About Keukenhof Gardens
Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower garden, located in Lisse, Netherlands, about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam city center. The park was once a hunting area, then Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut’s herb garden, after her death is was passed over to wealthy merchants who hired landscapers to intensify the beauty of the area, currently the estate is owned by a Foundation. In 1946, the mayor of Lisse at the time and prominent bulb growers held an open air flower exhibition, which since then occurs annually and has become the Keukenhof Gardens as it is today.
Keukenhof Gardens covers 80 acres of more than 7 million blooming tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, freesia, hydrangea, gerbera, daffodils, roses, and many more spring bulbs with 15 km of pedestrian paths for visitors to fully discover the beauty of the park.
Each year the theme of Keukenhof is different, the 2015 theme is “Vincent Van Gogh”, as this year marks the 125th anniversary of the artist’s death. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about visiting Keukenhof…
Keukenhof Gardens Calendar and Best Time to Visit
Keukenhof Gardens 2015 dates: March 20, 2015 – May 17, 2015
Opening Hours: open daily from 8am – 7:30pm (including Sundays and local holidays)
Keukenhof Prices:
- Adults €16
- Children (4-11 years) €8
- Children (0-3 years) Free
- Park Guide €5
- Parking €6
Tip: Buy Keukenhof tickets online ahead of time to skip the lines.
The best time to visit Keukenhof Gardens greatly depends on the weather and what you would like to see as there are activities going on everyday. If you want to see tulips the best time is around mid-April. If you are looking to avoid the crowds then the best advice is to go early when the park opens or the hours before the park closes.
Keukenhof Gardens Location
KEUKENHOF
STATIONSWEG 166A
2161 AM LISSE
THE NETHERLANDS
Keukenhof Express – public transport
The easiest way to get to Keukenhof is by the Keukenhof Express buses which provide non-stop service. The journey takes 25-35 minutes and they leave about every 15 minutes from the following locations:
- Schiphol Plaza – bus 858 outside of Arrival Hall 4, last bus leaves Keukenhof 7:47pm
- Leiden Central Station – bus 854 located on town centre side, last bus leaves Keukenhof at 7:51pm
Important tip Amsterdam to Keukenhof: to get to Keukenhof from the center of Amsterdam take the Connexxion bus service 197 to Schiphol and transfer at Schiphol Plaza to the Keukenhof Express.
Price: buy ticket on the bus for €6 (one-way) or use your OV-Chipkaart public transport pass
Low cost tip: buy a Combi-ticket which includes the bus ticket and entrance fee:
Combi-ticket Prices
- Adults €28.50 (from Amsterdam center) €23.50 (from Schiphol Airport / Leiden / Haarlem)
- Children (4-11 years) €12.50
Keukenhof Events:
See all events here.
Indoor flower shows
Consult the 2015 flower shows calendar here.
Flower growers present their flowers in unique arrangements as viewers vote on the most beautiful flower of the show.
See the shows in the following locations:
- Oranje Nassau Pavilion – a different flower is featured every week and flower-arranging demonstrations every day
- Willem Alexander Pavilion – more than 75,000 tulips in over 600 varieties; Lily Show (May 1-17)
- Beatrix Pavilion – orchid, anthurium and bromelia shows
Rent a bike
You can not cycle inside Keukenhof park itself, but you can outside of the park on 4 different routes from 5km-25km long or the more advanced “Bulb Route” which is 35km long.
You can rent a bike at the Main Entrance parking daily from 9:30am to 6pm (maximum time to reture bike: 7:30pm)
Price: €10/day (cash only)
Go on a “whisper boat” ride
A boat trip around the Keukenhof bulb fields and Dutch landscape. You can rent them at the dock near the Windmill in Keukenhof park.
Duration: 50-75 min
Price: Adults – €8; Children (4-11 years) €4; Children (0-3 years) Free
Fly over Keukenhof in a DC-3 Dakota
From April 11 – May 3 you can book your flight to get a bird’s eye view of Keukenhof Gardens on a DC-3 Dakota plane.
The plane leaves from the Amsterdam Schiphol-East airport at the KLM Jet Center
Price: €125/person
Tip: Flights fill up fast so book online ahead of time.
Flower Parade
The annual Flower Parade starts on Saturday April 25, 2015 at 9am and goes until 9pm. The parade covers 40 km from Noordwijk to Haarlem.
Price: free!
