Flowers

FLOWERS OF AMSTERDAM

Public Transport Map Se

a

Amsterdam City

Haarlem

th Daytrips

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Keukenhof and beyond (1/2 day or full day)

Amsterdam Sloterdijk

Station

or

➏

50 340

Zandvoort

172

Bus station

Elandsgracht 80 197

80

Heemstede

You can’t leave Holland without visiting the famous Keukenhof garden. Open for just eight weeks each year (24 March-16 May 2016), the Keukenhof boasts a staggering 7 million blooms, planted over 32 hectares (www.keukenhof.nl).

From Amsterdam Central Station, take a train to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and then the Keukenhof Express bus 858 or 361 to Keukenhof. Alternatively, take a train from Amsterdam Central Station to Haarlem Station and then bus 50 to the Keukenhof. Both journeys take around 1 hour. Located opposite the garden is Keukenhof Castle. The Black Tulip Museum (a kilometre away, Heereweg 219) is also worth a visit if you want to know more about the history of the Bollenstreek (bulb region) ➍. If you’re heading back to Haarlem Station with bus 50, make a stop at Annemieke’s Pluktuin➎ to pick your own bouquet (Ford Museum stop).

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s Include ap & area m s day trip

Amsterdam Central Station

80 80

80

Discover the Amsterdam Area

Haarlemmermeerpolder

50 340

197 172

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amstelveen

197 361 858

Hoofddorp 57

➊➋ Keukenhof 854 858

Hillegom 50

57

Noordwijkerhout

361 858

Lisse

Noordwijk

➍

Picképlein 361

www.iamsterdam.com/area

Station 340

NieuwVennep Station

340

Aalsmeer FloraHolland 172

361 858

57

50 361 854

Westeinderplassen

57

➌ Uithoorn

172

Bus station 340

361

172 Kudelstaart

ESTEC 30

Kager Plassen

Katwijk Fantastic Flora (full day) Set the alarm because today you’ll discover the wonderful world of flowers at the FloraHolland flower auction (www.floraholland.com). The earlier you get here, the more you’ll see. Experience the hustle and bustle of the auction floor, watch traders bidding against the clock and be amazed at the quantity of beautiful blooms traded daily from more than ten countries. Take bus 172 from Amsterdam Central Station to Aalsmeer, stop FloraHolland (1 hour, direct connection). After your visit, take bus 172 again to the Hortensiaplein stop. From here you can walk to Westeinder Rondvaart (20 mins total), a company that operates boat tours on the Aalsmeer lakes. You’ll float past countless islands teeming with flora and fauna (www.westeinderrondvaart.nl). Next to Westeinder Rondvaart is the Historic Garden (www.historischetuinaalsmeer.nl), which takes you through the horticultural history of Aalsmeer between 1700 and 1940. Refuel in the centre of Aalsmeer ➌, with its many cafés, restaurants and shops. Bus 172 from Hortensiaplein will take you back to Amsterdam.

Oegstgeest

50 57 854

30

Visitor Information Centres

Braassemermeer

I amsterdam Visitor Centre

Central Station or Amsterdam Airport Schiphol www.iamsterdam.com/area

30 50 57 854

Station

A VVV Lisse (www.vvvlisse.nl) B VVV Noordwijk (www.vvvnoordwijk.nl) C VVV Agency Aalsmeer (www.vvvaalsmeer.nl) D VVV Noordwijkerhout (www.vvvnoordwijkerhout.nl)

Leiden

Highlights

Bus Railway with station

Rent a bike!

The best way to experience the

AM-Flowers.indd 1

With the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket you can travel 24 hours by bus, tram and metro in and around Amsterdam.

flowerfields around Keukenhof!

Rent your bike at the parking near

1 the main entrance of Keukenhof.

