Tulip Time at the Netherland’s Keukenhof Gardens

Tuesday it was time to leave Belgium and head to Amsterdam for the main purpose of our journey, seeing the famous Dutch tulips in the Keukenhof Gardens. However, first we had to get there. We traveled by train. We planned a route that was to have two transfers of trains. Of course things happen. As our first train headed towards Antwerp, it was delayed a few stops before Antwerp. We didn’t know why as we couldn’t understand the explanation. Then at the stop before Antwerp, we were directed to change trains to another one that would take us into Antwerp. We arrived a few minutes after our next train had left.

Fortunately there was another train in an hour. The unexpected stop allowed us to check out the Antwerp train station which is actually quite beautiful with some very nice architectural features.

We eventually made it to our hotel an hour after we had anticipated, but just in time to check in. After checking in we decided to walk around the area. Our hotel was in Zaandam near the Zaan River. The hotel is at the end of a somewhat new shopping area. We walked the length of the shopping area to the river.

We crossed the river to see some churches on the other side. After our train ride it felt good to walk so we continued to follow along the river to the next bridge. Initially there was a boardwalk out over the river in front of some large apartment complexes. When that ended, we walked on the sidewalk. The neighborhood seemed transitional with some older, decrepit houses as well as some newer and restored homes. After crossing the bridge we walked back on the other side through more of a business district.

On the way back we stopped at a grocery store near our hotel to buy something for dinner. They had a nice selection of take out items. The problem came when we tried to check out. They didn’t take a Visa credit card. All my credit cards are Visa. I had to use their in-store cash machine to take out money to pay for the food. I had never encountered a store that didn’t take Visa before.

The following morning, Wednesday, was the big day. We took the train into downtown Amsterdam. At the Central Train Station we joined our tour group. Andrea had booked a tour since transportation out to the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens was a bit challenging. This seemed the easiest way to get there.

The tour bus had some recordings for us to listen to with earphones. Guests could choose the language they wanted to listen to. The recordings seemed somewhat random. There would be a brief information section accompanied by music and then a long silent pause before another segment would come on. However, there was some interesting information shared about the history of tulips in the Netherlands.

We had a fairly early start and got to the gardens about 9:45. It was another sunny day, but there was a pretty strong breeze that kept us cool throughout our time at the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. This is a well maintained and large garden dedicated to tulips and other spring bulbs and plants. It is only open for a few months in the spring as the tulips bloom; then it closes.

The Keukenhof Gardens is actually a show garden for bulb buyers. Throughout the gardens visitors will see signs from various companies near the tulips they have available to buy. (You will see some signs in the pictures.) Buyers can tour the garden to decide which flowers they want to purchase for their companies.

Of course the average visitor just comes to admire the flowers, and there is much to admire. Everywhere one looks there are beautiful tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths on display. There are also a lot of visitors. The garden was quite busy on the Wednesday we were there.

What’s ironic was that the map they were providing was dated 2020. That was the year we had originally planned to visit. Of course COVID took out our plans as well as the plans for the Keukenhof Garden that year. So this year instead of creating new maps, they used the ones from 2020 they had already printed. This meant growers needed to have the same basic plants they had intended to use then so in reality we were seeing pretty much what we would have seen back in 2020.

We did take a tour with a guide and learned about some of the plants and history. He showed us a small section of wild tulips from Turkey. We learned about how to plant tulips for a longer display, and we discovered some of the areas of the garden. One of the more interesting was a pavilion which had quite a few unusual tulips in them. The following photos, as I understand it, are of tulips.

Our final stop with the guide was at the windmill in the garden. It had been moved to the Keukenhof Gardens from another location. We were able to go up and see the sights from a bit higher. We could see the crowds in the gardens as well as see some nearby tulip fields.

During the first part of our visit to the Keukenhof Gardens, I put on my 45-175 telephoto lens and focused on taking photos of individual flowers. By using my long lens I didn’t have to bend down to get close to the flowers. (That’s thinking like an old man). There are so many colors and types of tulips that one becomes overwhelmed. Here are a few more of my close up photos.

After our tour I switched lenses to my 20 mm lens and began to take pictures of more of the landscape of the area. The gardens are laid out in a variety of shapes and combinations and are so well done. I wanted to be able to show that. The individual flowers don’t really show the beauty and drama of the gardens as a whole.

One of the surprising things about the gardens to me was the trees. They created a beautiful backdrop for the gardens as well as dappled shade which creates interesting challenges for photography. Since the gardens are basically a spring garden, I concluded that the light managed to reach the garden in the spring before the trees fully leafed out. The trees had a light green about them as the leaves were just beginning to appear.

The gardens has other attractions as well. Here and there were pieces of art. There was also a pond with a fountain as well as other water features. There were a few pavilions, but other than the ones our guide took us to, we didn’t go into any of them.

We were at the Keukenhof Gardens for about three and a half hours. We probably could have spent more time, but as the day went along, it seemed to get more crowded. Our bus left at 1:30, and there were still large numbers of people coming through the gate as we were leaving. They do limit the crowds, however, so it is best to buy tickets ahead of time. Of course if you book a tour, your ticket comes with it.

Sometimes when you take a photo and process it, it just doesn’t have the impact you want it to have. That’s when it’s fun to play with editing and see what you can do. Here are some photos from the garden that I felt needed something more.

Our bus ride back to Amsterdam included some more recorded information about the Amsterdam area, particularly about windmills, and how they were used to drain the land.

The tour as a whole was good. The Keukenhof Tulip Garden really is a must see if you want to see tulips in the Netherlands. Our guided tour was interesting, but I wouldn’t say it was a necessity to enjoy the gardens.

I hope that my photos give you some idea of this beautiful location. See anything of interest? I’d love to get your feedback with a comment or a like, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already.