The Netherlands is known for many things and one of them is tulips. The country has numerous tulip fields but the Keukenhof gardens are a favorite because you can walk into them and experience them. People from all over the world head to the country at this time of the year and it is one of the most popular things to do in the Netherlands.
Luckily getting from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens is not very hard. In fact, you can get to the gardens from almost every city in the country using just public transport. It is pretty easy to figure out if you know the routes and where the stops are.
How do I know this? Well we decided to visit Keukenhof garden from Groningen. That’s all the way up north so we had a ways to go. Back then we did not have our car so we were completely dependent on public transport. We also traveled the distance with two toddlers. Not the easiest thig when they are young but we made it and had fun!
So if we can do it, you surely can. Don’t worry. I’ll also talk about the different ways to get to the Keukenhof gardens from each of the main hubs. I’ll also guide you through the different ways to get from Amsterdam to Keukenhof because that is the most common route taken by travelers.
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Amsterdam To Keukenhof Gardens: Table Of Contents
- Location Of Keukenhof Gardens
- Best Time To Visit Keukenhof Gardens
- How To Get To Keukenhof Gardens
- Amsterdam To Keukenhof Gardens
- Den Haag To Keukenhof Gardens
- Rotterdam To Keukenhof Gardens
- Groningen To Keukenhof Gardens
- Keukenhof Garden Tickets
- Keukenhof Express
- Amsterdam To Keukenhof Gardens Tours
Location Of Keukenhof Gardens
The Keukenhof gardens are located on the outskirts of a city called Lisse. It is just about 2 kilometers away from the city. This is one of the main reasons why I always suggest combining the day trip from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens with a pit stop at Lisse. You could also choose to visit Leiden which is another nearby city and one of the popular day trips from Amsterdam.
We actually walked all the way to Lisse but you could also choose to cycle. For those interested in the cycling route you will find that the purple route on your Keukenhof map will take you to the city. Leiden on the other hand is a short bus ride away.
Best Time To Visit Keukenhof Gardens
From Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens, you get just 8 precious weeks to visit.
The first thing that you need to know is that the Keukenhof gardens are open only for eight weeks in spring. During the rest of the year, this garden is closed. As can be imagined, it draws in crowds of people from all over the country and all over the world. So when someone tells you that Keukenhof is crowded, believe them!
Ideally the best time to visit Keukenhof is in the last two weeks of April and the first week of May. We visited during the first week of April, the flowers are still not fully in bloom during this time. The crowds however are a bit less.
Don’t get me wrong. You can still see loads of tulips inside the Keukenhof gardens. What you will not see much are the flowering fields outside the gardens. So cycling is definitely better during these weeks.
When it comes to the time of the day, I highly recommend getting there at the earliest spot possible. We reached there at 9am . Unfortunately we chose to cycle first. So when we did get into the gardens, we actually entered with the crowds at 10:30am.
That however was what we thought. Less than one fourth of the parking lot was full when we entered the Keukenhof garden. When we exited the entire parking lot was full. There were loads of people inside the garden and it was pretty crowded. I’ve heard that it gets much worse.
Make sure to book your tickets in advance because they sell out! You need to book your slot so keep that in mind too!
When Is Keukenhof Open In 2025?
The dates for the Keukenhof gardens has been released for 2025. The gardens will open on the 20th of March and will close on the 11th of May.
Timings: During this season the garden opens every day at 8 am and closes at 7:30 pm.
Again I emphasize that the early morning hours are the best because that is when the least crowds at. Book your tickets in advance to avoid standing in line or worse being disappointed!
How To Get To Keukenhof Gardens By Public Transport
As I mentioned before, you can get to Keukenhof from all the major hubs in the Netherlands. Some are pretty far out though. So when we visited from Groningen we decided to stay over at Amsterdam for the night.
This was largely because we were traveling with two toddlers and there were train strikes and maintenance which made our route pretty complicated. You don’t have to do it. Back then our kids were 1 and 3. We were worried about how they would handle many transits since we were traveling from much further than everyone else.
In hindsight staying in Amsterdam was a bit overkill. Getting to Keukenhof from all over the Netherlands is pretty easy. You just need to try and get the main intercity sprinter trains. These are faster and save you so much time.
Amsterdam To Keukenhof Gardens By Train & Bus
The easiest way to get from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens is to first take the train from Amsterdam Centraal station to Amsterdam Schiphol station.
Note: For anyone who is heading to Amsterdam from other parts of the country (or world) your bus leaves from Schiphol so you don’t have to head to Amsterdam Centraal station. This is a big rookie mistake.