➊ Keukenhof ➋ Rent-a-Bike van Dam ➌ Aalsmeer (Flower Festival 18-19 June 2016) ➍ Lisse (Flower Festival 9-24 April 2016) ➎ Annemieke's Pluktuin ➏ Haarlem Tulpomania

Tulpomania (full day) The city of Haarlem pays its own tribute to Holland’s most iconic bloom, the tulip. During the Keukenhof’s open season (24 March-16 May 2016), the special ‘Tulpomania’ ➏ package lets you experience the Keukenhof’s floral splendour, a floral exhibition – with both paintings and real flowers – at the Frans Hals Museum (www.franshalsmuseum.nl) and a Tulpomania beer tasting at the Jopenkerk brewery (www.jopenkerk.nl). The package is available online at www.haarlem.nl. For the duration of Tulpomania, four Arriva buses per hour run from Haarlem to the Keukenhof. A great all-in-one package for the best tulip experience!

AALSMEER 2/18/16 16:09

tulpomania haarlem

WHERE THE FLOWERS COME FROM

a route out of 4 signposted 2 Choose routes ranging from 5km to 25km.

3 Enjoy!

+31 6 12 08 98 58 WWW.RENT-A-BIKEVANDAM.NL

www.vvvaalsmeer.nl

World of Flowers (full day)

The most beautiful spring garden in the world!

24 03 16 05

2016

WHY VISIT AALSMEER? TULPOMANIA TOUR HAARLEM - KEUKENHOF UNTIL MAY 16, 2016

BOOK NOW

TULPOMANIA.COM

• Largest flower auction in the world • Beautiful surroundings with Westeinder lake • Learn all about flowers and the Dutch flower trade • Boat trips and events • Only 20 minutes from Amsterdam

To explore fully the wonderful world of flowers, a boat or bike tour through the bulb fields is highly recommended.

Discover the bold stripes of colour which flame across the landscape each spring. After you’ve visited the Keukenhof➊, rent your bikes at Rent-a-Bike Van Dam➋, just in front of the garden’s main entrance (www.rentabikevandam.nl, €10 a day, including a cycle route). Or relax as you enjoy the peace and quiet of the endless bulb fields in an electrically propelled ‘whisper boat’. You can buy tickets for the boat tour at the Keukenhof’s only windmill. To get back to Amsterdam, take Keukenhof Express bus 858 or361 to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol or bus 50 to Haarlem. From there, take the train to Amsterdam Central Station (1 hour total).

Holland in Bloom

Bulb Fields

For a colourful glimpse into contemporary Dutch flower power, you need go no further than the so-called ‘flower strip’, just an hour from Amsterdam.

The Dutch bulb fields, whose bulbs and blooms support a billion-euro industry, are a carpet of geometric colour blocks from mid-March through to August.

Holland produces a staggering 70% of the world’s commercial flower output. For a colourful glimpse into contemporary Dutch flower power, you need go no further than the so-called ‘flower strip’ (known in Dutch as the Bollenstreek), just an hour from Amsterdam. With Holland’s famous bulb fields in full bloom, you’ll be surrounded on all sides by a rainbow of flowers: purple hyacinths, pink crocuses, bright yellow daffodils and, of course, countless varieties of tulips. Visit iamsterdam.com/area for excursion tips and more suggestions.

‘Flower Capital’ Aalsmeer Aalsmeer knows a thing or two about flowers.

Not only is it home to the world’s biggest flower auction, you can also learn about the history of bulb cultivation at The Historic Garden and sail through the region’s horticultural past.

From Leiden to Haarlem, bold beautiful stripes of colour flame across the landscape. After the crocuses, it’s the turn of the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths – an impressive display that continues into May and beyond. In late summer the gladioli, dahlias, carnations and asters stage a second show. You’ll catch an eyeful on many of the trains heading southwest from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – and even from your aeroplane when you’re coming into land – but the bulb fields truly deserve a closer look.

Black Tulip Museum

Boat cruises

This museum tells the history of Holland’s bulb region and tulip-growing ‘bulbiculture’. A visitor’s guide to the permanent exhibition is available in six languages. The museum is located on the Dorpsplein ‘t Vierkant square in the centre of Lisse.

