Netherlands Guide
Zuid-Holland and Utrecht
The Keukenhof gardens
Opening time: Late March to late May daily 8am–7.30pm
Price: €12.50
Website: www.keukenhof.com
Address: Beside the N208 about 15km north of Leiden
If you're after bulbs, then make a beeline for the bulb growers' showcase, the Keukenhofgardens. The largest flower gardens in the world, dating back to 1949, the Keukenhof was designed by a group of prominent bulb growers to convert people to the joys of growing flowers from bulbs in their own gardens. Literally the "kitchen garden", its site is the former estate of a fifteenth-century countess, who used to grow herbs and vegetables for her dining table. Several million flowers are on show for their full flowering period, complemented, in case of especially harsh winters, by thousands of square metres of glasshouse holding indoor displays. You could easily spend a whole day here, swooning with the sheer abundance of it all, but to get the best of it you need to come early, before the tour buses pack the place. There are several restaurants in the grounds, and a network of well-marked footpaths explores every horticultural nook and cranny.
To get to the Keukenhof by public transport from Leiden, catch bus #54 (every 30min; 30min) from the main bus station.