Of course, Keukenhof! And this year you have a unique opportunity to visit the festival of landscape art in Holland - "Floriad 2012", which is held only once in ten years!

Floriad 2012 (website) will be held from 5 April to 7 October in Venlo . More than 100 exhibitors will take part in the exhibition, and the whole park will consist of five unique worlds - thematic zones that will be connected by wooden structures . Floriada is a show involving dozens of countries . Here you can get to know different cultures and customs . And, of course, the culture of the province of Limburg will be given special attention . Festival guests will be able to taste traditional dishes and snacks, all meals will be cooked us from seasonal ingredients .

Thanks to the many exciting educational events at the Floriade will not be bored even for children. Visitors can take a guided tour and admire the park from a bird's eye view on the funicular. Every day, a diverse cultural program is planned, consisting of musical performances, dances, literary events, theatrical productions and visual arts of the whole world.

For the first time Floriad was held in 1960 in Rotterdam . Special for such an event in the city was built the famous EuroMast . In 1972, Floriad in Amsterdam was visited by more than 5 million people . In 1982, the festival was again held in Amsterdam, and the park, which was built for this event and remained after the event, makes the city residents and virists to this day . In 1992 within the framework of Floriada the exhibition of sculptures . was one of the most "green" events in the world, that's why 19 000 solar panels . were used to provide energy to the exhibition in 2002

@ Keukenhof (website) - the most beautiful spring park in the world on the territory of 32 hectares, which is 40 km from Amsterdam, in the city of Lisse . The park is open for three months, from the end of March to the end of May . This is the largest park in the world, representing a unity of both traditional and innovative landscapes x ideas . Amazing works of art are also placed among this amazing magnificence of colors, and the park is recognized as the most frequently photographed place on the planet . 8 million scarlet, golden, tender pink, lilac, black and white tulips . Hyacinths, lilies, orchids, cherry, daffodils, gerberas, roses, crocuses, anthuriums, gippeastrums, azaleas and lilacs .

On the site of modern Keukenhof in the 15th century there were hunting grounds . Also, at this month There were herbs and spices for the kitchen of the castle Jacob van Baieren, so the garden was called Keukenhof (translated into Russian as the Kitchen Garden) . Today's park was part of the numerous lands that belong to the owners of the castle Slot Teylingen . Queen of the Netherlands Beatrix and the whole royal family are some of the most devoted fans of the park, therefore part of the exposition is located in parks and greenhouses named after the Dutch princes and kings, where only unique, selected in the Netherlands are exhibited varieties of flowers .

Working time
Floriad 2012: from 5 April to 7 October 2012, the city of Venlo (the festival is held only once every ten years).
Keukenhof 2012: from 22 March to 20 May 2012 year, the city of Lisse

Ticket price
Floriad 2012: from € 30 / person
Keukenhof: from 15 euros / person

How to get there
From Amsterdam to Floriada: from Amsterdam central station to get to Venlo (with one change in Eindhoven), and from Venlo by bus.
The cost of the train ticket is about 22 EUR for one way ticket. The cost of the bus ride is about 4 EUR

From Amsterdam to Keukenhof: from Amsterdam Central Station, get to Lyyden (without transfer), and from Leiden by bus.
The cost of the train ticket is about 9 EUR per ticket to one side. The fare on the bus is about 4 EUR