Castle Keukenhof

The combination of horticulture, recreation and nature make Aalsmeer unique. An open or covered boat tour takes you through a maze of islands, and knowledgeable skippers fill you in on the region’s horticultural history.

www.museumdezwartetulp.nl

It may be perpetually outshone by its showy neighbour, but this castle (located straight across from the world-famous Keukenhof gardens) boasts an impressive history with Golden Age roots. Inside, you’ll find portraits, artefacts and period furniture; in the 230-hectare wooded estate, leading artists’ work.

Westeinder Rondvaart

www.westeinderrondvaart.nl

Aalsmeer Rondvaart

www.aalsmeerrondvaart.nl

For details of upcoming events and exhibitions, please see www.kasteelkeukenhof.nl

Take a Walk

Keukenhof Gardens Nowhere is the Dutch cult of the tulip celebrated in more glorious fashion than at the ‘the most beautiful spring garden in the world’, located in the dune and bulb region south of Amsterdam. Open for just eight weeks each year (in accordance with the tulip’s national flowering season), the Keukenhof boasts a staggering 7 million blooms, planted across the 32-hectare park. With several indoor pavilions, the Keukenhof hosts more than 20 flower shows between 24 March and 16 May. Over 600 growers present their most beautiful blooms and leading florists create truly unique displays with them. The Keukenhof theme for 2016 is ‘The Golden Age’, the era when Holland became rich through worldwide trade. The highlight of the theme is the flower bulb mosaic beside the Oranje Nassau Pavilion. This shows a Delft Blue tile on which the trade across the seas and the rich canal-side houses of Amsterdam are depicted.

24 MARCH-16 MAY www.keukenhof.nl

FloraHolland Flower Auction

The ‘Wandelnetwerk Bollenstreek’ is a network of marked hiking routes through the region. Follow the hexagonal signposts past green pastures and colourful bulb fields, savour the views from atop wooden lookouts and navigate the waterways on pulley-operated ferries. Free maps are available at the local Tourist Information Centres (VVV) or can be downloaded from www.bollenstreek.info. The VVV can provide suggested car or bike routes as well as guided tour information.

To learn more about Lisse, the town at the heart of the region, and its surroundings, download the free audio tour app on www.audiotourlisse.nl.

TIP: Tulpomania

TIP: check out www.flowerradar.com for an overview of all the flower fields that are currently in bloom!

Time left over after your visit to the Keukenhof? Combine your trip with a visit to Haarlem, which is paying its own tribute to Holland’s iconic bloom. During the Keukenhof’s open season, the special ‘Tulpomania’ package lets you experience the Keukenhof’s floral splendour, a flower exhibition at the Frans Hals Museum and a ‘Flower Beer’ tasting at the Jopenkerk brewery. For the duration of Tulpomania, four buses a day run from Haarlem to the Keukenhof.

Lisse Flower Festival 9-24 APRIL 2016 Each year during the blooming season, Lisse is a hive of flower-related activity including the floral mosaic competition.

The result is 60 stunning floral works of art which can be viewed free of charge on foot or by bike from 14-19 April 2016.

The world’s biggest flower auction (a whopping 400 football fields’ worth) is FloraHolland in Aalsmeer, 15km outside Amsterdam. It’s so large, in fact, that the workers traverse the site by bike. FloraHolland handles more than 21 million cut flowers and 2 million potted plants each day, mostly for export. The unusual sales method used gave rise to the phrase ‘Dutch auction’. Dealers bid by pushing a button to stop a ‘clock’ that counts from 100 down to one; thus, the price is lowered – rather than raised – until a buyer is found.

Bidders risk either paying too much for the goods or not getting them if time runs out. The best action is before 09.00 (open at 07.00), so you’ll have to get up early to see it, but there are flowers stretching as far as the eye can see, the smell is divine and with an (optional) knowledgeable, multilingual guide you’ll witness the auction process first-hand.

Open Monday - Friday only (closed on public holidays) www.floraholland.com TIP: find the botanical attractions in the Aalsmeer brochure, downloadable from www.vvvaalsmeer.nl. You can buy a combi-ticket for the flower auction, The Historic Garden and a Westeinder Rondvaart boat cruise at the flower auction.

