Holland:- The Land of Tulips, Windmill and Canals – Visiting Keukenhof & Kinderdijk, Netherlands

Holland:- The Land of Tulips, Windmill and Canals – Visiting Keukenhof & Kinderdijk, Netherlands

The vibrant tulips that create a blanket of spring  colour in the fields of Holland combined with the   iconic canals and rickety windmills draw floral  enthusiasts and other inquisitive travellers   to the Netherlands every year. This time we’re  exploring the garden of Europe, Keukenhof Park,  

Famous for its spectacular floral displays  that explode into a kaleidoscope of colours   each spring. We’ll also embrace the  country’s cycling culture as we wind   our way through the waterway and Windmills  of Kinderdijk, so come along for the ride. We’re using Rotterdam as our base to visit  the Netherlands and last time we ditched  

Flying and took the overnight ferry to the  Hook of Holland. It was quite an experience   in the Captain’s class cabin, so do check  out that video if you missed it.    Staying anywhere over the Easter weekend is going  to attract a higher nightly room rate and  

Amsterdam’s hotel charges in peak season could  be pretty crazy, so Rotterdam was better on the   pocket allowing more time for attractions  and experiences and less crowded than the popular Capital. We found travelling around  on the train to be affordable, convenient,  

Punctual and a great way to see the country. In  a future video we’ll share a couple of wonderful   cities you can explore with amazing scenery and  history, so subscribe now so you don’t miss them. Tickets to visit Keukenhof can be booked here.  They offer a bus transfer from several main city  

Stations to bring it to the park. Our tickets  were €32 per adult including each way transfers. We took a 37-minute train from Rotterdam  Central Station to Leiden Central Station   where we had seats booked on the  10: a.m. bus taking us to Keukenhof.

The Netherlands are the undisputed king  of tulips, producing and exporting over   3 billion bulbs annually. This represents 77% of  the global flower bulb trade making Holland,    The flower shop of the world! Transferring to the  special bus service wasn’t as pleasant as we expected.

We found it very busy, tightly packed,  standing room only for the 30-minute transfer.   They didn’t follow the advertised schedule so we  still at to queue for 30 minutes to get on one. The park is open from the end of March to the  middle of May each year, so this short spring  

Season is going to make it busy most of the time  and with it being Easter it really was packed. A map of the grounds shows you just how extensive  they are. Over 7 million flower bulbs paint the 79  

Acres in colour with themed gardens and pavilions.  We didn’t have a plan and just joined the hordes   of people walking the paths hoping to see as  much as we could in the few hours we had there. Many of the borders were just starting to develop,  the crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and early tulips  

Flower at the start of the season. Other flowers  bloom later like the large tulips. We knew that   coming in early April might be a bit too soon for  the peak blooms, the weather and temperature play  

A large part in Mother Nature’s clock and as  we headed up to view the tulip fields from the   observation point it became clear we were just  missing out by a few weeks. Ironically the blooms   we passed on the train were more vibrant  and alive than the fields around the park.

We had better luck in the covered  pavilions where they can control the   flowers and replace blooms for an all-season show. As well as just walking you can hire bikes,   book a whisper boat trip around the park  or even take a guided tour. All need to be  

Booked well in advance to avoid disappointment  and are charged in addition to your entry fee. The history of Keukenhof dates back  to the 15th century when the land   was used as a hunting ground for  the kitchen of Teylingen Castle,  

Now a ruin about 4 miles away. Keukenhof  Castle on the outskirts of the park and   still standing was built in 1641 and the estate  grew to encompass an area of around 490 acres. The gardens were relandscaped in 1897 with  an English style which still constitutes the  

Basis of Keukenhof today. 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  

With 236,000 visitors in the first year. 2024 will  be the 75th edition of this world-famous display. The kids will love the animal pasture  with sheep, pigs, bunnies and birds. Having returned to Rotterdam we turned our  attention to the world heritage site of Kinderdijk  

