For some reason, I’m drawn to tulips in the Spring. My Easter table decor ALWAYS includes tulips. So when planning a trip to the Netherlands, it had to be during tulip season. Tulip season usually runs from about late March to mid May. As the weather can shift the season by a couple of weeks, we chose mid April. This put us right in the middle of peak season.
In Amsterdam, there are planters with tulips in front of the airport and along roads and store fronts. There were even raised planters within some lakes! But if you’re visiting in the Spring, you can’t miss the gorgeous Keukenhof garden. The garden has millions of tulips bloom each year!
Here are my tips to making your tulip dreams come true!
Where is Keukenhof?
Keukenhof is not actually in Amsterdam. It’s about a 30 minute drive by car or bus, in the town of Lisse. Lisse is one of the towns in what makes up Bollenstreek, or the “bulb region”, where there are tulip fields galore.
How do I get there?
If you’re traveling from Amsterdam, the easiest way to get to Keukenhof is by bus. When booking your ticket to the garden, you have the option of including your bus ticket at that time. This bus, called the KeukenhofBuzz, will pick you up at RAI, at the Europaplein metro exit. You return to Amsterdam the same way, although plan to have a bit of a wait for your return bus.
If you’d prefer the flexibility of driving, you can buy a parking pass at the time of booking as well.
When should I visit?
Keukenhof is only open for about 2 months a year. During that time, it is open every day, rain or shine, including holidays. I recommend planning your visit earlier in the day, and here’s why… Your entry ticket is a timed entry. You cannot enter earlier than your ticketed time. Yet, once in, you can stay until they close, at 7pm. It can get very busy, so if you’d like to beat the crowds, book an early entry time!
How long should I stay?
I’d suggest at least 3 hours for your visit. Keukenhof is huge, with meandering pathways, and a few pavilions. With my 4 year old in tow, we spent 4 hours in this paradise, including a stop for lunch. I wish we had planned for a longer visit, as we didn’t get to see everything they had to offer. If you’re visiting with little ones and want to spend time at the playground or animal meadow, plan for a longer visit.
Speaking of lunch…
Keukenhof offers a few restaurant options. There are also several food trucks for snacks and desserts. The food was okay, but it was convenient. I love that they also allow you to bring your own food. If you enjoy a picnic, then pack your lunch, find a picnic table, and picnic in paradise!
Haven’t gotten enough of the tulips yet?
I highly recommend biking around Lisse. You can rent bikes for 3 hours at a time from Keukenhof. There are 4 routes, each assigned a color, that range from 5 km – 25 km. We chose the purple route. This 10 km route passes several beautiful tulip fields, as well as a tulip farm, De Tulperij! This is what sold me on this route, as you are not allowed to walk through the fields, with very few exceptions. De Tulperij is one of the few farms offers photo opportunities in the fields. It also has a picking garden if you’d like make your own bouquet. The green route (15 km) also offers the option of getting up-close-and-personal to the tulips. Here you’ll find the Tulip Experience and the Tulip Barn.
I hope this helps you plan your trip, and that you love your visit to Keukenhof as much as we did!
Any questions? Tips I missed? Drop them below…
Leave a Reply