Anyone with an interest for flowers who is visiting the Netherlands in spring should visit the Keukenhof. Each year the park is open for 8 weeks during  the spring time. For exact dates see www.keukenhof.nl. The idea for the park dates back to 1949, when it was designed to be a show case for the Dutch bulb growers. Nowadays the park has a surface of 32 ha (approx. 100 acres) where each year between 6 and 7 million bulbs are planted! The Keukenhof is easy to reach by bus from Haarlem and Leiden . There are also excursion companies in Amsterdam that offer half day tours in the morning or afternoon to Keukenhof.