Keukenhof Gardens: A Day Filled with Tulips
If you are traveling to the Netherlands during tulip season, you won’t want to miss the chance to visit Keukenhof. The world-famous flower event displays over 7 million tulip bulbs, with a total of 800 varieties of tulips. Continue reading to learn about what you can expect for your visit to Keukenhof including activities and best times to visit.
The famous Blue River was one of our favorite flower scenes in Keukenhof.
Location
Keukenhof is located in the small town of Lisse, which is about 25 miles southwest of Amsterdam. The drive is normally about 35 minutes, but it can take much longer due to traffic from crowds visiting Keukenhof. We experienced an hour-long car ride, but we also visited on a busy day.
Address:
Keukenhof
Stationsweg 166a
2161 AM Lisse
Download a Map
click here to receive a complimentary map of Keukenhof Gardens.
Tickets
You can purchase tickets on the Keukenhof website. A variety of ticket types are offered, with some including transit to and from the gardens.
I purchased tickets that included a bus ride to and from Amsterdam (called a combiticket). My total for two tickets was 60€. I received my order confirmation to my email and printed the tickets on the day I visited. My ticket included information for the different bus routes providing transport to Keukenhof. Here are the instructions I received on my ticket:
• Show your Combiticket to the driver when you board the bus. They will then put a date stamp or scan it.
• Have your Combiticket’s barcode scanned at Keukenhof’s main entrance to gain immediate admittance to the park.
• Hang on to your Combiticket. You need the ticket for the return journey by bus!
Here’s a look at the crowds near the entrance. We did not wait in a line to get inside and there were multiple staff members available to scan our tickets.
Activities in Keukenhof
Each season Keukenhof comes out with a new and exciting theme. I attended during the Flower Power theme and saw some beautiful configurations of flowers to represent peace and love. Antique cars were placed in some areas of the park with tulips blooming out of them. We saw interesting statues and tulips of all types and colors.
Besides the beautiful outdoor gardens, Keukenhof has additional flowers inside the pavilion. These were mostly orchids and sensitive plants that need a greenhouse environment. The pavilion also hosts art and events.
Kids can also enjoy more than just flowers at Keukenhof. There was a playground and a petting zoo available, along with some special events geared to kids. There are also boat tours that offer views of the tulip fields that surround Keukenhof.
Even though it was crowded, you could find little spaces in the gardens that felt secluded.
Bike Rentals
The town of Lisse is full of tulip fields with trails that take you through them. You can rent a bike for a springtime ride through the endless flowers. Rent-A-Bike Van Dam offers several bike options that can be rented near Keukenhof.
These were the fields just outside of Keukenhof, but there are many other tulip fields around the area that have bike trails.
Times to Visit
Keukenhof opens from late-March and closes late-May. Exact dates can be found on the official website. Keukenhof advises visiting on Monday-Wednesday to avoid large crowds. I visited on a Friday on a holiday weekend. It was busy and took very long to get to the gardens, but we had a blast once we got there. In some instances, the garden can reach capacity where they can no longer accept people. A good rule of thumb is to plan to arrive early and avoid holidays and weekends if possible.
This notice was added on the Keukenhof Facebook page on Easter Sunday.
An Incredible Display of Flowers
I loved visiting Keukenhof gardens and it was the highlight of my trip. I’m hoping the next time around to stay in a B&B near the flower fields to experience more of what the area has to offer. Even on a crowded day, the tulips in Keukenhof were out of this world. This is a place where you can’t help but enjoy your time immersed in the sweetest of flowers!
