Keukenhof Gardens: The Netherlands Park of Flowers And Tulips

You may not have heard of Keukenhof but I can guarantee at some point or another you’ve seen a photo of The Keukenhof park and its surrounding areas.

The place is a photographer’s dream, it’s a dazzling park of blooming flowers and well tended gardens. It’s colour and spring epitomised into one huge 32 acre park – and if you’re visiting Holland during spring time and want to see millions of flowers (I’m sure it’s not for everyone) then it’s well worth a visit.

Along with clogs, bicycles and cheese, The Netherlands is also famous for its flowers (and tulips specifically) – so as you can imagine Keukenhof is a popular tourist attraction. It’s also one of the most photographed spots in the world!

Trudy and I had a few Australian friends visiting from London, so we decided to trundle off to Keukenhof in early spring of 2012 and see the place for ourselves…

Keukenhof: When Is It & How To Get There

The park is generally open from around late March until late May. To get the exact dates, it’s best to visit the official site.

As the majority of people are probably travelling from Amsterdam or Rotterdam, the easiest way to get to Keukenhof is to get the train to a city called Leiden. From Leiden you can get a return bus ticket straight to the entrance to Keukenhof (it’s in an area known as Lisse).

The bus runs almost constantly from just outside the train station so you won’t miss it. The bus tickets cost us around €13 return for two people.

I know there is also a direct Connexxion bus from Amsterdam Schipol airport straight to Keukenhof.

How Much Does It Cost?

I wouldn’t call a trip to Keukenhof cheap exactly. Tickets at the gate were €14.50 each (which I thought was quite expensive but then again I am used to backpacking on the cheap). There is no place in the world quite like it though, so although a tad touristy and expensive (it’s touristy for a reason, right?) I was happy to pay it.

Keukenhof Gardens Pictures

Now we get to the real core of this post, which is all the beautiful photos we took and the flower extravaganza that is Keukenhof.

It was a relatively cold spring day which is a shame as on a sunny day of 20 degrees it would have been a sight indeed. Still, it didn’t make the sheer scope of the gardens and flowers any less stunning, it just made me want to keep my jacket and beanie on!

Check out some the stunning photos we got whilst traipsing around Kekeunhof. Get ready for a flower overload!

A Fun Video Tour of Keukenhof

As usual, I don’t profess any sort of video making/editing abilities whatsoever – I just make them for fun and so you guys can get a live feel for a place instead of just the usual photo essays that are a dime a dozen.

Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?

For me, yes. I love to experience new things and Keukenhof is really a one-of-a-kind experience.

If you are backpacking on a budget and are thinking of skipping the place altogether, then hold up because I have a suggestion for you.

The one drawback we found to paying and being within the park itself was that those massive fields of flowers and tulips often shown in the pictures are not actually IN Keukenhof itself. These fields are real farms and the flowers get picked and sold when they bloom in Spring and to see them via the network of roads and bicycle paths is completely free.

If you’re feeling particularly sprightly what you could do is get the train to Leiden with a bicycle and then ride to the area surrounding Keukenhof (Lisse) where a lot of the massive tulip fields are located. This is a much cheaper way of experiencing the magic of the Dutch spring without putting much of a flowery dent in a tight budget.

Otherwise there is a bicycle rental shop in front of Keukenhof itself and this is a fun and cheap alternative to forking out for a ticket into Keukenhof itself.

Of course doing that you miss out on the glasshouse buildings overflowing with bright flowers of hundreds of varieties and the winding paths amongst the towering trees and the amazingly well tended gardens that have made Keukenhof such a world famous location.

There are lots of ways to travel, so do what you can afford and what feels right, just don’t do nothing at all!

3 Responses to “Keukenhof Gardens: The Netherlands Park of Flowers And Tulips”

  1. Trevor A says:

    I also loved Keukenhof. It isn’t the kind of place that you here much about, but it really is worthwhile.

    • Tom says:

      Good to hear, Trevor! Yeah it’s definitely not something you hear about on the backpacking grapevine, but it’s definitely worth seeing (even if you just visit the surrounding area and don’t pay to go inside) if you find yourself in The Netherlands during the springtime!

  2. Bob Hilscher says:

    Hi there, My wife, Jean, and I spent a couple of days at Keukenhof Gardens, near Lisse. We always knew that The Netherlands (Holland) was famous for its tulips. As gardeners, seeing the gardens at Keukenhof, just simply took our breath away! It was amazing. Without a doubt, Keukenhof Gardens is the world’s biggest outdoor gardens.

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