Dahlias in The Netherlands
A complete guide on where to find them, buy them, pick them or take pictures
When thinking of The Netherlands and flowers you instantly think of tulips. But this country has so much more to offer. 80% of the world's flower production is exported from this small country and that means we also have a lot of flower fields.
Let's talk Dahlias:
The Dahlia originally came from South America but it has been in Europe for more than 200 years. This flower stands for wealth and elegance, and also for love and involvement.
Their flowering season is from mid summer through fall, they are easy plants to grow and have a beautiful bloom. I usually like to keep my blogs short and with just the basic and meaningful information so let's go to the part where I tell you where to find them 😅.
De Tulperij
De Tulperij is a family owned business founded in 1927 and now owned by the third generation of flower bulb growers. They have a beautiful garden filled with flowers and open to the public twice per year.
First time is in spring from late March to mid May, then you can admire the spring garden, filled with tulips, daffodils and hyacinths and in fall from August to mid October when the garden is filled with beautiful colorful dahlias.
Every single corner of this place is Instagramable so if you are looking for the perfect pic or just to enjoy yourself or your family I truly recommend it .
They also have a beautifully decorated greenhouse where you can have a cup of tea with an apple pie and buy some souvenirs.
What they also have very special is a separate self-picking garden!🤩 So you can make your own bouquet of Dahlias.
What you have to know about flower fields is that you should never ever pick them unless there is a picking garden (pluktuin in dutch).
And don’t forget to buy flowers and bulbs🌸
Entrance: free
Parking is free and available
How to get there: Get the train to Sassenheim and walk for 15 minutes .
Don't forget to check their Instagram for updates and new projects!
The Tulip Barn
This amazing garden opened for the first time this year and and I have say it is amazing ! They also have a spring garden with tulips that is spectacular! But I will make a separate blog about the tulip gardens.
The Tulip Barn is the project of a lovely entrepreneur, Romy Ruigrog that saw a gap in the market of Instagramable flower gardens, dedicated especially for photos and came up with this genius project. You can spend hours making pictures in this garden , with over 400 varieties of Dahlias this place is incredibly beautiful.
Since I discovered the place in Spring I am just in love with it.
During the weekends they also have the greenhouse opened where you can enjoy a cup of coffee/tea and buy fresh flowers.
Entrance: free
Parking is free and available
How to get there: Train to Hillegom and walk for 15 mins
Opening times: 10:00-18:00
Don't forget to check their Instagram for new updates and new projects!
Extra tip: Keukenhof Castle
This is one of my favorite castles in The Netherlands and they also have a dahlia garden during the season. The property surrounding this little castle is huge, covering the area of a park. You can find here a flower garden that is landscaped depending on the season , a petting zoo with piglets ,goats, rabbits and chickens, a lovely forest and a cool restaurant with a terrace placed in the old stables of the castle, where you can have drinks, snacks and food.
Want to stay in the area?
This area is my favorite ever! So quaint and filled with nature.
First year I visited it I hated it! All I know was the Keukenhof garden and I went in the busiest weekend possible to visit it, and there was a que getting there , a que parking, a que entering the garden and place was so crowded I could not see anything! If I stopped to smell a flower I was pushed by the rushing tourists. Of course this happened before corona time .
My luck was that when I started my Instagram page I started exploring more places, places you can sit and enjoy the nature. Also I had the opportunity to meet some lovely people from the area that have showed me around and guided me to many beautiful places.
So my recommendation is to stay there at least one night , I did and loved it so much! The whole area of Lisse, Sassenheim, Hillegom they are just so heart warming. You can see beautiful fields from march till September , the people are warm and welcoming and it is just peaceful. The beach is also close if you want to chance the scenery .
So where to stay?
De Groene Bollenschuur
This beautiful B&B is family owned and they are so lovely. You can really feel the real hospitality of the Dutch people here. The B&B is placed in the tulip fields so you can see the fields from your window. How cool is that ?
The rooms are beautiful, spacious and extremely clean. They also have a canoe if you wanna have a true experience of the area by water.
This is in Hillegom and nearby The Tulip Barn.
I guess I am confusing you by now so what you have to understand is that the area is quite small, so by car you can get around very easily, a max 15 min ride to all the spots I mentioned earlier, not so easy walking to see them all but you have many options renting bikes or scooters.
Many fields to see in the area and a true experience of the flower area.
Check out their Instagram!
B&B Blossom
This place is so cozy and next to the Tulperij. A family owned B&B in a beautiful location of the flower fields. One of their rooms has a balcony facing the flower fields . Rooms are spacious and cozy. Service is very good also .
They charmed me with their beautiful picnic baskets they brought breakfast to the room💕
Van der Valk Sassenheim
Not a B&B fan? This is your place! I stayed with them for 3 nights and can say I was very pleased! It is a bit far from the places I mentioned earlier but they have bikes to rent so by bike is easy to get anywhere in the area.☺️
The hotel is located next to Sassenheim train station, very easy to get there by public transport. Rooms are very spacious and beautiful, service is top and they have a very good restaurant on the ground floor. All rooms have balconies , that is always a plus for me.
