Keukenhof Castle, South Holland Province, The Netherlands

5kim buay p 5:00 PM Sep 8, 2021

Colourful Dahlia flowers
I joined a guided live-streamed tour with Stephan from Heygo to see the Dahlia flowers in the garden of this castle. Stephan is a wonderful guide with his calm demeanour and soothing voice. He showed us many varieties of Dahlia of different colours such as the pom-pom type and the larger ball kind. I could take many photographs of the lovely flowers when he showed us the close-up views. The tour lasted an hour and we were completely mesmerised by the beauty of the Dahlia flowers throughout. There is a restaurant at the garden. This tour is lovely and Stephan told us that the temperature is a gorgeous 20 degrees Centigrade. Dahlia flowers bloom for a period of three months.

5ChF_10 5:00 PM Aug 14, 2013

Charming castle, great art, nice park
This lovely park + castle is definitely worth the detour! It is, as another reviewer has noted, located opposite the famous Keukenhof flower gardens, but the two are completely distinct venues. The Keukenhof castle, which is pleasantly intimate, has nice views over the park and can be visited in a guided tour. Since only a limited number of people can be admitted every time (tours start once an hour), you are strongly advised to book ahead via the URL of the castle (www.kasteelkeukenhof.nl). Each year a curator selects modern art and sculptures for a summer exhibition, which blends in magnificently with the original furniture and atmosphere in the recently restored castle. You can also buy a ticket for the park only. It has several gardens, one of them a secluded one with a lovely little place (Frederikshof) for a coffee or a glass of wine. The premises also sport more woody sections. Over the past few years, good sculpture exhibitions have proved an extra incentive to visit. Apart from the Frederikshof, there is a small tea-house, which seems to be not always open though. There is also a fine building, with an enclosed outdoor terrace and former stables, which can be rented for family and business events. Finally, Keukenhof castle regularly organizes other cultural activities, such as concerts. On sunny days, one can bike to Keukenhof from Haarlem station in 60-80 minutes along two routes (Herenweg or along the water, partly Leidsevaart). The bus to Leiden (no. 50) also comes close. Moreover, the venue has a sizable parking lot. One of the best-kept cultural secrets in the Haarlem area, the Keukenhof castle definitely deserves a visit.