Experience Floral Paradise at Keukenhof 2024—Don’t Miss the World’s Most Stunning Flower Show! A visit to Amsterdam in Spring can only mean one thing… a visit to the world famous Keukenhof 2024 Gardens to experience the Tulips.
There are many ways you can see the Tulips in Amsterdam, every bridge you walk over in the city will be blooming with colour. But to see the Tulips in the best place you should treat yourself to a day trip to Keukenhof Gardens. This guide will show you how to do this. You won’t regret it, I promise!
Why Visit Keukenhof 2024 Gardens?
If you love flowers and want to see a truly spectacular display, Keukenhof 2024 is the place to be. There are miles of meandering paths that wind through fields of colour. You will see Tulips in more varieties than you could imagine ever existed, alongside Daffodils, Hyacinths and many other flowers I don’t know the names for!
Also known as the Garden of Europe, Keukenhof 2024 spreads for an impressive 79 acres and hold over 7 million bulbs! You can just imagine the kaleidoscope of colour and the heavenly smell.
I was lucky enough to get a beautiful, sunny spring day for my visit and I can confidently say that it was the highlight of my 3 day trip to Amsterdam. I spent a good few hours exploring the many paths and pavilions, soaking in the colours and the scents. There’s something about being out in nature that soothes my soul. Even though the gardens have planned formal beds, they still had a large enough presence to instill a peaceful impact on me.
Upon entering the garden, you immediately encounter vast swaths of flowers and fragrance.Pick up a map to help you navigate your way through the many different areas, to make sure you don’t miss anything. But don’t rush around, take your time, sit and enjoy the uplifting scents, the vibrant colours and the birdsong.
When should I visit Keukenhof 2024?
The gardens at Keukenhof 2024 are open for 8 weeks, from Thursday 24th March to Sunday 15th May 2022 and from 8am – 7.30pm. If you can visit midweek the crowds will be slightly less. I was there on a Wednesday and although there were areas that were busy, it was easy to also get away from the crowds along lots of the smaller paths.
Do I need to buy a ticket in advance?
Yes, is the short answer to this. You should buy your tickets online prior to arriving. You can choose a time slot to arrive; the advantage to this, is that the gardens may be slightly less crowded than in previous years. You can buy tickets directly from Keukenhof 2024 here: https://keukenhof.combi.ticketcounter.eu/en-US/tickets An adult ticket costs approx £18.50 and a child £9
Where are Keukenhof Gardens?
Keukenhof 2024 Gardens are located on the outskirts of the small town called Lisse, approximately 25 miles outside of Amsterdam in South Holland. The address is Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse. The bus from central Amsterdam takes approx one hour to reach the gardens.
The area is known as Duin- en Bollenstreek and used to be part of the seabed. The peaty soil that remains there is ideal for growing tulips and has contributed to the Netherlands becoming the world’s largest exporter of flowers.
What to expect at Keukenhof Gardens
The Pavilions
The Pavilions house floral art in contemporary displays in keeping with the theme of the year. Each year has a different theme. In 2019, the theme was ‘Flower Power,’ and the pavilions were adorned with images of love and 70’s hippy vibes.Imagine VW Beatles overflowing with flowers, psychedelic colours creating a sense of light and happiness and relaxed, informal displays. I’m most definitely a hippy at heart so I absolutely loved the whimsical displays. My favourites were the golden Buddha and the VW Beatle. Previous years themes have included Romance & Flowers and Van Gogh. This year’s theme is ‘Flower Classics.’
The Beatrix Pavilion holds the Orchid displays, where you can see a vast variety of Orchids of all colours and varieties.
The areas
Each garden at Keukenhof 2024 is divided into distinct areas, each with its own style and ambiance.
I love wild flower areas most of all, so it comes as no surprise that the highlights of Keukenhof 2022 for me are the Cottage Garden and the Green Tea Garden.
The Cottage Garden has a wild feel, with a rugged combination of indigenous wild plants and bulbs. While the Green Tea Garden is full of herbs including mint, lemon balm, camomile, chocolate mint and aniseed. You can have a cup of tea in the greenhouse here. Just imagine the divine scents!!
