Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [87]
Other types of bulb were introduced after the tulip, and today the spring flowering sequence begins in mid-March with crocuses, followed by daffodils and yellow narcissi in late March, hyacinths and tulips in mid- and late April through to May, and gladioli in August.
Day-trips from the city | The Dutch bulbfields |
The Keukenhof Gardens
The views of the bulbfields from any of the trains heading towards Leiden from the north and northeast can often be sufficient in themselves, with the fields divided into stark geometric blocks of pure colour, but with your own transport you can take in their full beauty by way of special routes marked by hexagonal signposts; local VVVs (tourist offices) sell pamphlets describing the routes in detail. Alternatively, if you’re after bulbs, then make a beeline for bulb growers’ showcase, the Keukenhof Gardens (late March to late May daily 8am–7.30pm; €13.50; www.keukenhof.nl), located on the edge of the little town of LISSE, beside the N208 about 15km north of Leiden. The largest flower gardens in the world, dating back to 1949, the Keukenhof was designed by a group of prominent bulb growers to convert people to the joys of growing flowers from bulbs in their own gardens. Literally the “kitchen garden”, its site is the former estate of a fifteenth-century countess, who used to grow herbs and vegetables for her dining table. Several million flowers are on show for their full flowering period, complemented – in case of especially harsh winters – by thousands of square metres of glasshouse holding indoor displays. You could easily spend a whole day here, swooning with the sheer abundance of it all, but to get the best of it you need to come early, before the tour buses pack the place. There are several restaurants in the grounds and a network of well-marked footpaths explore every horticultural nook and cranny.
To get to the Keukenhof by public transport from Amsterdam, take the train from Centraal Station to Leiden Centraal (every 30min; 40min journey) and then catch bus #54 (every 30min; 30min journey) from the main bus station next door.
Day-trips from the city |
Volendam, Marken and Edam
The turbulent waters of the Zuider Zee were once busy with Dutch trading ships shuttling to and from the Baltic. This trade was the linchpin of Holland’s prosperity in the Golden Age, revolving around the import of huge quantities of grain, the supply of which was municipally controlled to safeguard against famine. The business was immensely profitable and its proceeds built a string of prosperous seaports – including Volendam – and nourished market towns like Edam, while the Zuider Zee itself supported a batch of fishing villages such as Marken. In the eighteenth century, the Baltic trade declined and the harbours silted up, leaving the ports economically stranded, and, with the rapid increase in the Dutch population during the nineteenth century, plans were made to reclaim the Zuider Zee and turn it into farmland. In the event, the Zuider Zee was only partly reclaimed, creating a pair of freshwater lakes – the Markermeer and the IJsselmeer.
These placid, steel-grey lakes are popular with day-tripping Amsterdammers, who come here in their droves to sail boats, observe the waterfowl, and visit a string of attractive small towns and villages. These begin on the coast just a few kilometres north of Amsterdam with the picturesque old fishing village of Marken and the former seaport of Volendam