FLORALIA BRUSSELS
Brussels celebrates the arrival of Spring with numerous events, all involving beautiful gardens, colorful flowers and endless fun. The Hallerbos becomes a magical blue carpet of bluebells in full bloom, the impressive Royal Greenhouses of Laeken open their doors to the public for a few weeks, the Botanic Garden of Meise is full of the most beautiful cherry blossom and magnolia trees and Coloma Rose Garden can be visited in all its glory. And it doesn’t stop there! I have another great spot which happens to be just as lovely: Floralia Brussels.
This beautiful tulip garden is just a short ride away from Brussels – 8km to be exact – and opens for a month or so during spring. A group of both Belgian and Dutch gardeners have planted by hand more than a million spring bulbs which include 400 different tulip varieties. The end result is as impressive as it sounds: imagine a sea of colorful blossoms, like tulips, daffodils, azaleas, hyacinths, violets and lilies in creative shapes that cover a large part of the garden around the Castle of Groot-Bijgaarden / Grand-Bigard. The Castle, a great example of the Flemish Renaissance, is sadly not open to the public but serves as a wonderful backdrop to the flowers.
Surrounded by deep moat and tall trees that have been there for centuries, the property can only be entered via a picturesque five-arch bridge and hosts, apart from the castle, a small chapel, a dungeon with great views over the gardens and a massive greenhouse where you’ll find impressive flower arrangements that change on a weekly basis. If you need a coffee / sandwich break, there’s also a nice cafeteria with plenty of outdoor seating and a small playground where kids can play. On the day I visited, the weather was pretty hot so it was the perfect spot for an improvised picnic with ice cream and strawberries. I was also lucky enough to enjoy a Venetian parade which only made the experience even more unique. Just look how beautiful these costumes are!
If you love gardens, flower photography or are looking to escape busy Brussels for the day, do visit Floralia Brussels. I tend to think of it as a less crowded but equally beautiful version of Keukenhof in the Netherlands – definitely one of the best spots to visit in Belgium during spring!
| INFO |
| Address: Isidoor van Beverenstraat 5, 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium |
| Telephone: +32 494477256 |
| Website |