Other gardens this year include a romance garden full of red flowers and cupid statues. A beach garden complete with palm trees and hammocks and a re-connection garden focusing on sustainability.
The Windmill and Boat Rides
At the far right-hand side of the park you will find a windmill that you can enter for free. Climb up to the viewing platform which has amazing views over the Tulip fields of Lisse and the gardens themselves.
You can also choose, for an extra fee of around £9. To take a 45 minute electric boat ride through the fields. This ride allows you to see the fields from close up. But they are not ideal for taking those Instagram shots of the Tulips. As you are lower than the banks, something I didn’t think of! It is a lovely peaceful ride though and I would definitely recommend it.
Art at Keukenhof 2024
Keukenhof also hosts a number of artists to create art installations around the park. So watch out for sculptures scattered amongst the flower beds.
The children’s petting farm
The Animal Meadow was a complete surprise to me as I walked around Keukenhof. I saw a crowd through the trees and followed the trail to see what was happening.
Imagine my surprise when I encountered pygmy pot-bellied pigs, peacocks, goats, and rabbits. If you are traveling with children, I’m sure this area will be a massive hit.But even if you’re not, you don’t need to be a child to enjoy adorable animals. Definitely stop by for cuteness overload.
The Keukenhof 2024 Flower Parade
If you time your visit right, you can be there on the day of the flower parade. The parade, also known as ‘the bloemencors. Takes place on a Saturday during April; the date for 2022 is Saturday 23rd April. Expect floats with designs made out of flowers on the theme ‘Celebrating Memories.’
You can view the parade at a number of towns along the route. Some, such as Voorhout, Lisse, Sassenheim and Hillegrom have grandstands that you can buy seating tickets for. If this appeals to you, be organised and buy tickets for this early, as they will sell out in advance. Tickets cost approx £25. You can buy your tickets here: https://tulipfestivalamsterdam.com/flower-parade-tickets-tours/#0-grandstand-flower-parade
A grandstand ticket comes with extra activities, including a guided walk through the tulip fields, or a flower workshop and offers lunch at a cafe onsite. This would allow a much more insightful experience into the event and is one that I would go for, should I be visiting over the parade weekend.
The parade culminates in Harlaam, and remains parked at the Grote Markt on the Sunday until around 4pm, so you can .
Additional Information
Get your tickets early!
Expect Keukenhof to be completely sold out on this day, so don’t assume you can simply arrive without a reservation. The Flower parade is scheduled to pass by the Keukenhof entrance at around 15:45 to 16:00, and since it moves slowly, anticipate it taking between 45 minutes to an hour to pass by.You should start lining up along the roadside at least an hour before the parade. Some individuals will pick a spot to sit on the side of the road first thing in the morning to get the finest view. You can bring a picnic and drinks and spend the day sitting close to the road, enjoying the party atmosphere.
Even though the parade doesn’t pass until mid afternoon you can expect traffic jams around Keukenhof from 10am, so my advice is to get there super early (Keukenhof opens at 8am), enjoy the gardens for a few hours, then come out and stake a claim roadside for the best view.
Here is a link for a sneak preview of this years parade: https://youtu.be/ae3Mb-oB2AY
How to get to Keukenhof 2024 from Amsterdam
I bought a combi entrance and bus ticket, as I was travelling out from Amsterdam. This is by far the easiest way to travel to the gardens. The combi ticket cost £33.50 and the bus picked me up at the front of RAI Amsterdam and dropped me at the entrance to the park. It was very easy to find the return stop outside the front of the park as well. This was super important to me, as a solo female traveller, that logistics were easy and clear to prevent any panicking! I caught bus number 852, which leaves every 10 minutes. There were no queues, delays or issues, my journey was smooth and uneventful. The best part of the journey was that we travelled past quite a few Tulip fields on the way 🙂
If you have a car there is parking at Keukenhof for approx £6.
