Keukenhof Flower Gardens

Overview

Program

Expat Club has been organising many Keukenhof trips since 2013. Due to changes in group policies and entry procedures, we have adapted our program a bit. We have added a visit to Holland’s nicest beach resort town during lunch hours, and also added a visit plus a guided tour at the new Amsterdam Tulip Experience.

08h45 – Meeting time at Place Schuman
09h00 – Latest departure
11h30 – Arrival Noordwijk, coastal resort town
13h30 – Bus tour through flower fields
14h00 – Amsterdam Tulip Experience
16h00 – Keukenhof Flower Gardens
19h30 – Departure
22h00 – Return to Brussels

Keukenhof

Keukenhof, the best day out among the flowers! More than 7 million bulbs will bloom this spring, with a total of 800 varieties of tulips. A unique, unforgettable experience! Besides the spacious 32 hectares of flowers (i.e. larger than the full Cinquantenaire park) you can enjoy the spectacular flower shows, surprising inspirational gardens, unique art and wonderful events. Check out the map here. Do not miss the Tulip mania exhibition at the Juliana Pavilion.

A very nice activity is to join a whisper boat tour through the flower fields. This electric boat sails silently through the small canals that surround the tulips fields. Needless to say that not all the fields may already be in bloom while some fields may already have been cut (to keep the energy in the bulb). You can buy tickets on the spot.

The Keukenhof is also fun for children. They will have a blast with the treasure hunt, petting farm, maze and the playground. There are various restaurants and many snack stands throughout the park. Oh, and don’t forget the delicious Dutch delicacies, the stroopwafel and poffertjes. It’s a great day out for the whole family.

Noordwijk

Noordwijk is also called the Dune of the Bulb region, so an excellent location to checkout. Of all the Dutch beach resort towns, this is definitely one of the best, if not the nicest. It’s much more upscale than for instance Katwijk, which we visited last year, or Scheveningen near The Hague. We’ll have about two hours here, so you can enjoy a nice spring beach walk or have lunch in one of the many restaurants and beach clubs.

Noordwijk is also known for hosting the headquarters of the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) of the European Space Agency. Unfortunately there is no time to visit ESA’s visitors’ centre, the Space Expo, but we will quickly drive by there so you get an idea of this important space institution.

Tulip Experience

Founded only in 2021, this brand-new tourist destination is situated close to the Keukenhof flower gardens. Yet, it is definitely worth a visit. Normally we organize a guided tour inside the Keukenhof, but since it’s so busy there we prefer to explain you a bit more about the tulips in a dedicated space. The Amsterdam Tulip Experience is that place!

The increasing tourism and the current ‘selfie culture’ has had an impact on the precious tulip fields over the last few years. Visitors to the region often wander through the fields in search of the most beautiful picture. Often unaware of the fact that the fields are for production and are being destroyed are destroyed when jumped over paths, or even walked across the fields! We want to inform visitors about this matter and offer the opportunity to shoot the perfect picture, without damaging the tulips and their bulbs. Our selfie/show garden offers endless possibilities to shoot beautiful photos between hundreds of thousands of tulips, or from one of the special photo points.

It is our mission and passion to share knowledge about tulip cultivation in the form of a unique experience. With a combination of education and experience, Tulip Experience Amsterdam increases knowledge about the biggest icon of the Netherlands. Because we are proud of the bulb grower’s profession, the Flower Bulb Region and the tulip!

Transportation

We will be travelling with a comfortable 4* luxury coach from Lauwers Reizen. The seats are configured in Princess Class, which means you will have extra leg space and can recline your seat. This way you can get some extra rest. All seats have footrests as well. There is a (small) toilet on-board and a DVD system with three flat screens, so we can show you a nice documentary about Holland and the Keukenhof during our outbound trip and a lovely movie on the inbound.

Comments

• Please be respectful and don’t enter the flower fields outside of the park, unless the farmer is there and allows you to do so. The biggest problem is that you could spread viruses that can threaten the entire crop. You are also simply trespassing, which is not allowed. Inside the park, do not enter the flower fields either and stay on the main walking paths.
• It goes without saying that the blooming status of the flowers depends to a large extent on the weather conditions, during the day and in the weeks/months before our visit. We are definitely travelling in the tulip season, and with the “layered planting” (at 3 different depths) of a variety of tulips more or less guarantees you will always see amazing tulip fields.