Amsterdam, The Layover: A Three Day Itinerary, Pt. 3

Morning + Afternoon: Day Trip to Keukenhof

No trip to the Netherlands in spring would be complete without a pilgrimage to see the tulips blooming, so that’s what we did for our last day in Amsterdam. And while I’d dreamt of us road-tripping Flevoland in a cutesy convertible, sunroof down, with our arms outstretched amid fields of glorious colour, it required too much coordination. Instead, we booked tickets once more through Tiquets to Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower exhibition, located just outside the oh-so-Instagrammed Lisse.

I should point out that you can buy tickets directly from the Keukenhof website, including a combination ticket with entrance plus transportation from either Amsterdam or Schipol (the airport)—but for us dreams of renting a car died hard. At Schipol. Followed by a last-minute purchase of the very same bus tickets we’d avoided buying through Tiquets. Hopefully our mistakes will be illustrative: be a lemming—sometimes it’s easier!

Bagel and a latte at Village Bagels, Vijzelstraat, Grachtengordel, Amsterdam.

In any case, with phantom car-rentals on the horizon, we started our day with the tried-and-true formula of coffee and a pastry, or in this case, coffee and a bagel. Village Bagels has all your favourite flavour combinations—cream cheese, pastrami, smoked salmon—on bagels boiled and then baked fresh in-house just like in New York. Two highly respectable lattes later, and we were hoofing it to the airport.

The line to catch any one of the fleet of buses heading to and from Keukenhof at Schipol seems daunting, but the wait was shockingly quick. We spent approximately twenty minutes in what looked like a well-over-2-hour-line-up before getting on board. Ride time to Keukenhof is an additional thirty minutes, and then there isn’t really further wait-time on arrival. Entrance queues to the park are churned through quickly.

A tourist poses for a photograph in Keukenhof, outside Lisse.

Once inside you can choose between wandering labyrinthine paths that skirt along pond’s edges and past immaculately groomed beds, or head indoors for what can only be described as an education on the truly dizzying variety of tulips. Over seven million bulbs bloom in stages during Keukenhof’s opening months of March through May, though its said the best time for a visit is mid to late April. We arrived just shy of mid April and found the timing ideal. Most beds were in full-bloom while some were still budding. The overall feel is something between Alice’s ‘Wonderland’, French palatial gardens, and Disney simply due to the sheer number of people taking photos and noshing on stroopwafels hot from outdoor stands (a type of cookie made with thin waffles and caramel). Surrealist fantasy meets the masses.

Tourists walk the grounds at Keukenhof, Lisse.

Narcissus along a pond’s edge at Keukenhof, Lisse.

Don’t be put off by the number of people, though, because while Keukenhof received a staggering 1.4 million visitors in 2017, once you get deep into the park it feels relatively empty. Especially if—as was the case the day we visited—its raining. We spent the hour and a bit it was really pissing down indoors, mostly at our preferred Willem-Alexander pavilion, and then the remainder of the time in light to no drizzle and relative isolation outside as most left or ate leisurely lunches. You’ll notice my photographs have almost no people in them, which was achieved without effort. So if the forecast is for rain, pack a jacket or umbrella and be prepared for a romantic, unfussy kind of day.

Four varieties of tulip on display in the Willem-Alexander building at Keukenhof, Lisse.

One of many types of tulips on display in the Willem-Alexander building, Keukenhof, Lisse.

No matter the weather, be prepared to go through a lot of memory either on your phone or SD card(s). If you’re packing a digital camera, take a couple of extra memory cards just in case. There was a point in the Willem-Alexander building where I looked up and realized I’d had my eye in my viewfinder for the better part of an hour without coming up for air. But then again, I’m a photography junkie. Incidentally, the Willem-Alexander pavilion was a favourite due to natural lighting provided by its glass roof, and plenty of elbow space.

We ate lunch on site, and decided to avoid a planned whisper boat trip (€8,00/adult) through the tulip fields adjacent to the park because of the damp. I’d make both decisions again.

Evening

There’s nothing quite like the British stalwarts of fish n’ chips and a pint after a day in the rain, so that’s what we did for dinner. The Good Companion Fish & Chips features sustainably-caught fish, done traditionally or fancier if you prefer, served with the usual suspects (slaw, mushy peas). The atmosphere is cozy, with decks of cards to pass the time. (We stumped a neighbouring table with a game of Hearts to the point where they had us explain the rules.) They also have a selection of cocktails, and great beers on tap (try the local Oedipus brewery).

Our last stop for the evening was snapping a couple of pics of Westertoren, the clock tower rising from the Dutch Reform Westerkerk, famously described by diarist Anne Frank. Then, we lumped it back to our B’n’B to catch a few hours sleep before a too-early flight.

Goede reis!