Tip: The parade does not actually pass through Keukenhof but visitors will be allowed to leave the park and re-enter to see the parade. The parade will pass Keukenhof around 3:30pm.
Eating at Keukenhof
There are plenty of places to eat in Keukenhof, but like most tourist attractions, prices are not cheap. To go for a low cost trip to Keukenhof bring your own food and drink with you.
So now that you know all you need to know about visiting Keukenhof Gardens, all you need now is to book your flight to Amsterdam!
Hi Siu Xian,
The OV-chipkaart is valid on all bus and train routes to the Keukenhof Gardens. Thanks!
Can I show the e ticket on my phone or would it need to be printed off? I haven’t got a printer! Thanks!
is the OV-Chipkaart public transport pass the same as the 3 days public transport pass in amsterdam?
Hi Sheri. We are so happy to hear you are planning a visit. The gardens are truly beautiful and we are sure you will enjoy it very much. The best dates to visit are the end of March – mid May, so you will be just in time to see the gorgeous blooms!
I have always dreamed of visiting Keukenof but my spring breaks have never coincided with the Gardens’ schedule. This year, my spring break will allow me to visit, but it will be end March. Will the flowers be in bloom (especially tulips) or will it not be worth the expense?
If one is wanting to get married in the Gardens, is that possible? Do we just show up with the person marrying us and a photographer? Thanks!
Hi @reannringatlanta:disqus , you won’t have a problem with the lockers and your suitcases. For the trip back to Haarlem check out this website which is very useful for planning your exact journey: http://9292.nl/en#
I see Pessi has a similar question … we arrive very early in the morning of May 8th at Schiphol and would like to go straight to the gardens and then to our final destination at the Carlton Hotel in Haarlem – will the lockers accommodate two suitcases? What do you recommend for the trip back to Haarlem? Thank you in advance!
@neerajakuruba:disqus, It’s definitely worth it! But since May 17th is a Saturday it will be crowded, so get there early 🙂
Is it worth or waste to visit keukenhof on May 17th this year
Tanks Chelsea. You have been very helpful.
Pessi
Hi Lina,
The GVB day or multiple day ticket provides you with unlimited GVB
travel throughout Amsterdam – day and night – on the bus, tram, and
metro. However, Keukenhof is not in Amsterdam, but rather in Lisse, so it will not be valid to get to Keukenhof.
Hi Pessi,
There are free lockers are available at the main entrance.
I intend to visit Keukenhof after landing, is there a baggage room in the entrance of the park?
If I have a GVB 3 days pass, would it be valid for the travel to Keukenhof? because it says here that to travel there from Amsterdam you can “use your OV-Chipkaart public transport pass”, though in some other discussions I saw that it is not valid for traveling to Keukenhof. Or is it valid just for the trip to Schiphol?
thanks.
Hi Shami,
According to the Keukenhof website:
If you would like to find out more about the flowers, plants,
buildings and history of Keukenhof there is a free guided tour that starts every day at 14.00 from the Bulb Information Pavilion.
You can also book a private guided tour lasting 90 minutes, for groups of maximum 25 persons for €135.00.
Will there be any guide like facility available to accompany in the garden?
Either option is fine traffic wise.
I’m glad to hear that parking is not a problem at the gardens. What about traffic coming into the parking lot? Is it more convenient/easier to drive to the garden parking lot OR park at one of the boarding locations for the Keukenhof Express and take the Express bus?
No, parking is no problem. To park at Keukenhof it costs 6 EUR per vehicle. Have a great time there!
Is parking a problem, if we travel by car to the gardens?
Thanks Chelsea, Is there any guide/Map available for the keukenhof garden? Map of keukenhof 2014?
so where can i buy the 854 bus ticket?
If you are in Amsterdam center you can take the Leiden Central Station – bus 854 to avoid going back to Schiphol.
the combi ticket consist of round ticket schipol keukenhof and entrance ticket right?so i need to take 858 again to schipol?
Hi Shruty! Unfortunately it only goes until May 18…so June will be just a bit too late. Hopefully 2015 you can head back!
Hi.. Garden dates are till may 18. Any chance of getting lucky in june? are the gardens closed post May? Ill be travelling to BENELUX in june this year ( fingers crossed).
Hi Ankita! Yes, it is a round-trip ticket 🙂
Hi, thanks for the useful information. Could you please let me know about the combo-ticket, if it includes return trip to Schiphol from Kuekenhof garder after our visit? I am planning to visit on 5th April with my family, we had already booked our flight tickets.