring. It is also the starting point for the 25-kilometre spring cycling tour to the blooming heart of the region: the Keukenhof garden park in Lisse. The spring cycling tour departs from the Holland Rijnland Tourist Office in Noordwijk. The tour passes along bulb fields and bulb sheds (where bulbs are peeled and dried) and on through Noordwijkerhout on its way to Keukenhof.
And much, much more...
Keukenhof has even more to offer, including seven new inspirational gardens, musical performances in the outdoor theatre, the largest indoor lily exhibit in the world, a unique collection of bronze statues, 15 kilometres' of footpaths, art exhibitions, restaurants, gift shops and events.
More information
Keukenhof attracts approx. 800,000 visitors every year. In 2006, Keukenhof will be open daily between 21st of March and 19th of May from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission prices are € 12,50 (approx. £ 7,5) for adults and € 5.50 (approx. £ 3.40) for children.
For more information, please visit keukenhof.com or holland.com for general information on Holland.
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