Every girl has a dream to be mesmerised in the flower fields, and I’m no exception. It makes perfect sense for a million of visitors coming to see the tulips at Keukenhof in Holland every year. It is a wonderful destination to feel love and recall ‘the little girl’ in our heart. 🌷

 

Info for seeing tulips at Keukenhof

What is Keukenhof?

It is called the Garden of Europe, one of the largest gardens in the world. This is a place for you to see many flowers including the beautiful tulips! 🌷

Why choose Keukenhof?

There are many places to see tulips in Holland. We choose Keukenhof because this garden is very popular and well-maintained. Most importantly, it is easy to get there as we have limited time in Holland.

When should you go?

The Keukenhof garden is only open for 8 weeks per year (usually from late March to early May). We went there in early April and some flowers have not bloomed yet. The best time to go is mid-April.

How to get there?

It is easy to reach the Keukenhof from the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol or Amsterdam City by public transportation. We booked the Combi tickets for €24 via online (so we don’t need to queue) which include the entrance fee + the return bus ticket.

What to do at Keukenhof?

Just walking in the garden of Keukenhof with the map taken from the ticket office at the entrance. Then, take a canal cruise to see the most of the flower fields. If you are adventurous, walk outside of the garden. Read more tips below.

 

Our Trip from Paris to Amsterdam

The train from Paris to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol took only 3 hours. We stayed nearby the airport (instead of the city centre) because it was closer to the Keukenhof garden.

Ben looked so happy on the train! He knew I love to see tulips in Holland so he had been planning about this for a while. So sweet of him. 😊

 

Arriving at Keukenhof

We took the bus no. 858 from the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Keukenhof (included in our Combi ticket). The bus was crowded so we did not have a seat. In addition, the road was very bumpy so it was not a comfortable experience. Luckily it was only a 20-30 minutes ride.

It was a beautiful sunny day when we arrived in Keukenhof!

 

Walking around at Keukenhof

Actually, Keukenhof garden is not only about tulips (as you may have already noticed from the photos). It is a garden of flowers. It is claimed to be “The Most Beautiful Spring Garden in the world.”

The windmill is stunning too!

We had a little bit of disappointment because the flowers have not fully blossomed yet. Anyway, the tulips at Keukenhof are still beautiful – just that the quantity was not as many as we thought would be.

I hope the garden is more peaceful but the reality is very touristy and crowded!

Fun fact about tulips: In the 17th century, the tulips were very expensive and some of them can cost as much as a house. Then, the price dropped dramatically when it reached the extraordinarily high level. That period was called Tulip mania. Never thought the market speculations can happen to the tulips!

 

The food at Keukenhof

We had a lunch at Keukenhof garden. Although it was not cheap (because it was a touristy area), but surprisingly the food was quite good. The fish was fresh. Holland is good for fish!

You can also get the free sample of smoked fish from the staffs at Keukenhof. It tastes really good but you got to be quick because it will be gone quickly (will be replenished after a while). Ben was very greedy and ate a lot.

You can’t come to Holland without having cheese!! 🧀 I thought those were fake cheese but Ben said they were real cheese. They were super heavy and I wanted Ben to carry 2 packs of them.

Anyway, we can’t really eat them so we bought some cheese at the airport. We highly recommend Old Amsterdam cheese!!

 

Taking a canal cruise

I think this is the highlight of our visit at Keukenhof. It costs €15 per person for 1-hour ride. Since too many people were on the waiting list, we need to wait for 1.5 hours for our turn (we can do something else during this time). If you want to take the canal cruise, I recommend buying the ticket as soon as you arrive!

A lonely duck. 😋

Beautiful flower fields.

The Netherlands is the largest producer of tulip bulbs in the world. Half of which are exported. It is the right place to come if you love tulips!

 

Extra Tips for seeing tulips at Keukenhof

• Timing is very important because the tulips have a very short lifespan. Ben and I had no choice but came to Holland in early Apr for work reasons; some flowers have not blossomed yet. The best time to come is mid-April.
• Plan your trip and book early, e.g. train/flight tickets, accommodations. The price can rise very quickly since it is a popular time to see the tulips at Keukenhof!
• Take the canal cruise if possible. It may be one of the best experiences in a lifetime! You can buy the ticket at Keukenhof garden.
• If you are adventurous and have time, I recommend walking outside of the Keukenhof garden or ride a bike. We saw many people walking in the flower fields (and we can only SEE it from the inside of the garden) and they get the best view! We did not explore much because the weather was too hot and we were running out of time.
• Keukenhof is not an ideal place if you want to avoid the crowd. It is a very touristy place but the benefit is that it is easy to access by public transportation. If you have a car and don’t mind the trouble, there are more places to see the tulips!