And the wonderful windmills and canals. We hired  bikes in the city centre for €15 for a day rental   and headed to the water taxi pier number 53  where you can catch the boat to Kinderdijk. You could cycle most of the way along main roads  

In about an hour but you still need  to catch a boat for the last part. A return ticket with a bike is €9,60. With the sky grey and the threat of rain  at any time the ride on the boat was not  

As colourful as it might have been but  along the way you do get to see some   of the industrial areas of the city and Noah’s  Arc, a floating Museum that’s now closed down. The journey takes 40 minutes and  this includes changing boats 3/4 of  

The way there. The staff on board are  great to ensure you make the change. There are a number of things you can do when you  arrive at Kinderdijk and at the ticket office on  

The left now, you can buy a pass to explore two of  the windmills take a boat trip and more check out   their website for full details. We just wanted a  ride along the canals which you can do for free. Built around 1740 there are  19 magnificent windmills  

Along the route part of a larger water  management system to prevent flooding. Netherlands literally means “lower countries”  and 26% of the country is below sea level so   for centuries the Dutch have battled  to keep the land dry. Count Flores V,   who ruled medieval Holland founded  the first waterboard in 1277 as he  

Was completely fed up with all the flooding.  Nobility were required to work together to   maintain dry land and by cooperating  they were able to construct dikes,   windmills and other infrastructure to  drain the land and reduce flooding. Each windmill has four large sails  traditionally covered in canvas that  

Catch the wind and rotate around a central  axis. As the sails turn, essentially inside,   a spiral that rotates inside a tube scoops  water from a lower level and lifts it to a   higher level into a reservoir or water channel  beside the windmill. In conjunction with dikes  

And sluice and the lower tide of the River  Lek, the excess water could be channelled   and disposed of. A basic explanation which I hope  I’ve understood correctly. While some windmills   are still operational today, electric pumps  primarily handle water management in Kinderdijk.

We cycled for just under 2 miles and as  we pedalled further away from the starting   point it became less busy as more day trippers  didn’t seem to come out this far, well it seemed   that way to us. It was peaceful and whilst not  the best weather we really enjoyed listening to  

The wildlife and taking in the views. A great way  to spend an afternoon in the suburbs of Rotterdam. Next time we take the train to not  one but two lovely cities well worth   visiting within easy reach of Rotterdam or  Amsterdam. Amersfoort’s greatest treasure is  

Its rich past. This fortified medieval town  contains a multitude of historic buildings,   quaint streets and canals taking you back to  its medieval roots in the 13th century. Named   “European City of 2023”, we had a magical time  strolling the streets. For a cheesy adventure,  

We also explored Gouda, actually known as Gouda  in Holland. It has a fascinating past trading   the world-famous cheese of the same name,  so we just had to visit and find out more.   Do join us again for more wonderful places to  visit in the Netherlands, thanks for watching.

Everyone knows that Holland is the Land of Tulips, Windmills and Canals, and this time we take you on a tour of 2 of the most famous attractions in the Netherlands. Holland is the undisputed king of Tulips and Keukenhof Park in Holland has been celebrating this fact for 75 years with a kaleidoscope of colour and some of the best tulips in Holland on display. We take you on a walking tour of the park and see if it’s really worth visiting.
The other famous landmarks Holland is known for are windmills and canals. The best place to see these are at Kinderdijk on the outskirts of Rotterdam. Taking to our bikes in true Dutch style we peddle around the canals and windmills, sharing the history and why they are here!

Hope you enjoy the video and all the helpful tips to make it a great day out at either of these attractions.

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With thanks to www.google.com and Google Earth for the use of images
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Getting to Keukenhof
02:36 Exploring Keukenhof Park
04:10 Tulip Displays
07:31 History of Keukenhof
10:55 Getting to Kinderdijk Windmills
12:20 Cycling the Windmills
16:03 Next Time

#tulips #windmills #holland