Trompenburg welcomes spring with blooms and family activities

ROTTERDAM, 10 March 2026 – Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum is leaning fully into spring, with early rhododendrons in bloom, fresh colour across the garden, and a family-focused Lentefestival on 29 March. If you have been waiting for the right moment to swap grey streets for blossom, bulbs and birdsong, this is it. 

Trompenburg’s own update makes clear that the garden is already shifting into a new season, with crocuses taking over from the giant snowdrops in De Slinger and more bulbs and perennials pushing through behind them. The garden also says several winter improvement projects are now visible, from better paths to new planting and family-friendly additions. 

What is blooming now

One of the strongest early-spring hooks is that the first rhododendrons are already flowering. Trompenburg also highlights De Slinger as a spot where the seasonal handover is easy to see, with giant snowdrops giving way to crocuses and the next wave of spring planting. 

That matters because Trompenburg is not a park you visit once and “tick off”. Across its eight hectares, the garden changes constantly through the seasons, with collections of trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs and tubers giving each visit a slightly different mood. The garden describes itself as both a botanical garden and a registered museum, with a strong focus on biodiversity and plant heritage. 

What has changed in the garden

Trompenburg says a lot of winter work has now been completed. Near the old entrance, path repairs were used as a chance to improve the surrounding borders and make them more accessible, including new shrubs and an Indian horse chestnut. Around De Slinger in Tuin Hintzen, the paths have also been made easier to walk. 

Trompenburg says a lot of winter work has now been completed

Families will probably notice the newer additions first. The garden has added a red play element in its adventure woodland and is now promoting the new Superhelden familieparcours, a family trail where children discover the “superpowers” of plants. On the homepage, Trompenburg says this trail is available daily from the desk. 

Lentefestival on 29 March

The biggest spring event on the calendar is the Lentefestival on Sunday 29 March, running from 10:00 to 17:00. Trompenburg describes it as an outdoor family day where a walk through the garden turns into a spring adventure through a stamp-card trail. 

Children can make a cardboard hobby horse, try hobby horsing, tackle a wheelbarrow course, climb in the woodland area, and help build a new branch hedge near the barefoot path as a shelter for insects and small animals. Trompenburg also promises an extra spring feeling through sheep with lambs and hens with chicks. Regular garden admission applies, while the stamp cards are priced separately at €5 with a loan hobby horse or €12.50 if you make one to take home. 

Find more information on the official website: https://trompenburg.nl/

The biggest spring event on the calendar is the Lentefestival on Sunday 29 March 2026

Flora and other spring activities

If your ideal garden visit includes coffee and cake, there is good timing here too. Trompenburg says Tuinrestaurant Flora reopens on weekends from 15 March, and from 1 April it returns to being open seven days a week. Until then, weekday visitors can still use the Tuincafé near the entrance building. 

The spring agenda also includes other events already listed on the official site, such as the Superhelden familieparcours running from 13 February to 3 April, a botanical ceramics workshop on 15 March, and Ode aan de Daslook, a food forest event on 22 March. So even if you skip the Lentefestival itself, this is clearly one of those months when Trompenburg is giving you several excuses to come back. 

Find more information on all these events on the official website: https://trompenburg.nl/

Why Trompenburg works so well in spring

Spring is when Trompenburg feels especially useful to Rotterdam. The city starts speeding up again, but the garden gives you a softer version of that same energy: growth, colour, change, and enough quiet corners to slow your brain down a bit. 

And because it sits right on the edge of the centre in Kralingen, it never feels like a major expedition. You can visit for an hour, stretch it into an afternoon, or combine it with lunch and a proper wander once Flora is back in full swing.

How to get there

Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum is at Honingerdijk 86, 3062 NX Rotterdam, on the Kralingen side of the city and still close enough to feel easy from the centre. If you are coming by bike, this is one of the nicest spring rides in Rotterdam, especially if you approach through Kralingen. By public transport, it is a straightforward trip into the east side of the city followed by a short walk.