The Keukenhof is an annual festival located in Lisse, Holland, and is home to one of the largest flower gardens in the world! Every year locals and tourists flock to Keukenhof Festival and the surrounding tulip fields to welcome spring and enjoy the beauty the gardens have to offer. I put together this Keukenhof Festival guide to help you plan your visit to Keukenhof 2023 and the surrounding tulip fields.
This post was last updated in January 2023.
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Your Keukenhof Festival Guide: How to Visit the Keukenhof Gardens Near Amsterdam –
Visit this iconic flower park on a day trip from Amsterdam, or even while on a layover at the Amsterdam airport (time permitting)!!
Best Time to Visit Keukenhof
The Keukenhof and tulip fields have a relatively short season, where early bloom typically starts in late March, peaks mid-April, and goes until early May. Therefore, the best chance of seeing the flowers during tulip season and at their best is the middle-end of April.
This year, the Keukenhof Festival is open from March 23 – May 14, 2023.
For fewer crowds, plan to visit the festival on a weekday (Monday-Thursday) or in the morning (between 8am-10am) or late afternoon (4pm-6:30pm). It is always busiest during mid-day!
How Much Does it Cost?
There are a couple of different options for tickets to purchase in order to gain entrance to this Holland tulip festival. I recommend purchasing in advance in order to skip the line!
- Skip the line adult ticket: 19 € – by purchasing Keukenhof tickets online in advance, you can have your ticket ready and scanned to gain quicker entrance into the festival.
- Child ticket: 9€
- Parking ticket: 6€ – This is the price for parking if you drive yourself to the festival.
- Combi-ticket: 29.50 – 33.50€ – Includes admission into the festival (skip the line) and a Keukenhof bus ticket to transport you to and from the festival. If you don’t have transportation to the festival or access to a car, I highly recommend this option!
- Combi-tickets can be purchased for transportation from Amsterdam, Schipol Airport, Haarlem, Leiden, Katwijk Noordwijk or Noordwijkerhout.
Note: Combination tickets are currently not yet available in 2023. I’m hoping they add this option in as the festival approaches, more information is expected in February 2023.
You can print your ticket, or add it to your wallet on your smartphone to have it on you at all times!
*There is also the option to take guided tours, purchase a park book, rent bikes (more below), or purchase snacks while in the park – all of which are additional costs.
How to Get to Keukenhof Festival
You can get to the Keukenhof really easily from a few places around the Netherlands, either by bus or car! If you do not have access to a car, I recommend the combi-ticket (if it becomes available in 2023), which includes your ticket into the festival & roundtrip transport there and back!
Public transportation: The Keukenhof Express hasn’t released a schedule for 2023, but in past years it has left from Amsterdam RAI (line 852), Schipol airport (line 858), Leiden (Line 854) and Hoofddorp (line 859). If you purchase a combi-ticket (mentioned above) you will save some money! Find information at Keukenhof website, but I will also update the guide as information is available.
Drive yourself: (parking costs 6€).
Guided Tour: There are multiple tour options to get to the Keukenhof Festival as well. Most tours include transportation to the festival and your entrance ticket. Some will include extras as well, like a windmill cruise or windmill guided tour.
- Keukenhof Entry Ticket with Transfers from Amsterdam
- Keukenhof Daytrip and a Windmill Cruise from Amsterdam
- Keukenhof and Windmill Village Guided Tour from Amsterdam
Keukenhof’s Address: Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse
Things to do at Keukenhof Tulip Gardens
- Purchase dutch tulip bulbs – Because where else would you purchase tulips, if not at the one of the largest gardens in the world?
- Explore the gardens – walking around and enjoying the flowers and beauty that surrounds you is an activity in itself!(there are over 7 million flowers within the Keukenhof!)
- Climb the windmill – There’s a windmill within the grounds which you can climb the stairs to the top for great views of the surrounding flower fields
- Check out the indoor flower shows – There are indoor exhibits with flowers as well, which are great to visit if you’re caught in the rain
- Pet little animals! – There was a little animal area with bunnies and other critters to pet
- Flower Parade – The Netherlands has a flower parade that travels from the town of Noordwijk to the town of Haarlem. If you’re hoping to see the flower parade while visiting Keukenhof Tulip Festival, plan ahead and check what time the parade is passing through the town of Lisse (where the Keukenhof is).
- The Flower Parade will take place on April 22 2023. Plan ahead to be on time and have a spot to see it pass through Lisse.
