Visiting Keukenhof in April

I could honestly visit Keukenhof Tulip Gardens over and over, so when our spring schedule required a third visit I was pretty excited. My parents were in town so the Little Little and I accompanied them on a visit to Keukenhof in April.

You might wonder how I could visit the gardens for a third time this year, but Keukenhof tops the list of things I’m going to miss in Holland. I’ve truly never seen a garden that is so colorful. Each visit to Keukenhof is truly unique, even if you visit several times in the same year because the flowers are changed regularly.

I always think it’s a good idea to arrive early to the gardens. They open at 8am and I like to be there right when they open. Purchase your tickets in advance so you can walk right in and start enjoying your visit. If you live in the Netherlands, ANWB has tickets at a reduced price (2 EUR off). If you are planning an afternoon visit know that the park clears out by 4:30.

There is no bad time to visit Keukenhof. You cannot predict the year’s tulip bloom so it’s best to not stress over it. Instead come when you can and enjoy your visit. The garden goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone has a great visit.

This year (2018) the tulips in the greenhouse opened early. (See greenhouse photos in this post.)  When we visited in early April they were being removed from the greenhouse. This late April visit found the greenhouse full of an amazing flower show.

The garden also plants bulbs so that the same area takes on different looks throughout the season. The top photo is from my early April visit where the white statue was surrounded by solid colored tulips. Those have wilted and were cut and new tulips in softer hues have come up around it. These two photos were taken almost exactly a week apart!

As we had the place to ourselves in the morning I let the Little Little explore some on his own until it got crowded. He loved the Miffy area. . .I mean what kid wouldn’t!

He also liked looking at the flowers and running down the paths. It reminded me so much of our Middle Little on our first visit to the gardens.

The little pigs were out in the petting zoo so of course we had to stop and take a look. The Little Little was snug in his stroller having a snack and loved watching the animals.

If you are planning your visit in early May don’t fret. There are still quite a few sections just starting to open or yet to open.

Here are many more photos of flowers from our visit to Keukenhof in April.

My favorite find today though was the one yellow tulip growing out of place.

Keukenhof is such a magical place. I hope you get a chance to visit and really enjoy the beauty of this special place.