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
The province of Utrecht is located in the center of the country and its history is as rich and long as that of the Netherlands itself. It is home to many of the country’s historic castles built from the 1200-1600’s. One of these is Kasteel De Haar in the village of Haarzuilens. It is the largest surviving castle in the Netherlands. The estate sits on 135 acres of land landscaped with ponds, canals, bridges, rose garden, Roman garden and more.
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 for 4 weeks twice a year (June-July and Sept-Oct).
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- SYPESTEYN CASTLE GARDENS
Castle Sypesteyn is located in the town of Loosdrecht (North Holland province) near the city of Hilversum. Although the original castle no longer exists, a replacement structure was built in the 1920’s on the 16th-century foundation. The owner at the time, Henri van Sypesteyn, also converted 15 acres of pasture land into a traditional Dutch garden with the elements: castle garden, orchard, maze, forecourt and park forest.
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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