Amsterdam & Beyond
Vondelpark
Amsterdam's most famous park was laid out in the 1860s in the English landscape style. Today it hosts over 300 tree species including rare specimens of Ginkgo biloba, Dawn Redwood, and the magnificent American Tulip Tree. The rose garden near the main entrance blooms spectacularly from May to September, featuring over 70 heritage rose cultivars.
Don't miss the formal herb garden on the west side — a living teaching garden with labeled medicinal and aromatic plants including hyssop, angelica, and lovage.
Hortus Botanicus
One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, founded in 1638 as a medicinal herb garden. Today it contains over 6,000 plant species across outdoor beds and three climate-controlled greenhouses — tropical, subtropical, and desert. The undisputed star is a cycad planted in 1686, making it one of the oldest potted plants on Earth.
The butterfly greenhouse is spectacular from May through September. Visit the trihouses to walk through three climate zones in sequence.
Keukenhof Gardens
The world's largest flower garden, open only from mid-March to mid-May. Seven million bulbs are planted annually, creating an explosion of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and rare botanical species. The themed pavilions change each year.
Best visited in the third week of April when nearly all varieties peak simultaneously. Book tickets online — queues can be enormous without them.
