Duin- en Bollenstreek

Duin- en Bollenstreek is the dune and bulb-growing region in North Holland, Netherlands, known for its coastal dunes and the extensive fields of spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. The area is a nationally important horticultural zone and a major seasonal tourism destination.

The region is most active and visually prominent in spring, when bulb fields and formal gardens produce large, contiguous displays of color; Keukenhof Gardens alone covers about 32 hectares and millions of bulbs are planted there each season. Cycling routes, scenic drives and seasonal flower tours are common ways to experience the landscape.

Commercial bulb cultivation expanded substantially in the 19th and 20th centuries and the region remains a centre for bulb breeding, production and export. Keukenhof and the surrounding fields have been organised to support tourism alongside commercial agriculture.

Geographically the Duin- en Bollenstreek sits on the North Holland coast between the cities and towns in the Haarlem-Leiden coastal corridor, with a dune ridge forming the barrier to the North Sea and bulb fields occupying the lower sandy soils behind the dunes.

• Best time to visit: Peak displays occur in spring-typically March to May-with the height of the bloom often around mid-April depending on weather.
• Keukenhof scale: Keukenhof plants and shows millions of bulbs each season across roughly 32 hectares and operates as a seasonal attraction with published opening dates.

What to See #

• Keukenhof Gardens: Covers Keukenhof Gardens, a formal park of about 32 hectares that displays seasonal bulb plantings and typically opens each spring.
• Flower bulb fields: Extensive bulb fields where commercial growers plant millions of flower bulbs; the fields are most colourful in spring, especially mid-April in a normal season.
• Dunes and coastline: A coastal dune belt and recreational beaches that sit adjacent to the bulb cultivation zone, forming the landscape transition from sea to agricultural land in North Holland.