Valkenburg

The bulb fields are incredible; nothing quite prepares you for the colours and huge numbers of flowers.

Quick Tips:

Allow plenty of time to see the bulb fields, as they get very crowded, and take many hours to walk around.

Best Way To Get Around:

Use a car or bus to get around the country, but in Valkenburg, by foot is the best option.

This hotel is centrally situated in the town within easy walking distance of the main shops, bars, and castle. The food in the hotel is superb; each morning there was a wide array of breakfast items to choose from, including numerous types of bread and hot and cold foods. Dinner was a four-course meal, with dishes such as guinea fowl and beautifully cooked beef. Our room was fairly big, with a TV and nice bathroom. We were tucked away at the back of the kitchens, which I thought might make it noisy, but it wasn't. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and I would thoroughly recommend this hotel to anyone coming here.

The gardens are the world-famous bulb fields of Holland and are stunning. The gardens are hugely busy, as the flowers only bloom for a limited time. There are hundreds of different types of tulip, narcissi, hyacinth, and other bulbs. There is a lake with stepping stones through part of it, a huge windmill, and lots of cafés and restaurants for when the flowers get a bit too much. There are also several glasshouses around the garden named after members of the royal family, each featuring something different, like orchids. The colours are endless and the displays stunning. If you aren't into flowers or gardening, you can still appreciate the colour and enormity of the gardens. It is well worth a visit at least once in your lifetime.

Monschau is a short drive into Germany from Valkenburg, just past Aachen. The drive would have been fairly quick, but we were high up and the weather conditions were terrible. It was raining and there was thick fog, so we took it slowly through some little towns that we couldn't really see. When we descended down into the main car park for Monschau, we dropped below the fog and it stopped raining.

The first stop was the glass factory, where there were some wonderful pieces of glasswork. Next, we walked down by the river, which was full of kayakers, to the town. Monschau is a very pretty town, with Tudor-style buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. The river flows through the middle, and there are numerous little bridges across it. We stopped at a shop to sample mustards and bought redcurrant mustard that was very tasty. Back towards the car park, we stopped at a café for apple strudel and coffee, which was very nice, although we had to wait a while for a table.

Monschau makes a nice day trip and only really needs a half-day to wander around. If you want to avoid the coach trips, you should probably get here early in the morning or late afternoon.