- Grab a bite at one of the restaurants (or pack a picnic!) – there are a few restaurants in the park, but you are also allowed to bring food in (just make sure to clean up after yourself!) *Keukenhof is cashless in 2023, make sure to bring a card to pay with*
- Take a whisper boat to explore the area surrounding Keukenhof – takes you to the surrounding area for around 45 minutes. Tickets cost around 10€/adult. More info here
- Rent a bike and explore the surrounding tulip farms – the best way to explore the fields!
- Keukenhof Castle: Outside of the festival grounds is the Keukenhof Castle (Kasteel Keukenhof). If you have time, make a stop at the castle to tour the inside and the surrounding gardens.
How to Rent a Bike & Explore the Surrounding Tulip Fields
If you want to explore the surrounding fields on your own and rent a bike (so not on a guided tour), you can find bike rentals at the tent in the parking lot of the Keukenhof! The cost to rent is 10 € for 3 hours or 15 € for the day. They also provide you with a map, which has different routes with varying levels of difficulty and completion time.
The rental company in the parking lot of the Keukenhof Festival provides you with a map that has different routes you can take, depending on the amount of time and your skill level. There are signs along the road you can follow while biking; I did the orange route! I would highly recommend renting a bike and exploring the surrounding fields :).
*Please remember to be respectful of farmer fields. The tulip fields are private property and outside visitors are not allowed in the fields, as it causes damage to the fields. You can admire them from the road alongside the field.
Other Tips for Keukenhof Festival
- Buy tickets in advance – this will allow you to skip the line and gain access to the gardens sooner. It will also ensure your timeslot doesn’t sell out.
- Make sure to grab a map – a map will help you navigate, and ensure you don’t miss anything!
- Bring a packable raincoat – It was rainy, cloudy, and cold one minute, but would be nice and sunny the next when I visited!
- If taking public transport, purchase a combi ticket – it just makes things so easy and helps save money!
- Pack a picnic – another money saver and the perfect place to have a picnic is here!
- You can visit on a long layover! – If you have a long layover at Schipol airport, visiting the Keukenhof festival is totally doable!
- Bring your card to pay – Keukenhof is cashless in 2023!! You will need to pay by card if you’re visiting and purchasing things at the festival.
Keukenhof Festival FAQ
Although the Keukenhof runs from mid March to mid May, the tulips typically peak around late April (although not guaranteed). This means that the best month to visit Keukenhof festival is late April (around the last two weeks) to see tulips. The flower parade runs on April 22, 2023 as well.
Other types of flowers bloom in the early season, meaning whenever you go you will see flowers – but if you’re after the dutch tulips, later in the season is typically better.
The best time of day to visit Keukenhof Gardens is in the morning before 10am (opens at 8am) or later in the day, after 4pm (closes at 6:30pm). Mid day is always the busiest time of day.
If you can visit on a weekday (Monday to Thursday) you will also have fewer crowds as well.
The drive from Schipol Airport (Amsterdam’s main airport) to Keukenhof is only around a 30 minute drive. You can either drive, or take the Keukenhof Express Bus from the airport to get to Keukenhof.
There are small lockers where you can store your stuff at Keukenhof, but make sure to measure your bag before planning to do this! According to Keukenhof Website, the lockers are 25x55x45cm.
Yes, I would highly recommend booking your Keukenhof tickets in advance. You must book a time slot for entrance, and time slots may sell out – especially on busy days like the weekend, or the day of the Flower Parade!
Keukenhof Festival Guide Wrap-up
The Keukenhof Festival is definitely a place to visit if you’re in Amsterdam or the Netherlands in the springtime. It is so easy to get to, the tulips are iconic, and it only comes around once a year!
Purchase your Keukenhof gardens tickets in advance online, rent a bike to visit the surrounding tulip fields, and make sure to bring a card to pay since Keukenhof 2023 is cashless.
If you want to learn even more about dutch tulip history, check out the Amsterdam Tulip Museum!
2023 Festival dates are March 23 – May 14, 2023. Find more information at the official Keukenhof Website.
Hopefully, this Keukenhof Festival Guide was helpful in planning your trip, or gave you some inspiration!
Have Questions? Feel free to send me an email or message me on Instagram.
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Hey! I’m Kat. Based in Alberta, Canada I love to travel to the Rockies and explore new places around the world. Follow along on my adventures and find inspiration and tips for your own travels.
