What is the Keukenhof Tulip Garden?
With more than seven million flowers, Keukenhof is not your regular park! Meaning ‘Kitchen Garden’ in Dutch, the 32 hectare Keukenhof Tulip Gardens in Amsterdam are one of the world’s largest flower gardens. The garden was opened in 1949 to display the flower produce of the Netherlands, then a fledgling industry, the country is now the world’s leading exporter of flowers.
Located in the town of The Lisse in the region of Bollenstreek, a short ride of 40 minutes or less will take you to the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens from Amsterdam. Open only for a short duration of 59 days during spring the garden hosts exhibitions, landscaped flower beds, installations, and sculptures to showcase the best of the tulip season in Amsterdam.
World's Largest Flower Garden - Keukenhof Tulip Gardens
Deemed as the World’s Largest Flower Garden, Keukenhof located in the quiet town of Lisse is a great place to feast your eyes on some colorful tulips. Situated 30 minutes away from Amsterdam, Keukenhof is not only home to 7 million tulip bulbs, it also boasts of a fantastic collection of irises, hyacinths, orchids, roses, carnations, lilies as well as daffodils. A walk through Keukenhof will treat you to a spectacle of colors and a whiff of heavenly perfume. The Keukenhof gardens sprawl over a whopping 32 hectares, hosting various exciting events, activities and exhibitions for adults and children alike.
Why you must visit the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens?
- The Keukenhof Garden is known as the Garden of Europe and its scale justifies its epithet. Each year the garden witnesses the blooming of over seven million flowers including over 800 species of tulips!
- The spectacular tulip fields that you often see in photographs and videos belong to private tulip producers and most of the fields are off-limits. The best way to experience the tulip season without compromising on safety or losing out on the beauty is at the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens.
- The Keukenhof Gardens are a short distance from Amsterdam, making it an ideal day trip and the most convenient location to enjoy the tulip season.
- The Keukenhof Tulip Gardens offer activities and events for the entire family, including kids. You can witness the beauty of spring flowers and learn about them in the various exhibitions, sculptures, manicured gardens and installations across the park.
- The gardens are located within the Bollenstreek region and a visit to Keukenhof allows you to explore the spectacular countryside. The scenery is typically Dutch and is dotted with picturesque windmill villages, pristine beaches, meandering waterways and endless flower fields.
Best Way to Experience Keukenhof Gardens
The best way to ensure you have an enjoyable and fulfilling trip to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens is by going on a guided tour. The queues at Keukenhof Gardens are long at this time of the year, and you can enjoy skip the line entry as a part of the tour. You will also get nuggets of information about the gardens and the surroundings by a local multilingual guide. The tour will save a lot of time by organizing your transport from and to Amsterdam. Plus, you can enjoy perks like visiting a private tulip farm, and upgrades to enjoy other aspects of Dutch heritage like visiting windmill villages, cheese factory, wooden shoe factory, and the beautiful countryside.
Best Keukenhof Tours
Guided Tours:
- From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Flowerfields Guided Tour with Visit to Bulbfarm + Free Canal Cruise:
- A guided day tour from Amsterdam to the famed gardens of Keukenhof with a visit to a tulip bulb farm
- Half Day Guided Tour of Keukenhof & Zaanse Schans with This is Holland: Explore Keukenhof Park and Zaanse Schans with the help of a professional guide
- Half Day Guided Tour of Keukenhof & Zaanse Schans with Free Canal Cruise: An all-encompassing guided tour of Holland’s top tourist destinations
Skip-the-line Tours:
- Keukenhof Fast Track Entry and Public Transport Tickets: Learn about the recent advances in gardening techniques at your own pace
- Keukenhof Fast Track Entry Ticket: Brace yourself for a burst of color and natural beauty
- Keukenhof Fast Track Entry with Hop and GO Flexible Transfers from Amsterdam: Get whisked off in a comfortable bus from Amsterdam Central Station to Keukenhof Park
- From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Flowerfields Guided Tour with Visit to Bulbfarm + Free Canal Cruise: A guided day tour from Amsterdam to the famed gardens of Keukenhof with a visit to a tulip bulb farm
FAQs
Q. Does the Amsterdam Tulip Festival take place at Keukenhof?
A. Yes. Keukenhof is home to the Amsterdam Tulip festival in Netherlands. It is the most well-known tulip festival and garden in the world, located around 35 km south of Amsterdam in the small town of Lisse.
Q. Can I pick tulips at Keukenhof?
A. While you can’t pick tulips at Keukenhof Gardens, you can pick tulips fairly close by. About 20 minutes from Keukenhof you'll find Annemieke’s Pluktuin, a garden that allows you to pick tulips. If you have time and are interested in picking tulips, this is a great little side trip from Keukenhof, and you have a choice of returning to Lisse or just head back to Amsterdam from the picking garden instead of backtracking. Tulips costs €0,25 each and they are open for tulip picking only from March to mid May.
Q. Is There Free Wi-Fi at Keukenhof?
A. Yes! Free Wi-Fi is available in and around the pavillions.