Keukenhof with Visits to Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, Private Gardens & a Journey along the Famous Tulip Trails 2027
Garden Holidays and Escorted Tours
Floristry Tours
Short City Breaks with a Twist
Keukenhof with Visits to Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, Private Gardens & a Journey along the Famous Tulip Trails 2027
Celebrate spring time in the Netherlands!
This four-day, flower-filled holiday delivers blooms at every turn, from the magnificent Keukenhof Gardens to guided tours of the world-famous Hortus Botanicus Leiden and three stunning private gardens
Based in The Hague, you will have plenty of time to soak up the unique atmosphere of this historic city. And of course, you will also have the opportunity to visit the capital city of Amsterdam for time to stroll along the elegant Herengracht and Keizersgracht.
What we love
Experiences you will treasure
What people say
An utter joy! I was so overwhelmed seeing the variety of flowering bulbs and clever planting - the colours were wonderfully vibrant. Exploring the pavillions I found some interesting new varieties of tulips and I have come home with so much inspiration - I will be planting lots of bulbs in my borders this year!
H. Sheldon, a previous traveller
How much is it?
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Itinerary
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Where you will stay
A Deeper Dive
Rightly known as the ‘most beautiful spring garden in the world’, the history of Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century when Countess Jacoba van Beieren (Jacqueline of Bavaria) gathered fruit and vegetables from the Keukenduin (kitchen dunes) for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle.
Keukenhof’s imposing castle was built in 1641 and the estate grew to encompass an area of over 200 hectares. The English landscape-style park we see today is based on the 1857 redesign by landscape architects Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher.
In 1949, a group of 20 leading flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use the estate to exhibit spring flowering bulbs, signalling the birth of Keukenhof as a spring park. The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant success, attracting 236,000 visitors in the first year alone. Each year dazzles with a heady mix of seven million tulips, anemones, daffodils, freesias and hyacinths. There is also a spectacular sculpture garden with extraordinary displays created by the world’s leading floriculturists, as well as exhibition zones such as the Beatrix Pavilion with its stunning collection of orchids and the Orange Nassau Pavilion where florists give daily demonstrations.
Here are our highlights for an afternoon in the capital city.
Art lovers should head straight for Museumplein where you will find a cluster of world-beating museums, including the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, devoted to modern and contemporary art, and the Rijksmuseum with its stunning collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings such as ‘The Milkmaid’ by Johannes Vermeer, ‘The Night Watch’ by Rembrandt, and ‘Portrait of a Young Couple’ by Frans Hals. The city’s favourite park, Vondelpark, is also here and is a perfect place to sit and digest everything you have seen before setting off for the Rembrandt House Museum at Jodenbreestraat 4 where the artist lived and worked from 1639 to 1658.
Amsterdam’s Golden Age history can be seen in all its elegance at the Herengracht, the first of the four main canals in the city centre’s Canal Belt. Completed, along with its neighbours, in the 17th century as part of an expansion project that is now UNESCO listed, this is where Amsterdam’s social elite built their grand gabled houses. Look out for no.81, the former office of the Dutch West India Company and one of Amsterdam’s oldest residences (built in 1590) and no.172. This 1617 Bartolotti House is considered the finest of all of Amsterdam’s Golden Age merchant’s houses.
Museum Van Loon, in the neighbouring Keizersgracht, provides an insight into the splendour these 17th century merchants enjoyed. A magnificent private residence built in 1672 by the architect Adriaen Dortsman, its first resident was the painter Ferdinand Bol, a pupil of Rembrandt. The interior of the house has remained largely intact and includes a large collection of paintings, fine furniture, precious silvery and porcelain. Behind the house is a beautiful garden, laid out in formal style and bordered on the far side by the classical facade of the coach house. The original unity of the canal house, garden and coach house is unique. You should also visit The Royal Palace on Dam Square. Designed by architect Jan van Campen to reflect the power and wealth of this city in 17th century, this is the largest and most prestigious building of the era.
The Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht preserves the secret annexe where the young diarist hid from Nazi persecution from 1942 until she was captured in 1944, along with her family and four other inhabitants. The secret rooms are on an enclosed courtyard behind a 17th century canal house and give a visceral sense of what it was like to live in hiding.
And if you are looking for cafes to watch the world go by, as well as specialist shops and galleries for interesting souvenirs, head for the Jordaan, a grid of little streets and filled-in canals bordered by the Singel. Created in the 17th century, this area was first inhabited by Amsterdam’s working class and an international array of migrants, such as the Huguenots from France and Puritans from England, all seeking the city’s famous religious tolerance. Today it offers a picture postcard slice of Amsterdam life. Don’t leave without dropping into a ‘brown café (a Dutch pub), or tasting a traditional bitterballen (deep fried breaded meatball).
Before you book
- Please read our Booking Conditions
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This tour requires a minimum of 18 passengers to run. Please refer to point 7 in our booking conditions for more information
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This tour is suitable for most guests, but if you have any concerns or a specific mobility issue, please let us know ahead of booking
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From 12th October 2025, the EU will introduction a new Entry/Exit System (EES), changing requirements for UK nationals travelling to the Schengen area:
- UK travellers must provide biometric details (fingerprints and a photo) on arrival, potentially resulting in longer immigration queues
- No fee applies for the biometric registration
- Please refer to our Booking Conditions for more information
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For all travellers booking from outside of the UK to join this tour departing from the UK, please check if you need a ETA Visa
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