From Amsterdam Schiphol bus station, you can take a bus 361 to Keukenhof Gardens. The bus takes 20-25 min to reach. During the peak season it maybe crowded but since we visited it at the start of the season we easily found space to sit.
The time taken by the bus is also dependent on the traffic. As you can see in the map above it takes longer because this was mapped out midday. I wanted to give you a realistic idea of the transit time.
For those who are wondering where we stayed in Amsterdam to ease the transit, well we chose to stay close to Schiphol airport and then take the bus towards Lisse. That way we did not have to get up ultra early and did not need multiple connections.
Den Haag To The Keukenhof Gardens By Public Transport
The easiest way to get from Den Haag to Keukenhof gardens is to take the intercity to Leiden and then take the 854 bus that heads towards Lisse. Easy right?
It takes about an hour and a half to reach the gardens with all the transits. You could get lucky an have a shorter connection time if you get a sprinter quickly.
Rotterdam To Keukenhof Gardens By Public Transport
If you are headed towards Keukenhof from Rotterdam, there are two routes that you can follow. Either take the fast train to Schiphol train station and then go from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens or take the train to Den Haag and swap from there.
Groningen To Keukenhof Gardens By Public Transport
We headed from Groningen to Keukenhof gardens. Ideally the best way is to head to Amsterdam Schiphol via the Intercity and then follow the instructions above about how to get from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens which are listed above.
Keukenhof Garden Tickets
When heading from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens make sure you book your tickets first.
The Keukenhof garden tickets are available at the counter but these can sell out in a blink of an eye. This is because the number of people entering the gardens everyday is unbelievable. In order to make sure that your ticket is confirmed make sure to book your ticket in advance.
Note: When you book a ticket, you also need to book a timeslot. You need to arrive within that half an hour timeslot or you could be refused entry if the park is full.
Keukenhof Garden Ticket Prices
Adult Ticket: €19
Groups of 20 people (everyone must enter at the same time): €18.50
Children (4-17 years): €9
Children (0-3 years): Free
Self Guided Bike Tour: €11
Whisper Boat (Adult): €10
Whisper Boat (Children 4-17 years): €5
Park Book: €5
Wheelchair rentals: €5
Note: You can also book your parking and park booklet in advance!
Keukenhof Express
Another great way of visiting the Keukenhof gardens is to take the Keukenhof Express. This is a shuttle service that leaves from different parts of the country (albeit close to Amsterdam in general). This shuttle ticket works to drop you to the gardens and back again to your starting point.
The boarding points for the Keukenhof Express are as follows:
- Haarlem Central Station (Bus 850)
- Europaplein (Bus 800)
- Schiphol Airport (Bus 858)
- Leiden Central Station (Bus 854)
Important: It is important to note that these buses have a fixed time slot. So book your ticket in advance.
Amsterdam To Keukenhof Gardens Tours
Not everyone wants the hassle of planning a trip like this. Sometimes a tour may make better sense. Especially if you are already on a fast paced holiday. During tulip season there are lots of tours that go from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens. Here are some of the most highly rated ones.
From Amsterdam: Full-Day Keukenhof Entry Ticket w/Transfers
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (3078 Reviews) Price: $41 per person Duration: Valid for 1 day 📍Meeting Point: Check-in counter on the ground floor of This is Holland (opposite Central Station) Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
This isn’t a tour per say. It is more of a transportation service. If you want to save time and don’t want to head all the way to Schiphol to catch the bus from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens, then this is probably something that you should look into.
The package includes a transfer from Amsterdam Central Station to Keukenhof. It also includes full day tickets to the gardens.
All you have to do is show your ticket and board the bus. Then you can sit in a luxury bus all the way.
The counter at Amsterdam Schiphol starts at 8am and closes at 3pm.
“It was a fabulous day out visiting the gardens. An excellent variety of bulbs in flower. The buildings with the tulip displays were amazing. Loved the orchid house too. Unbelievable colors and shapes.
Plenty to see and do. Even activities for children and families. Optional boat rides through the tulip fields and a chance to visit a windmill. Plenty of food and drink facilities too. I thoroughly recommend going.💐”
Anonymous GetYourGuide Traveler (Read more reviews now!)
You don’t have to pre-book your slot but it is advisable to arrive about 20 minutes before you want to depart.
What I like about this package is that the return time is flexible. There are loads of buses that head back between 1pm to 6:30pm.
From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Windmill Village Guided Tour
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5 (137 Reviews) Price: $92.57 per person Duration: 9 hours 📍Meeting Point: Ruijtergaard Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
If you are visiting Amsterdam and want to pack as much as you can in a day then this is the trip for you. The reason is simple. Getting from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens on public transport takes time.
