During the annual Festival of Tulips in the Netherlands, a large park located near the town of Lisse makes it its mission to be the most beautiful and captivating place in the world.
This is Keukenhof Gardens, a picturesque park filled with vibrant colored tulips, lush landscaping, and breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside.
It is the largest flower garden in Europe, with over 7 million bulbs planted each year. Every spring, the park is transformed into a kaleidoscope of color and beauty, drawing in millions of visitors from around the world. It is a place of peace and tranquility, where visitors can take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse themselves in the beauty of nature.
Whether you‘re looking for a romantic stroll, a picnic, or a day of sightseeing, Keukenhof Gardens is an unforgettable destination.
The following guide will help you plan your visit so that you can enjoy the most of these wonderful gardens.
For more information, check out this article with the overview of my visit on Easter Sunday in 2022.
Basic info
The gardens are only open for eight weeks a year, during the spring blooming. This year they are open from 23 March to 14 May.
The opening hours are from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM and the gardens remain open during holidays such as Easter and Liberation day.
The nearby Keukenhof Castle is open all year round and is a wonderful side tour away from the large crowds (averaging more than 25 thousand visitors per day) of the gardens.
About
Keukenhof stands for “kitchen garden” and is also known as the Garden of Europe. Each year, in autumn, over 7 million flower bulbs, donated to the park by over 100 growers, are planted across the gardens’ 32 acres, resulting in a stunning display of flowers when they bloom in spring.
Each year, the gardens take on a particular theme so every time the spectacle is different and innovative.
Over a million visitors annually stroll through the gardens in the brief eight-week period when it is open to enjoy the kaleidoscope of colors.
The Gardens
The 32-acre gardens host a variety of areas, from long open streets with rows full of hyacinths to hilly areas surrounded by trees providing shade.
There are canals, as well as a main lake with a large water fountain. The gardens also have several sculptures, statues, and fountains immersed within the surrounding flowers. There are hedge mazes, a windmill, and an indoor flower dome.
Near the center of the gardens is a large open area next to the windmill, which hosts many food stands and is used by people to picnic, rest in the open park, or enjoy family-friendly and children’s activities.
Best time to visit
Flower bulbs are planted in layers and there are three major flowering moments:
The first flowering period is focused on daffodils and crocuses. The gardens will therefore have predominantly yellow and purple hues.
The second flowering period will see the emergence of hyacinths and early tulips. The gardens will be covered with softer tones of blue, purple, pink, and white from the hyacinths.
The third flowering period is the explosion of colors, which culminates the Tulip Festival, where tulips take center stage, painting their vibrant reds, yellows, pinks, oranges, and whites among the lush green backdrop of the surrounding trees.
The best time to visit is before 10:30 AM and after 4:00 PM, when the gardens are (relatively) less crowded, although it is hard to find the best moment given the more than a million visitors who flock there during the limited open period.
Entrances & Getting around
There is a single entrance to Keukenhof.
Bringing in bicycles is not permitted but there is a bicycle rental at the entrance. I personally think it is neither necessary nor recommended, as the number of people on the paths and the generally slow pace will make riding bikes more of a hassle than helpful.
There are also Whisper Boat tours which circle around the gardens and allow visitors to see the vast tulip farms outside Keukenhof.
Getting around with strollers is easy and enjoyable, as the gardens are mostly flat with nice winding paths between the various flowerbeds.
Prices
The single-entrance ticket price is 19 euros.
If you reach it by car, there is ample parking outside the gardens, which costs 6 euros.
Lisse can also be reached by bus and there are many combined tours that offer this option (see Offers below).
All ticket information and booking can be found on the official website: https://keukenhof.nl/en/
Family activities
As stated above, moving around with a stroller is easy and enjoyable. For more grown-up children, there is a nice playground near the central park area of Keukenhof. The hedge maze, as well as the petting zoo, are also good options for kids to play.
Keukenhof also offers a scavenger hunt which is both fun and instructive, teaching about the gardens during the adventure.
The gardens can also be visited with a guide who will explain the complex and precise process of planting the bulbs and synchronizing their blossoming.
Weather
Check the weather forecast before visiting the gardens. Keukenhof can be a paradise if visited on a bright, sunny day and is beautiful even if slightly cloudy. However, since it is open only in spring, there is a risk of rain, and some light rain can actually be beneficial and bring out the outstanding colors of nature, but if it turns into showers, it can clearly ruin the visit, as nobody likes to spend a day in a raincoat in a park.
Clothing/Gear
Perhaps the only “gear” that might be needed is a blanket to sit on if planning to have a picnic in the central park area.
So grab your Sunday dresses and spring clothing and enjoy the gardens.
