One Great Day at Keukenhof

One Great Day at Keukenhof - Lisse, Netherlands

Keukenhof is a flower garden wonderland in bloom for a two month period every spring in Lisse, Netherlands. Unique varieties of tulips, a massive array of other colorful blooms, and intricate flower designs are laid out in a well-organized walkable garden. We spent one great day enjoying these spring flowers and share our experience visiting Keukenhof with tips, info, and lots and lots of photos!

A Brief History on Keukenhof Gardens

In 1857, a pair of landscape architects designed an English garden at Keukenhof Castle and to this day the original design remains as the basis of Keukenhof Gardens. In the 1940s, a group of flower experts planned a spring bulb and flower exhibition at Keukenhof and the creation of a spring flower garden was born. The following year, in 1950, the gates to Keukenhof officially opened to visitors, at which they saw over 200,000 people walk through the gates! Clearly, it was a hit! In recent years, Keukenhof welcomes over 1 million visitors in the two-month period every spring!

When we went

Late April, 2025. We had unseasonably warm weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. Locals continuously remarked that we were lucky to have such fantastic weather at this time! Typically, the weather is cooler and rainy. However, this time of year is also when the tulips are in bloom. So you have to take what you get in terms of weather at this time of year if you want to see the Dutch tulips in their prime.

Where we stayed

Ambassade Hotel | Amsterdam

We absolutely loved our stay here. The hotel is located in the historic 9 Little Streets area of Amsterdam, a picturesque area of 17th century houses, bridges, and canals. The Ambassade is actually several homes laced together to create a seamless hotel.

We had a room with a canal view and pulled up chairs to the window, opened the windows, and watched the sites below as we relaxed for the evening. The daily breakfast was fabulous and service at the hotel could not have been better. Staying here absolutely contributed to a magical stay in Amsterdam and we would definitely stay here again on a return visit.

Amsterdam is located approximately 20 miles from Keukenhof.

Things to Know Before You Go

Keukenhof is only open for two months in the spring, generally mid-March to mid-May. This can fluctuate year to year based on factors such as the previous winter and precipitation. Generally, late April is a safe bet that the tulips will still be in bloom at this time. For the current year’s tulip forecast check out Keukenhof’s official Bloom Calendar: Latest Flower Forecast.

Buying tickets ahead of time is imperative as visiting Keukenhof is very popular and likely to sell out. You can purchase tickets here, on the official Keukenhof website: Keukenhof Tickets.

I also highly recommend visiting during the first time slot of the day. We had the first time slot on Wednesday, April 30 at 8:00 am. When we first arrived, it was not crowded at all and we were able to explore the gardens peacefully. Keukenhof gets busier by the hour as tourists and large tour groups arrive by the busloads. By the time we left, around 10:45 am, it was jam packed, and this was on a Wednesday! Another thing to note, if you are into photography, as the day goes on the sun moves higher in the sky and the lighting is less favorable for photographing the flowers. By arriving earlier in the morning, you will have much better lighting for photos.

Getting Here

There are a few ways to get to Keukenhof:

Bus: When purchasing your ticket to Keukenhof, a ticket option is a “Combi Ticket”, which includes entrance to Keukenhof as well as the bus ticket transportation. If you are unsure what you want to do when purchasing your tickets, simply purchase the entry ticket to Keukenhof and decide later. Busses depart Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport for Keukenhof regularly so you can always decide later and still take the bus. Simply get transportation (bus, taxi, or Uber) from your accommodation to Schipol Airport to connect to the Keukenhof bus. There are plenty of signs at the airport directing you to the Keukenhof busses as well. For public transportation information, check out the official website: Keukenhof Public Transport Information.

Private Transfer: The other option is to arrange for private transportation, such as a taxi or Uber. This is what we did. Our reason for doing so is because we wanted to have full control over arriving early within our ticket window, which was 8:00-8:30 am. We also would have had to leave much earlier to get transportation to Schipol Airport and then catch the bus out to Keukenhof. The Uber ride took us just about 45 minutes, due to some morning traffic. It was still the fastest option from our hotel in Amsterdam to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse.

Tours: There are many tours that depart Amsterdam and include the ticket to visit Keukenhof as well as the transportation, making for a seamless visit. Below are some tour options:

Our Day at Keukenhof Gardens

We arrived within our window of 8:00-8:30 am, the first time slot of the day. Upon arrival, we scanned our tickets, grabbed a coffee and a map, and set out to explore the gardens.

From the check in area we turned right and followed the loop around Keukenhof in a counterclockwise fashion. Walking along the seemingly never-ending lanes of beautiful flowers in the early morning light was a lovely way to start the day.

We checked out the Historical Garden, where flowers were labeled with the type as well as date of creation. Before visiting, we had no idea how far back various tulip varieties date back to!

It was interesting to see all the varieties created in the last 500 years resulting in new and interesting shapes, sizes, and colors of tulips.

From the Historical Garden we continued on taking in the magnificence of the rows of tulips along the way.

Across a short bridge is the windmill, which sits against a backdrop of vibrant tulip fields.

It’s a short climb to the top with views out to the gardens of Keukenhof to the front and views out to flower fields in the back.

Views out the front of the windmill

View out the back of the windmill

When we were there in late April, bright pink flowers were in bloom!

PHOTO TIP: Crouch down low to get flowers in the foreground and the windmill in the background! Here is my result:

Whisper Boat rides at Keukenhof also depart right next to the windmill where guests can enjoy a leisurely trip next to Keukenhof and the flower fields. You can purchase your ticket ahead of time online or in the shop next to the windmill.

After exploring the windmill, we took a break, enjoying a coffee in the morning sun at the Beatrix cafe.

As you continue to make your way around the gardens, the designs start to get more intricate. Rows of specific types of tulips are planted creating a lovely visual display.

Ponds and fountains reflect the sun while more multicolored tulips and flowers reside along the banks, creating a magical scene.

Our last stop was the intricate design, which we guessed were tulips created out of tulips, that you could see if you were a bird! We thought we could make out the stems (purple flowers), leading to colorful tulips at the ends.

At the end of our tour, right before the entrance where we began our visit, a street organ was playing some tunes. How fun! It set the mood for this cheerful garden like something out of a fairytale!

Lastly, here are few more of our favorite photos of Keukenhof!

We loved these black tulips

These fringe tulips were our favorite variety

Lunch in Lisse

From Keukenhof, we took an Uber to the town area of Lisse for a wonderful lunch at Trattoria Panini. We sat outside and enjoyed a lovely lunch of salad and charcuterie all while watching life in this small town roll by.

Moms, dads, kids, teens, and grandparents biked to and fro, going about their daily business. Dining while people watching gives you the opportunity to view small town life go by as you dine, one of the things I love to do when traveling. It was a great end to our time in Lisse, visiting one of the world’s most beautiful flower gardens with a glimpse into small town Dutch life!