The route is available at the Lisse Tourist Information Centre (VVV) or Museum De Zwarte Tulp. www.flowerfestivallisse.nl

The package is available online at www.haarlem.nl.

Aalsmeer Flower Festival

18-19 JUNE 2016

Enjoy a colourful weekend of flowers, art, food and drink during the Aalsmeer Flower Festival. The third edition of this growing event takes place on 18 and 19 June 2016. In the centre of Aalsmeer is The Historic Garden, a horticultural museum that takes you back to the pioneering days of growing flowers but also hosts a delightful exhibition of the newest roses. Fort Kudelstaart, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Defence Line of Amsterdam, is open to visitors and decorated with beautiful flowers and works of art. The festival is spread out over several locations and the festivities are all combined with music and food. www.aalsmeerflowerfestival.nl

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Biking the Bulb Fields

Flower Parade 23 APRIL 2016

Pick your own at Annemieke’s Tulip Garden

To explore at your own pace, a bike is by far the best option.

You can rent bikes – from Rent-a-Bike Kees van Dam – at the main entrance of the Keukenhof for €10 a day, including a cycle route. In total there are four signposted and marked routes, ranging from 5 to 25km long. For the real green-fingered fanatics, there is also a longer ‘Bulb Route’, a bum-numbing 35km. Guided tours and combination tickets (including Keukenhof entry) are available.

Thanks to its fertile sandy soil, Amsterdam’s flower strip has been the top producer of unique flowers, in particular tulips, for hundreds of years. Annemieke’s Pluktuin (picking garden), a nursery in Hillegom - 35km from Amsterdam - specialises in cultivating tulips using organic horticultural techniques. The garden, which boasts more than 300 varieties of flowers, is open to public. Learn how the blooms are prepared for sale, wander through the tulip fields and pick your own vibrant bunch to take home. A great memory to the flower strip!

Rent-a-Bike Van Dam (entrance Keukenhof) www.rentabikevandam.nl

Open daily February - October www.annemiekespluktuin.nl

Have you ever wanted to know how an international airport operates? Barely a runway’s length from Aalsmeer is one of Europe’s largest airports: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. And you don’t need an airline ticket to take a look around.

Schiphol Behind the Scenes gives you a peek at what goes on outside and around this modern aviation hub. Join a multimedia tour and be taken to areas you wouldn’t normally be able to go.

Lisse Lisse is one of the bulb region’s most famous ‘flower villages’ and the jumping off point for a visit to the Keukenhof gardens. The Dorpsplein ‘t Vierkant square has been inhabited since 1200 and today it’s Lisse’s cultural and culinary heart. Visit the Agathakerk, for its towering spire and beautiful interior, or experience the thrill of a bulb auction. www.vvvlisse.nl

The highlight of Lisse’s Flower Festival – and one of the most anticipated events of the Dutch calendar – is the annual Flower Parade. Back for its 69th edition with the theme ‘Fashion’, lavishly decorated floats and cars will travel 40km along the main roads from Noordwijk to Haarlem, where they’ll conclude with an illuminated procession. Visitors flock to the roadsides and the atmosphere is deliciously convivial – and best of all, it’s free. If you miss the parade itself, head to Haarlem the next day, where the floats will be displayed on the city’s main square.

23 APRIL 2016, DEPARTS 09.30 (Vuurtoren, Noordwijk) www.bloemencorso-bollenstreek.nl

www.schipholbehindthescenes.nl

The Historic Garden If you’re interested in learning more about the unique Dutch auction and cultivation process, you should visit The Historic Garden (De Historische Tuin) in Aalsmeer, where they’ve literally turned back time with a replica of an auction hall, complete with a large clock dating from the 1930s. www.historischetuinaalsmeer.nl

There’s even more reason to visit this year because Schiphol is turning 100! To celebrate the milestone, an exhibition of historic photos will be on display in the airport’s World Trade Center (WTC) from April to June 2016. Nice to know: the photos are for sale and the proceeds will go to UNICEF. www.schiphol.com

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