How long to plan to spend seeing the Tulips at Keukenhof 2024
You should plan to have a half day at Keukenhof, there are 79 acres of wonderful winding paths. Tulip displays, a windmill a petting zoo, boat rides and art to explore. That will take some time because you will be stopping every other minute to photograph yet another spectacular show. There are also a quite a few cafes dotted about if you need a wee rest or a toilet break. I should warn you though, to expect high prices within the park. If you’re on a budget it might be better to take a picnic in with you. There are many benches and seats around the gardens to have your lunch on, whilst relaxing and enjoying the views.
Useful info to know when visiting Keukenhof 2024
The gardens have free small lockers available to store your luggage or backpack.
You can take your dog as long as you keep it on a lead, but you won’t be able to enter the pavilions or the cafes.
Wheelchairs are available to hire for £5. Electric wheelchairs are allowed in the grounds but are not available to hire.
There is free wi-fi throughout the park.
Exploring the Tulip fields around Lisse
If you want to immerse yourself more in the Tulip fields around Keukenhof. You can hire a bike from just outside the entrance. There are 2 companies, one on either side of the gate, which seemed very similar in price and what they provided. I did quite a lot of research into this as it was something I really wanted to do. However, when I was there I was already so saddle sore from having hired a bike in Bruges a couple of days before. That I couldn’t face it!! #reasonstoreturn 🙂 the price seems to be around £15 for a full day or £10 for a half day. Bike Rental Lisse has electric bikes for hire and all places seem to also have tandem bikes. If you fancy giving that a go. You can find out more details and book through this link: https://tulipfestivalamsterdam.com/rental-bike-keukenhof-flower-fields/
The routes vary between 5 and 25km, so there is something suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. You can even walk the shorter routes if you don’t want to cycle them.
Helicopter flights over the Tulip fields
If money is not an issue how would you like to take a helicopter ride over the Tulip fields? The ultimate way to view the Tulips, helicopter flights are available over 6 weekends throughout April and cost from £129 per person, for a 10 minute flight. Costs accelerate up to half hour flight times. The helicopter can take up to 4 passengers at a time. Book here: https://tulipfestivalamsterdam.com/keukenhof-flower-fields-helicopter-tour/
Interesting Facts about Tulips in Amsterdam
Did you know the name Tulip comes from the Persian word ‘tulipan,’ which means turban — referring to the shape of the Tulip bulbtiny…?
Yes, it is interesting to note that Tulips are not native to the Netherlands; they were imported from Turkey during the 16th century.
It’s fascinating to know that striped Tulips were originally created by a virus transmitted by flies.
Do you know there are over 3500 types of tulips?
It is worth noting that Tulips continue to grow after they have been cut.
Solo Female Travel Safety Rating
As a solo female traveler, I always want to know how safe other women felt at any destination I read about.I would grade a visit to Keukenhof Gardens at a 10 out of 10 for safety. At no time during my travel, or during my visit did I feel unsafe. There were staff around to ask for help, if I had needed any. And generally I felt there was just a really positive atmosphere within the gardens.
Is Keukenhof on your bucket list? Have you visited anywhere just to see the gardens? Let us know in the comments below.
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11 Comments
I’m so happy you found this useful 🙂
What a beautiful trip! I can’t even imagine what it was like visiting in person. Thanks for sharing!
Thankyou, it was seriously lovely 😁
This is a great article! I went to see tulip gardens many years ago and had no clue where to go or what to do… wish I had this information 🙂 Will save it for the future in case I decide to go back!
Thanks Lasma, so glad it was helpful to you 🙂
It is SUCH a beautiful garden! I can totally see why you loved it so much (and it is really cool to learn more about tulips… I had no idea that their name came from Persian word ‘tulipan’ for tubans. It makes sense once you hear that! 🙂
It is so beautiful, I would definitely go back again 🙂
I’ve been to Amsterdam but not during Tulip season. You are giving me a reason to go back! Plus, I learned a few new facts about Tulips!
It’s such a short season, but well worth visiting at that time 🙂
Visiting tulip fields is one of the top items on my bucket list. You have captured them beautifully plus added a lot of additional things to see and do.
Thanks so much, I 100% recommend going, you won’t be disappointed