If you want to head from there to other popular sights like Zaanse Schans then it gets a bit tight on time.
“The tour was amazingly wonderful and smooth sailing all the way. The tour guide was lively and entertaining. The whole tour went on without a hitch. We had a wonderful time on the tour both at Keukenhof Gardens and at the Wind Mills”
Benjamin (read more reviews now!)
Booking this tour will ensure a seamless transfer to all the locations.
So what can you expect to see with this tour? Quite a bit! Here is what the tour includes.
- Transportation
- Guide
- Entry to the Keukenhof Gardens
- Guided tour of the Keukenhof Gardens
- Clog-making demonstration
- Cheese-making demonstration
- Cheese tasting
- Amsterdam canal cruise voucher (if option selected)
Note: This tour does not include the entry into the windmill at Zaanse Schans, food and drinks.
Amsterdam: Day Trip Keukenhof Gardens with Windmill Cruise
⭐️ Rating: 4.4/5 (559 Reviews) Price: $57.51 per person Duration: 7 hours 📍Meeting Point: This is Holland Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
If you are looking for a tour from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens that is a bit more relaxed, then this may be the perfect fit for you.
“Beautiful experience, I will never forget it”
Laura (read more reviews now!)
Not only does it take you through the famed tulip gardens, it also takes you on a cruise to see the iconic windmills of the country. The windmills that you will see are at Kaag lakes and you will get to cruise around for 60 minutes.
The best part of this is that you can take your time at the tulip gardens before heading back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Get From Amsterdam Centraal To Keukenhof?
You can’t directly catch a bus from here. Instead you will have to catch an intercity to Schiphol and catch a bus from there.
How Far Is Keukenhof From Amsterdam?
Keukenhof is about 40 km from Amsterdam. This means that if you have a car you can get there in a little over half an hour.
Do I Need To Book My Ticket To Keukenhof In Advance?
Yes! I can’t emphasize this enough. There is a limited capacity when it comes to entry into the gardens. On numerous days of the season, the garden is fully sold out. This is usually during the middle of the season when all the flowers are in full bloom.
I however would not risk heading there without tickets no matter when I visit because this is one of the biggest seasonal attractions in the country. People from all over the world travel to the Netherlands just to see the flowering tulip garden. So make sure you book your tickets in advance!
Just note that if you are booking any tulips tours from Amsterdam, make sure that the tour does not include the ticket. Otherwise you’ll land up paying double!
Can You Uber From Amsterdam To Keukenhof?
You can take an Uber from Amsterdam to Keukenhof but be aware that when coming back, it may not be as easy to get an Uber back. Generally it costs somewhere between 45-60 euros to travel the distance.
How Many Hours Do You Need In Keukenhof?
Hmmm… This is a hard one. You could easily choose to stay for longer inside the gardens but I think 2 hours is more than enough. We walked about with our kids who were 2 and 3. They walked through the area and it took us about the same time. We preferred to spend more time cycling around.
Is There Anything To Do Near The Keukenhof Gardens?
One of the best things to do near Keukenhof gardens is cycle around the area. There are various different routes and each one takes you past different tulip fields. This means that you really don’t need a car to see some of the iconic colorful fields. All you need is a bit of stamina and a cycle. The cycle is easily sorted because there’s a store that rents cycles right at the entrance of the garden.
They will even tell you which are the popular cycling routes (and they are marked!) so you can choose one based on the time you have and the energy you have. If you have young kids you can rent a bakfiets which is a cargo bike. Makes exploring the area so much fun.
You can also cycle all the way to Lisse which isn’t too far off. That way you can explore Lisse too!
Is Keukenhof Worth Visiting?
Unpopular opinion here. I think Keukenhof is great but it has become one of those overcrowded places in the world. Don’t get me wrong. A lot of work and effort is taken in planting the tulip bulbs, tending to them and transforming the garden into a spring paradise. If you haven’t been to it before, it certainly is worth visiting. Be fair warned that it’s going to be very crowded.
Keukenhof isn’t one of the places that I would visit year after year. That’s just because of my aversion to crowds. There is good news here though. There are many tulip fields that you can drive up to and see. These are away from the crowds. The one thing that you should do is be respectful when you visit them!
And there you have it. This everything that I know about getting from Amsterdam to Keukenhof gardens. If you have any questions then just drop them in the comments below and I will try to answer them to the best of my capability.
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- Amazing guide to Gouda
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- Where to stay in the Museum Quarter in Amsterdam
- Where to stay in Amsterdam for every budget
- What to pack for Amsterdam
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