10 Best Netherlands Gardens
For flower, plant and tree lovers, Holland has a lot to offer. Here are the 10 best Netherlands gardens including botanical, tulip, palace and castle varieties.
1- KEUKENHOF
Keukenhof gardens is only open for 8 weeks a year (mid-March to mid-May) but attracts over a million visitors who flock to its 7 million tulip and flower bulbs in bloom. The garden is located in Lisse (South Holland province) adjacent to the building for which the garden was originally maintained… Keukenhof Castle.
2- PALACE HET LOO GARDENS
Located in the city of Apeldoorn (Gelderland province) is the Dutch royal palace Het Loo. It has a majestic garden complete with fountains, pavilions and sculptures that is well worth a visit.
3- DE HAAR CASTLE GARDENS
Kasteel De Haar in the village of Haarzuilens (Utrecht) sits on 135 acres landscaped with ponds, canals, bridges, rose garden, Roman garden and more. The castle was built from 1892-1912, as a restoration of the 13th-century Huis De Haar manor.
4- WARMELO CASTLE GARDENS
Warmelo Castle is located in the village of Diepneheim (Overijssel province) in the east of the Netherlands near the German border. The estate and its gardens date back to the 1300’s. Over the centuries the landscaping changed to reflect trends of the times starting with Italian, then French and later English. In the early 1900’s, the formal gardens were restored and later all of the canals and water-elements.
5- CLINGENDAEL JAPANESE GARDEN
The jewel in the crown of The Hague’s Clingendael estate park is the Japanese garden created in the early 1900’s by its then-owner Baroness van Brienen. She traveled several times to Japan and the Orient and brought back authentic items such as sculptures, water bridges, lanterns, a pavilion, plants and cherry blossom trees. The Clingendael Japanese garden is free to visit but only open during two 4-week periods a year (in Spring and Fall).
6- TROMPENBURG ARBORETUM & GARDENS
Rotterdam’s Trompenburg gardens was established in the early 1800’s and covers an area of 20 square acres. It is located in the Kralingen district near the Erasmus University campus. Here one can find an English garden, forest garden and, in late spring, over 700 varieties of rhododendron in bloom.
7- ROSENDAEL CASTLE GARDENS
Located in the town of Rozendaal (Gelderland province) near the city of Arnhem is Kasteel Rosendael which dates back to the late 1500’s. Following centuries of renovations and restorations, the estate, gardens and park are quite magnificent with ponds, fountains, shell gallery, rose garden, orangery and more.
8- DE HORTUS
The Amsterdam Hortus botanical garden was established in 1638 and is the second oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands. It is located to the east of the city center adjacent to ARTIS (Amsterdam Zoo). It offers a quiet oasis within chaotic city life. Here you’ll find a wide variety of plants, flowers, bushes and trees both outdoor and in greenhouses.
9- APPELTERN BLOEMENPARK
Appeltern Bloemenpark is unique in that it is comprised of over 200 different garden vignettes and is oriented toward those who love gardening, are looking for inspiration and/or advice. The park sits on 55 acres and also offers an ‘Adventure Island’ for the kids. Appeltern is open March through October. Read more about its history.
10- TWICKEL ESTATE GARDENS
The Twickel estate is located near the town of Hengelo (Overijssel province), close to the German border. Its castle gardens include elements from its 5 centuries in existence representing Renaissance, Baroque, formal, landscape and even Japanese influences.
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