Bus and Train Transportation to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens from Amsterdam or Schiphol Airport

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by Henk Bekker

in Amsterdam, Holland, Keukenhof, N24, Netherlands

The Keukenhof Express bus is the best public transportation to the tulip gardens from Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport.

Getting to Keukenhof tulip gardens near Lisse is easiest and cheapest on public transportation — take a direct Keukenhof express bus from Amsterdam (Europaplein RAI or Central Station area), Schiphol Airport, or train stations in the bulb fields region of Southern Holland in the Netherlands.

Getting to Keukenhof tulip gardens near Lisse is easiest and cheapest on public transportation -- take a direct Keukenhof express bus from Amsterdam (Europaplein RAI or Central Station area), Schiphol Airport, or train stations in the bulb fields region of Southern Holland in the Netherlands.

Transportation to Keukenhof is easy and cheap by bus and train from Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Haarlem, or Leiden train station. The Keukenhof Express buses are the best public transportation options but private bus transfers and guided day-trip tours from Amsterdam are easy to book online. Buy combination transportation passes or Keukenhof skip-the-line tickets online in advance — time-slot reservations are essential and cheaper online than at the gate. There are no train stations at Keukenhof — it is a half-hour bus ride from Leiden, Haarlem, or Schiphol stations. It is more fun to cycle in the tulip flower fields area near Keukenhof than to bike all the way from Amsterdam.

Keukenhof Opening Hours and Tickets

In 2024, Keukenhof is open from 21 March to 12 May 2024. Entry tickets for Keukenhof sold out for the Easter vacations and some other sunny weekends in 2022 and 2023. On such busy days, tickets may still be available with transportation from Amsterdam or with other guided tours.

Admission to Keukenhof in 2024 is by advanced reservation time-slot tickets only — buying tickets in advance (€20) is highly advisable and around €3 cheaper than buying at the gate.

  • The best time to visit Keukenhof depends on the weather but mid-April to early May is usually the most reliable for tulips. Avoid weekends, school vacations, especially Easter weekend, and flower parade Saturday. The garden is usually quieter early morning (up to 11:00) or late afternoon (after 15:00) than around lunchtime. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are usually quieter too.

Transportation to Visit Keukenhof in the Netherlands

Keukenhof Express bus

Getting to Keukenhof is easy by car or public transportation. It is an ideal day-trip destination from Amsterdam or even directly from Schiphol Airport. Many guided tours with the option to see other sites too are available from especially Amsterdam. Cycling is of course also an option but probably a bit too far from Amsterdam (two hours, uninteresting routes).

From Amsterdam, the easiest options are the Keukenhof Express bus 852 from Amsterdam Europaplein (RAI) and private bus transfers from Centraal Station (Tours & Tickets or This is Holland).

Direct Keukenhof Express buses are also available from Schiphol Airport, Haarlem, and Leiden. Using the bus from Leiden or Schiphol are good options for travelers arriving by train from destinations other than Amsterdam.

Public transportation options from Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof in 2022

Cheap Keukenhof Express Buses from Amsterdam

Several options are available for travel by public transportation from Amsterdam to Keukenhof — the first option via Europaplein (RAI) is usually the best choice with the most frequent departures:

  • Direct Keukenhof Express Bus 852 from Amsterdam Europaplein (RAI) Metro Station – easily reached by metro train from Amsterdam Central Station or any other metro station. Traveling time to Keukenhof is around 35 minutes with up to ten bus departures per hour, This is generally the best choice from most parts of central Amsterdam. The combi ticket including bus and Keukenhof admission is €36.50 from Amsterdam RAI, or €17 for a return bus-only ticket. Note this ticket does not cover the metro from Amsterdam to RAI — an Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket at €21 (and a separate Keukenhof entry ticket) may be better value, especially if buying as a multiple-day travel pass.
  • Alternatively, but seldom a better option from Amsterdam, is to travel to Schiphol Airport by bus or train and then onwards on bus 858 — a combination ticket is €31.50 or return bus-only €12. (This ticket does not include any other transportation to or from the airport.)
  • Keukenhof private bus transfers from near Amsterdam Centraal station are possible on direct buses that are similarly priced to public transportation combination tickets — these are handy for travelers from Central Amsterdam as there is no need to travel to Europaplein RAI first. Tickets and Tours buses depart from in front of the station (and have late afternoon tours too) while This is Holland, a short free ferry ride from the station, has more frequent departures.

Important: tickets are NOT sold on the Keukenhof Express buses — buy combination Keukenhof entry and Express bus tickets online in advance: 858 from Schiphol, 852 from Amsterdam-RAI, 850 from Haarlem, or 854 from Leiden. A regular OV-chipcard may be used, or buy an Amsterdam & Regional Travel Ticket (or similar travel pass), or Tulip Festival Card online.

The Keukenhof Express combination tickets include admission to Keukenhof and return transportation by express bus. It is not essential to return to the same departure station but a €5 surcharge is payable to return to Amsterdam-Europaplein (RAI) if the original departure was on a cheaper €31.50 ticket.

