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The most famous tulip garden in the Netherlands is offering virtual tours during the pandemic — take a look

LISSE, NETHERLANDS – 06 APRIL: Tulips bloom in the Keukenhof flower garden which is closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
Patrick van Katwijk

When the Keukenhof garden first opened in 1950, more than 236,000 visitors flocked to the Netherlands to admire the flowers.

Today, the 79-acre garden is still a major tourist destination (and hot spot for taking Instagram photos) from March to May, when over 7 million of the tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, orchids and other flowers bloom.

In 2019, more than 1.5 million people from 100 countries visited Keukenhof over the eight-week season. On the busiest day, the park welcomed 45,000 people. But this year, the world famous garden is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dutch government put social distancing measures in place beginning on March 14 and canceled all events until June 1.

The cancellation will have a “huge financial impact” on the garden, Keukenhof said in a statement. “In the months leading up to spring, a lot of hard work has gone into providing visitors with a beautiful experience.”

But flowers still bloom, even in a pandemic.

Visitors from around the world can check out the famous tulip fields and more, thanks to virtual tours produced by the park’s employees. (There are currently about 40 to 50 people working at the garden. Usually, Keukenhof employs 1,300 people each season.)

Take a look.

Tulips have been a rich part of Holland’s history for the past 400 years. Here, Keukenhof’s managing director Bart Siemerink shows off the many varieties of tulips that you can find in the garden.

Though you can’t smell these fragrant hyacinth, you can admire the vibrant colors.

More than 500 types of tulips grow in this 1,000-flowerbed greenhouse. Fun fact: Blue and black are the only color of tulip that don’t exist.

A brief overview of the spectacular flowers in bloom at Keukenhof.

The oldest spot in the garden is the pond by the entrance.