Visit Keukenhof near Lisse on an easy day trip tour or public transportation from Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, and other cities in Holland to see tulips and other flowers in the world’s largest bulb flower park.
Keukenhof in the Netherlands claims to be the world’s largest flower park. Each year, Keukenhof is open only two months in spring to show off the best of Dutch tulips, crocuses, narcissus (daffodils), and other bulb flowers. Keukenhof is a popular day-trip tour destination from Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, and most cities in Holland. The park is popular with visitors of all age groups – from families with small children to tour groups of pensioners that tend to recall that the park was better on a most memorable visit x years ago. Buy skip-the-line tickets online — advance time-slot reservation tickets are essential to visit Keukenhof.
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.
Visit Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands
Keukenhof’s variety of flowers and colors is overwhelming – around 7 million flower bulbs are planted in this famous 32-ha (80-acre) garden every year. The Dutch, of course, know a thing or two about tulips – using a mix of early, regular, and late flowering bulbs, tulips are usually seen for most of the two-month season. Crocuses, narcissus (daffodils), and hyacinths are more prevalent early in the season when Japanese cherry blossoms can also be seen.
The main attraction of Keukenhof is obviously the flowers but the park is truly a destination for visitors of all ages. Small children will enjoy the various playgrounds while a full-scale windmill, public art, and performances, as well as special displays, add further entertainment to visitors of all ages.
Restaurants at Keukenhof are mostly self-service but budget-conscious travelers may bring along their own picnic.
- Several Bloemencorsos (flower parade festivals) are held in the Netherlands. One of the largest is the Bollenstreek flower parade at the end of April from Noordwijk through the bulb fields region and past Keukenhof to Haarlem. These are beautiful to see but cause traffic chaos — only travel on bloemencorso Saturday when on specific parade tours.
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 is highly advisable as the numbers will be restricted compared to previous years.
In 2024, Keukenhof is scheduled from 21 March to 12 May 2023, daily from 8 am to 7:30 pm (last admission at 6 pm). Standard ticket prices for Keukenhof are around €20 (€10 for children 4 to 17) if bought online — around €3 more expensive at the gate. Skip the lines and go directly to the entrance gates with any mobile phone or printed tickets.
- 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 and school vacations, especially Easter weekend. 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
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.
For most foreign travelers, arriving at Keukenhof by bus is usually the easiest and cheapest transportation option. Four special Keukenhof Express public transportation buses run frequently during the season from Amsterdam Europaplein (RAI), Schiphol Airport, Haarlem, and Leiden train station. Buy combination tickets online or use an Amsterdam and Region Travel Ticket and separate Keukenhof skip-the-line ticket.
Further buses provide transportation from Amsterdam Centraal station — This is Holland has frequent departures while Tickets & Tours offer handy late afternoon visits to Keukenhof.
Driving is also an option — add parking (€10) when buying admission tickets online to save time when leaving.
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.
- See Bus and Train Transportation to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens from Amsterdam or Schiphol Airport for more details.
By Bicycle to Keukenhof
Keukenhof can easily be reached by bicycle – it is a beautiful ride as Keukenhof is in the heart of Holland’s largest flower bulb area. However, cycling from Amsterdam is not the most attractive option and takes around two hours. Exploring the tulip and flower fields on a rental bicycle from Keukenhof is a more pleasant option.
- See Cycling at Keukenhof and the Tulip Fields for more details.
Day Trips to Visit Keukenhof from Amsterdam
Keukenhof is a very pleasant day trip (or a rushed half-day trip) from Amsterdam. Full-day trips combine further sights and are often price and time-competitive as they allow travelers to see several smaller sights in a single day without having to work out travel arrangements and ticket purchases. Adding further sights in Amsterdam — not necessarily on the same day as visiting Keukenhof — often gives small savings.
Popular combination guided tours from Amsterdam to Keukenhof and other small typical Dutch towns include Zaanse Schans (working windmills), Volendam, Giethoorn, or Delft. Such guided tours are a great option to see many sights in one day when on limited time.
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.
Private tours are also available and a good option for families and small groups — often the small group price may even be cheaper than individual tour bookings. In addition to Keukenhof, private tours often include the windmills of Zaanse Schans.
Visiting Keukenhof Tulip Gardens near Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2024
- Visit Keukenhof Tulip Gardens — Opening Hours, Tickets, General Visitors Information.
- Transportation to Keukenhof — Cheapest and easiest by Keukenhof Express bus from Amsterdam or Schiphol Airport.
- Cycling at Keukenhof — Rent a bike outside the tulip gardens and cycle the beautiful bulb flower fields region.
- Bloemencorso – Flower Parade — avoid traveling in the Keukenhof region on flower parade weekend, except when booking a specific flower parade tour.
- Buy Keukenhof tickets online, buy combination tickets (transportation and admission), or book guided tours from Amsterdam to Keukenhof.
- Photos on Flickr of Keukenhof and the flower fields.
Comments are closed.