The Netherlands April 2026 - Tulips!!

We planned the trip in April so we could see the tulip fields and the Keukenhof Gardens. I actually bought tickets for two separate days since the weather report was constantly changing before we left home.  We stayed in Haarlem as we had been to Amsterdam once before and wanted a quieter, less busy alternative. Haarlem was a great choice with things to see in the town as well as good proximity to the Keukenhof gardens. 

The first thing that hit us when we entered was the scent! The hyacinths were blooming and the smell was incredible. Tulips don't really have much of a scent but with thousands of them blooming I would say I could smell them as well. There were so many lovely beds of flowers and the place is huge. There is a lake, a windmill, a viewing platform over the nearby fields, and a boat ride to take if you like. The tulip beds are a combination of some that are just one type or one color and then there are beds of happy mixes of various types of tulips and other flowers. There are fountains and even a maze as well. There were various sculptures scattered about but not so many that they detracted in any way from the flowers. There are 79 acres of gardens so the place is truly huge, be sure to get one of the little maps when you enter as it will save you some backtracking. We started by seeing everything on the outermost paths and then working our way to the inner paths. I would say it might have been better to start with the innermost paths as those tend to be busier as the day goes on. There are lots of benches scattered about so you can sit and relax and just enjoy the beauty. Mike said it was so much better than he was expecting and he really enjoyed it. Of course I was thrilled because I'm very happy to be in a garden anytime, anywhere. I have many, many beautiful photos of this place, I'll share a few later. 

There are buildings scattered about the gardens that have floral displays, and a huge one where you can ask questions of their experts and also see samples of the various tulips. There are a few restaurants and also some food trucks so you have some dining choices if you don't want to pack a lunch.  They are a cashless business so card only and also no dairy-free milk options in the restaurants.  No cappuccino for me *sigh*.

There is also a playground and picnic tables so it's a family friendly place - as long as you can keep your children from picking the flowers! It's all paved too so it's stroller friendly and wheelchair friendly if you have older or less mobile family members. They rent wheelchairs at the garden but I believe you need to reserve them in advance. I'm not 100% sure about that since we didn't need one.

The tickets for Keukenhof are a timed entry system though you can stay as long as you want once you're inside. They do not allow you to leave and then come back in, so if you wanted to bring a picnic lunch you have to bring it in with you at the beginning. We brought along a small backpack so we had someplace to put jackets when it warmed up later in the morning. Our entry was at 9am on April 9th and we parked in the P2 parking lot which is the secondary entrance to the gardens. On our second visit we parked in P1 on April 22 and that main entry gate was definitely busier, although the whole place was busier that day than on our first visit. The only difference in the garden's appearance from one date to the next was that the daffodils were pretty much done by the second visit but the azaleas and rhododendrons were blooming so I'm not sure I would say one was date was definitely better than the other. The weather was decently warm on our first visit though it was a bit overcast. It turns out that the overcast day produced better flower photos because the sun on our second visit created a lot of shadows on the flowers from the trees. They had quite a few flowering Japaneses Cherry trees which were absolutely lovely. 

While we didn't order any bulbs directly from Keukenhof due to the shipping costs, we did make note of our favorites and ordered some from a different source when we returned home. The sad part is that tulips are considered an annual where we live (California zone 9) and it's not cold enough in the winter for a bloom the second year. I'll have to refrigerate the bulbs for several weeks before planting and then dig them up after the plant dies and find a cool, dry place to store them until the next fall when I'll repeat the refrigeration process again and hope for a some blooms. 

I would very much recommend a visit here if you're in The Netherlands during tulip season!

The Netherlands and Belgium April 2026

 We're back! I have a lot of information to share, including some info about using the new EES system (Entry Exit System) in the EU. I'll talk about that first for the people who will encounter that process soon. 

When we arrived in Amsterdam we were directed to kiosks to register for the EES system which involved scanning your passport (upside down and backwards), a photo without glasses, and a scan of the 4 fingers on your right hand. Mike of course was done in a jiffy but the scanner had a hard time with my fingerprints. It finally said I had successfully completed the process and we moved on to the passport control area.  There was a separate line for those who completed the registration process at the kiosk and, once again, Mike sailed right through (after answering four short questions on the scanner). The scanner unfortunately could not read my fingerprints again, even after multiple attempts, so I was sent off to the passport check line to see an immigration officer. This added about 45 minutes and even gave Mike enough time to walk down to the baggage claim and get our bags and then return to wait for me. 

I was talking to three other women in line and we decide that the scanner had a hard time reading our fingerprints because two of us worked in healthcare and spent years washing our hands multiple times a day and all of us had wished millions of dishes in our lifetime. I don't know if that was the real cause or not, but it gave us something to do while waiting in the line. When I finally reached the immigration officer he re-scanned my passport, took another photo and re-scanned my fingerprints. I had put on some hand lotion before reaching him so my hands were better hydrated, so try that if you have trouble with the system reading your fingerprints.  I was finally given the permission to go through and Mike and I headed to the rental car desk. The rental car was another time-consuming issue, but more about that in another post. 

When we left The Netherlands to fly home, I was dreading going through the EES system again and we had heard the horror stories of lines that were hours long at various airports. We arrived at the airport at 6:50 am for a 10:50 flight. Since we were flying first class, we were able to use the Delta Sky Priority lines to check-in and drop our bags which went quite quickly. The next stop was the security checkpoint. Schiphol Airport has an app where you can make an appointment for a 15 minute time slot to use a shorter security line. We  learned about that from talking to the Sheraton hotel staff at the airport. I had booked a 7:30 time slot but it was 7:10 at that point. The airport wasn't busy so the officer let us go ahead even though we were early. This put us in a line for the X-ray scanner that was shorter than the other lines, although the other lines were not super busy that early. Once through the X-ray scanner process, we moved on to the passport control area and luckily the scanner only required our passports and it took another photo- no fingerprints needed - hooray! So we were through the entire process in about an hour. I will say that the airport was significantly busier by 9am and the priority lines and time slot appt were definitely helpful. 

Our first stop upon returning to the USA was at Salt Lake City. We both have Global Entry for customs but I recently found out that Global Entry has an app where you can answer the customs questions ahead of time and snap a photo of yourself. When you land, you submit that information and the app gives you a receipt for a one hour time slot to go through customs in the Global Entry line but you do not stop at the kiosk first, you proceed directly to the customs officer with your receipt. You can include everyone traveling with you so you can go up together instead of separately. I feel that's very helpful because there aren't always enough kiosks and you can still get stuck in line waiting for one. We also had nothing to declare so that makes it easier as well.