Visiting Keukenhof Castle
For more that 30 years I live in the flower bulb region, the last couple of year I photograph weekly at the Keukenhof garden at springtime and at least one time a week I drive along the road next to Keukenhof Castle, but I had never visited it. Ever! Every time I drove by I was thinking I really should visit it one day. Last Sunday the weather was nice, I had my camera in the car and drove by Keukenhof Castle again. I in the spur of the moment I decided to visit.
Keukenhof Castle was build in 1642 as a mansion for Adriaen Maertensz. Block. The ground of the present Keukenhof gardens belonged to this castle and it was used for hunting and finding herbs and berries for the kitchen (Keuken in Dutch) of another Castle in the region with the name Slot Teijlingen.
At the end of 2012 the Castle opened after a two year renovation. Visitor can see the inside of the castle by tours (see their website for reservation) and you can walk around the forest and garden directly around the castle. The castle grounds are also used for a lot of festivities like Castle Fest, Haunted castle around Halloween and the Christmas market. It is also a grand wedding location.
Last Sunday I showed my Museumcard at the visitor center and I could walk around the Castle grounds. And I was surprised to see lots of beautiful flowers in the garden even at the end of summer. The forest was a joy to walk around, you can sit down at the lovely cafe and kids can pet animals at the small petting zoo. It was a lovely afternoon walking around the gardens of Keukenhof Castle.
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How to visit?
Keukenhof Castle is open all year round and has and entrance fee of €5,- for the grounds and for the tours inside the castle €12,50 (incl. the grounds). You can find the castle next to Keukenhof Garden. Make sure you make reservation in advance (website) if you want to see the inside of the castle especially when you are visiting during the Keukenhof garden season.
For me it was a surprise to see the castle up close and find many lovely flowers at the end of summer. I will definitely visit again.
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Tulips in Holland provides you information about the spring flowers and flower fields in the Netherlands.
Have a look at the FAQ Section in the menu of this website to get all the information you need for a wonderful visit to the beautiful flower fields in the Netherlands.
If you are interested to see what the current blooming status is have a look here for the weekly flower updates.
Or sign up for our weekly newsletter to get the blooming status and helpful tips for your visit directly into your mailbox on Tuesday (a day earlier than on the website!).
If you have any questions – write them below in the comments or find us on social media.
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