It has been more than 70 years ago since 20 leading Dutch bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use an existing flower garden in Lisse, Netherlands, as a spring park to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs. During the past 72 years, Keukenhof has always remained the showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector. It also developed into one of the world's largest flower gardens, with a special focus on flower bulbs, which can be ordered on-site as well. Over the past two years, the park had to remain closed because of the pandemic. Now the Keukenhof has finally reopened its doors.
Timeslots for better experience
The Keukenhof is open from March 24 to May 15 this year. It consists of outside gardens, inside flower shows, a Dutch windmill, clogs, many terraces, selfie spots, food stalls, and an optional boat trip. Usually, the park attracts thousands of visitors per day, of which a great amount are older people and families, but also many youngsters come to enjoy the beautiful flowers.
In 2019, a record-breaking 1.5 million people visited the spring parc. This year, these numbers will not be matched. Because of the pandemic, the parc still limits the maximum amount of visitors to approximately 35.000 per day, whereas prior, up to 78.000 visitors could visit Keukenhof daily. The parc works with time slots.
European visitors
Usually, approximately 20 percent of the Keukenhof visitors are from the Netherlands, and 80 percent are foreign. Last week, the Easter holiday took place in Europe, and the weather was great, and that was certainly noticeable in the Keukenhof. Timeslots to visit the park were almost completely booked.
According to volunteers, many Asian guests are usually welcomed, but this year the majority of the visitors are from Europe, as many travel restrictions are still in place. Especially Belgium and German tourists visited the parc, in addition to Spanish, French, and even Latvian guests.
Photo time!
We took up the tough job for those unable to visit the park this year and took many photos. Welcome to our digital tour of the Keukenhof and the Orchid Flower Show.
Click here for the photo report