While we were in The Netherlands, we decided to take a day trip from Rotterdam to visit Keukenhof Gardens, one of the largest flower gardens in the world! The garden has more than 7 million flowers in bloom, ranging from different types and colors – so we definitely wanted to check it out! Mid April to May is usually the best time to see tulips in The Netherlands, and we were there in mid April, so we were excited to take advantage of that. We had very loose plans for the day (let’s be honest – this is the only way we travel!) and planned to take the train from Rotterdam to Leiden, then from there, to take a bus to the gardens, and then maybe rent bikes depending on the timing. It was a cloudy day, but luckily it didn’t rain!
The whole process honestly couldn’t have been any easier. We were staying in an Airbnb right by public transportation. We hopped on the train towards Leiden and the trip didn’t take too long. We got off and walked around a little bit before taking the bus to the garden. Leiden was the CUTEST LITTLE TOWN EVER! It had such a small town feel while still being a city – there were more bikes than cars (welcome to The Netherlands), and the pace of life just felt so perfect there. There is a large university there as well, so there was a good mix of young people as well as older people.I’m convinced this may be one of the places we end up living in for a period of time (before or after our lifelong dream to live in Norway?!) – so let’s see! We wandered around a bit, just taking in the sights, and then headed back to the station to take the bus to Keukenhof Gardens.
Bikes everywhere!
Just wandering through Leiden
Spotted!
One of my favorite shots from the day!
We spotted this church and it felt like a maze trying to find it!
Always time for a selfie!
Riding dirty
When you get caught doing it for the ‘gram…
We got to the gardens in the early afternoon. The high reason for the flower blooms happens pretty quick and the timing varies by year. We got lucky because although we had a small window to visit since we were in area for just a few days, the garden itself was in full bloom. While it was beautiful, it felt so crowded and touristy. A lot of people loved it, and it was amazing, but it definitely wasn’t our style. The gardens were beautifully landscaped, but we really wanted to see endless fields of tulips and flowers. There is a small viewing point in the gardens that overlooks a tulip field, but when we were there, those flowers were mostly cut down. The gardens would be best for someone who wants a straightforward look into all the different flowers, especially tulips. Think of it as a zoo for flowers, haha. We spent almost two hours shuffling around in the gardens and then decided to head out and onto the next adventure!
Albert and all his friends..
Flowers for days!
We spotted this windmill towards the back of the garden
Love the contrast of the flowers!
These flowers were supposed to look like a river of flowers… honestly it was pretty cool!
And of course, the people loved it 😉
Always cheesin’
A quiet moment!
Mount Flower
Selfie time part 2
There is a small shack in the parking lot of the gardens where you can rent bikes from. We decided to rent bikes and ride around to see if we could see some beautiful flower fields like the ones we had in mind. Since it was a busy day, we had to wait a little bit to rent bikes. The staff suggested a path to take, and it did not disappoint! We rode around and saw a few flower fields, some more with more flowers than others. We would stop at every field just to check it out and to take some photos as well. It seriously felt like we were in a dream with flower fields all around us! The bike route we ended up taking was probably a little over an hour long, and while we would have loved to have a little more time to take one of the longer routes, for the amount of time we did have, it was so perfect. Something that many people might not realize when viewing photos online – you CANNOT and SHOULD NOT stroll through the flower fields! While people are constantly ignoring these rules to get a perfect photo, it is definitely a rule you should adhere to because you can severely damage the flowers! Don’t forget that growing and selling these flowers is someone’s business and livelihood. We loved being able to take in the fields from a distance because that really allowed us to see the vastness of it!
First stop on our bike adventure!
Our own personal flower field!?
Our bikes!
All smiles!
We had this field all to ourselves!
Showing off the bike!
Endless flowers
Loved the bright colors in this field!
Overall, we were honestly a little disappointed by Keukenhof Garden itself, simply because we had something totally different in mind! We wanted to see endless fields of flowers, and Keukenhof was too structured for us and also way too crowded. However, what can you expect when the flower season is so short and the flowers are so beautiful – of course everyone wants to see them! We had a good time there, but riding bikes through the flower fields afterwards was definitely the highlight of our day and allowed us to see exactly what we had in mind!
Afterwards, we headed back to Leiden. We had to be careful of our timing so we could be sure to get back to Rotterdam before the last bus left. Once we got back to Leiden, we hopped on the bus back to Rotterdam, reflecting on our fun flower filled day!
