Indulge all your senses in the most beautiful spring garden in the world.

We just got back from our latest trip from Belgium, and I should write them before forgetting too many details. Because I want to sort the travel post based on the time frame, so this time I’ll post about our previous trip with the mini explorer (Penjelajah Mini) to Keukenhof gardens.

I read some people said this is a tourist trap, but Nah! Perhaps it just felt by Dutch that easily could find many beautiful spring flowers in their neighborhood or flowers shop (Dutch really love flowers and become part of their daily life). But for me? (and I think most of Indonesian) I adore the art made by grower and landscape architect on the Keukenhof.

This is just a day trip, but really worth to share. So if you’re in The Netherlands on April to May, then this garden should be on your TOP list destination. Other than being amazed by the abundance of flowers, our toddler could discover lots of fun activities such as; Kids Farm, House of TjinTje, and outdoor playgrounds.

So, how to get there?

It’s really easy from every city you came from, just go to Schiphol and you’ll take the bus to Keukenhof. Buy a Keukenhof travel ticket at discoverholland or Dutch train for 35 euros. It includes train, bus, and entrance tickets. The best part why to choose this combination ticket because the bus will take you directly to the front of the main entrance. We could use the separate train but we need to walk quite far to get from the regular bus stop to the Keukenhof.

This garden surrounded by a wide area of land filled with beautiful tulips in different colors. If the weather good, we could rent a bike and cycling through the tulip fields in Lisse. Although I doubt they rent a bike with kid’s chair or bakfiets (dutch style cargo bike), so for safer option just spent your day inside the Keukenhof garden.

Best time to go

They have special flower parade that will be held on one particular weekend. Check their event’s schedule if you’re planning to see them. I think it will be a wonderful show, but will be too crowded for us to stroll around with our toddler, so we decided to go there one week after.  Our friends said (after compared the photos taken that time), the flowers are more beautiful than when the parade held because some of them haven’t bloomed yet that time.

TIPS! It’s spring, but the weather in The Netherlands could be unpredictable

Don’t forget to bring your coat (because it still springs), raincoat, and umbrella. Based on our real event; we soaked up the sunshine, 5 minutes later the rain started showering, and then we run to the nearest building and wait there only for 5 minutes because the sun shining again. Well, repeat it few times. *Phew

5 things we LOVE TO DO in Keukenhof

#1 Take a look all the themed flower displays
Don’t spend too much time in the front area, you have to explore all the area of this garden. One of our most favorite areas is the outdoor flowers exhibition that displayed the flower based on a theme. I think they will arrange it differently every year.

 

#2 Indoor Flower Exhibition & Workshop
They have four buildings, and three of them have an indoor exhibition. Step inside and you will sense the smell of expensive flowers (I just relate it with the scent I used to smell when I went to A-list wedding or conference), I wish I could have attached some “smell” files here so you can know what I meant.

When we visit one of the buildings, Oranje, they give a short workshop about flower arrangement. They also have other options of workshop or performance, so check their schedule first.

#3 Visit The Tijntje House
Tijntje is the famous bunny from The Netherlands, she was a Utrecht’s mascot but then becomes a national kids star. Penjelajah Mini loves to play with Tijntje and friends, but maybe it is not interesting for bigger kids or boys, though it’s really cute to just take pictures there.

#4 Have fun at the outdoor playground and Kids Farm
Near the Oranje building, we could find an outdoor playground and a Kids Farm. The Playground suitable for bigger kids, but the toddler still can play with the sand and run around. Don’t forget to visit the small zoo (more like a small area with fence), because they will love to pet the animals there.

#5 Picnic around the food truck area
Exploring this spacious garden will make you tired, and you can “charge your battery” in the food truck area. If you didn’t bring any lunch box from home (but we did), a frittes mayo with smoothies could be a great choice. We also bought a waffle with whipped cream, mmm yummy..

Enjoy the flowers ^_^