Note that the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket covers transportation from anywhere in Amsterdam to Keukenhof on the three main routes (Schiphol, RAI, and Haarlem but not from Leiden). It is also valid to travel to the north of Amsterdam such as Zaanse Schans. Visitors with such travel cards should simply buy the Keukenhof admission ticket separately and not the combination tickets.

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Travel to Keukenhof from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Keukenhof Express bus 858 goes directly from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof during the season. The bus departs up to six times per hour from near the arrivals hall and takes about 30 min.

Keukenhof Express bus 858 goes directly from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof during the season. The bus departs up to six times per hour from near the arrivals hall and takes about 30 min.

The combi ticket including return bus transportation and Keukenhof admission is €31.50 from Schiphol Airport (€17.50 for children 4 – 11) — this ticket does not include further transportation from the airport to Amsterdam. A bus-only ticket is €17 return — buy in advance, use an OV-Chipcard, or Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket), as tickets are not sold on the Keukenhof Express buses.

Get easy online quotations for pre-booked transfers from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, which may be convenient and even reasonably priced for small groups. Use Lisse as the destination for instant quotes if Keukenhof is not listed.

Public Transportation Buses to Keukenhof from Haarlem and Leiden

Keukenhof Tulips and Small Windmill

Two further Keukenhof Express buses are handy for travelers departing from Haarlem and Leiden train stations:

  • From Haarlem: Keukenhof Express Bus 850 departs up to twice per hour from Haarlem train station to Keukenhof. It is also a good option if planning to do sightseeing in pretty Haarlem on the way back to Amsterdam. Any Keukenhof Express bus ticket is valid on this route (but does not include transportation from Haarlem to Amsterdam). The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is valid on bus 850.
  • From Leiden: Keukenhof Express Bus 854 (Keukenhof Express) departs up to six times per hour from Leiden Centraal train station to Keukenhof (30 minutes). This is a handy option if arriving by train from elsewhere in the Netherlands to the south of Amsterdam. The Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is NOT valid on bus 854.

Further regional buses also run to Keukenhof during the flower season (not covered by the Keukenhof Express or Amsterdam & Region Travel Tickets):

  • From Harlem: Bus 50 passes Keukenhof
  • From Lisse: Bus 57 runs to Keukenhof
  • From Katwijk and Noordwijk: Bus 90 goes to Keukenhof.
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By Car to Keukenhof

Keukenhof Main Entrance

Keukenhof is easily reached by car – it is near Lisse between Harlem and Leiden. From Highway A4, use Exit 4, and from Highway A44, use Exit 3. Follow Keukenhof signs rather than GPS once close to Lisse for directions to the parking lots open at any given time.

Ample parking is available — most online tickets allow parking to be added (around €10), which saves on queueing and trying to work the vending machines at the park. (Buy a parking ticket on arrival rather than departure may save time too!) Note that cars should exit the parking area by 19:30 at the latest.

By Bicycle to Keukenhof

Orange Bikes at Keukenhof

Cycling from Amsterdam to Keukenhof is of course possible but really not the best option. The cycle from Amsterdam-Zuid is around two hours but much of the scenery is not particularly interesting. Better options are to bike from Haarlem or Hoofddorp (near Schiphol) — it will be an hour’s cycle to Keukenhof and the routes pass by some flower fields. Bicycles may be parked for free outside Keukenhof but may not be used or taken inside the flower park.

On the whole, few would regret arriving by bus and renting a bicycle at Keukenhof to explore from here the beautiful flower bulb field in the immediate area.

See Cycling at Keukenhof and the Tulip Fields for more details — guided cycling tours are also possible.

If taking a bicycle on a Dutch train, note that a bicycle ticket is required (Fietskaart Dal — €7.50 per day) and it is only possible from 9:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and all-day weekends. Bicycles must be placed in the designated bike space — if none is available, wait for the next train. Cargo bikes and child trailers are not allowed on trains in Holland.

Day Trips to Visit Keukenhof from Amsterdam

Getting to Keukenhof tulip gardens near Lisse is easiest and cheapest on public transportation -- take a direct Keukenhof express bus from Amsterdam (Europaplein RAI or Central Station area), Schiphol Airport, or train stations in the bulb fields region of Southern Holland in the Netherlands.

Keukenhof is a very popular day-trip destination from Amsterdam. Many Keukenhof-only tours are available from Amsterdam but for better value add further sights such as Zaanse Schans (working windmills), Volendam, Giethoorn, or Delft to see more of the Netherlands in a single day.

Fun options at Keukenhof also include guided bicycle tours, self-drive electric car excursions, or even the occasional helicopter flights. Cruises in the region get mixed reviews, especially for time wasting — adding a standard Amsterdam Canal cruise may be better value for money.

Visiting Keukenhof Tulip Gardens near Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2024

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Henk Bekker in armor

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com, he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.