On 27, 28, 29, 30 December and 2 & 3 January, the Hortus celebrates winter with the Hortus Winter Evenings. The garden and greenhouses will be open until 7 p.m., with a campfire on our terrace, a storyteller and, of course, delicious mulled wine and hot chocolate.
From 4.30 p.m. onwards, the admission price will be reduced to €7,-.
So: mark the Winter Evenings in your diary and come and sit cosily around the campfire; warm yourself with a cup of mulled wine and listen to an exciting story, kiss your date under the mistletoe (Christmas tradition!), join a guided tour about plant life in the dark or go on your own adventure in the tropics.
Winter Evening tours - Plant life in the dark (please note: in Dutch)
Join us for special and educational twilight tours in the Hortus. Do plants sleep at night? Can plants actually feel cold? And did you know that a Christmas tree is not a pine tree at all?
Experienced guides will take you on an evening plant journey through the illuminated garden and greenhouses.
𖡡 Meet at the oak tree on the terrace.
€5.50 per person.
⏱︎ 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Abe the Storyteller - Campfire stories (please note: in Dutch)
Abe tells myths, fairy tales and legends from all over Europe – from Iceland to Greece! There is the Icelandic story about the boy who met the elves, but was turned into a whale as punishment. A Greek story tells of hairy monsters who try to gnaw away at the world tree, but at Christmas they are allowed to visit our world…
Abe will tell these stories and many more around the campfire! Fun for young and old. There are two rounds and you can join in whenever you want. Tip: listening to stories is even better with a skewer of marshmallows over the fire… (available in the café).
Abe tells his stories in Dutch.
𖡡 Orangery terrace
€ Free
⏱︎ 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Orangery in Christmas spirit
Settle down on our cosy Orangery terrace and warm up with a mulled wine or hot chocolate (with or without rum) around the fire. The menu offers a tasty daily special: need to recharge your batteries after a guided tour or evening stroll through the garden? Enjoy a delicious soup or quiche. The café is open in the evening, but please note that the kitchen closes at 6 p.m.
The winter menu will be available online soon.
𖡡 Orangery terrace and café.
⏱︎ 4.30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
(Please note: the kitchen closes at 6 p.m.)
Winter shopping hours
The shop is open until 8 p.m. during Winter Evenings, so you can still buy a last-minute Christmas present, an end-of-year gift or just a nice treat for yourself.
𖡡 Hortus store
⏱︎ 4.30 p.m. – 8 p.m.