Netherlands Part II | Giethoorn, Keukenhof

We went back to Netherlands at the end of our Europe trip as we had to board our plane from the Amsterdam airport.

Giethoorn

On our first day back in Netherlands, we visited Giethoorn, a peaceful village with boat-filled canals and tatched-roof houses. It was Easter Sunday when we visited, so it was extremely crowded over there (total opposite of peaceful). Transportation is mainly done by water though you can walk or cycle on the footpaths next to the canals. You can rent a motorboat and go around the village by yourself or hire someone to bring you around on a boat for a fee.

boats available for rent

people actually live in there!

cruise tours are also available (see that cruise behind me)

Keukenhof

This is the best place to visit in Netherlands during Spring, when flowers start to bloom! Located in Lisse, nearby the city of Amsterdam, it's the biggest flower garden in the world. They are only open when the tulips bloom which are from mid-March to mid-May. There are more than 7 million flowers in the garden, mostly Dutch tulips which are icons of Holland. There are also other flowers like hyacinths, daffodils, orchids, roses and many more. I visited this place during the best time of the year, which is mid of April where most of the flowers have already bloomed. It had been raining for days over there and lucky for me, it didn't rain when I visited! The weather was so good and there were blue skies which made my photos look so beautiful!

Tickets are 16 euros per person

I swear it looks so much more amazing when you see it with your own eyes! Every inch in this garden is absolutely breathtaking and I got so overwhelmed once I stepped foot in this place.

There were many more private tulip gardens nearby Keukenhof and we snuck into one that had very bright coloured tulips.

Loosdrecht & Rotterdam

We stayed in Loosdrecht and Rotterdam for a total of 3 nights and though these two places aren't famous tourist spots, they're still very nice places to walk around in!

Loosdrecht is a small village with beautiful lakes where people sail their yachts and boats. We stayed in Najade Resort which was super affordable and it's situated by the lake. Our lot couldn't get a view of the lake so we had to go to the back of the resort for the view.

Other houses on the street

view from the back of the resort

private yachts and boats

Another view of the lake 5 minutes walk away form the resort

Rotterdam is the second largest city in Netherlands, after Amsterdam. Unlike Amsterdam, it has skyscrapers and futuristic architectures. We stayed in Stayokay Rotterdam, a youth hostel housed in one of the cube houses, which are famous in the city for their unique design.