Keukenhof Holland 2024: Tour, overview & info

The Keukenhof welcomes its visitors again from:

Keukenhof is open from March 21 to May 12, 2024

Keukenhof Holland – The largest flower park in the world | Holland is transformed into a veritable sea of flowers and colours every spring. Millions of tulips, daffodils, and other bulbous plants bloom in the ample fields from the end of March to mid-May. Many visitors need to learn that it’s mainly about the bulbs and not so much about the flowers.

ATTENTION: Tickets are only available online here !

IMPORTANT: Parking spaces must be booked directly online. Via the booking step Upgrades.

After flowering, the fields are mown immediately so that the plants’ strength can concentrate mainly on the bulb. The resulting large, firm bulbs are dug up in summer, dried, and sent worldwide.

Transportation from Amsterdam: Entry + Shuttle Bus from Amsterdam
Another option: Entry + Guided Bus Tour from Amsterdam

The tulips begin to bloom much earlier in the large greenhouses. Protected from rain and wind, this is where all the magnificent spring flowers are grown for sale as cut flowers.

Now it’s time to check the opening hours.

Keukenhof is open from March 21 to May 12, 2024

Daily from 8:00 am to 7:30 pm. Tickets only online!

Tulip blossom at the Keukenhof in Lisse

Of course, the many colourful tulip fields that can be found all over Holland are worth seeing, but a truly unforgettable experience for all flower lovers is a visit to the largest flower park in the world, the Keukenhof.

However, it should be noted that Keukenhof, undoubtedly one of the most spectacular experiences during a stay in Amsterdam, is located around 40 kilometres outside the Dutch capital. With well over a million visitors a year, it is essential to be well-informed about admission prices, ticket offers, and various travel options. In addition to the standard ticket for entry to the fantastic flower park, which you can book directly – here – you will find a variety of exciting offers and all other important information and tips in this block:

Keukenhof Entrance Prices – Everything about the ticket offers
Keukenhof Opening Hours – Further information & tips

In the most beautiful attraction in the Netherlands, over seven million bulbous plants, including over 800 varieties of tulips, bloom for around eight weeks every spring. On the 32-hectare site, beautiful arrangements of various flowers alternate with exhibitions and interesting shows presented in glass pavilions. The extensive grounds are divided into unique gardens and are redesigned every year. The 40 gardeners planted the bulbs in the reserved beds, which harmonised perfectly with the existing trees and hedges before the bulbs were dug up and dried again at the end of the season.

Keukenhof opens its doors for a weekend in October when the annual flower bulb market takes place at Keukenhof. Numerous growers offer their bulbs for sale and give tips on how to grow them successfully at home in the garden. This is also the starting signal for the new planting season at Keukenhof, where the gardeners plant the beds again to create unique arrangements for the coming spring.

Entrance fees for the Keukenhof

This table shows the Keukenhof entrance fees and possible bus transfers from Amsterdam or guided tours.

Tickets can only be purchased online for a specific date during Keukenhof’s opening hours with an arrival time within a specified time slot. It is not possible to buy tickets on-site.

The parking lot can be booked on the booking page for the tickets.

An information brochure and tickets with skip-the-line admission can also be purchased from another ticket provider at the same price.

Keukenhof with bus journey

With over 1 million visitors annually, a comfortable and stress-free journey is essential to enjoy the Keukenhof experience. If you don’t have a car, have found a convenient hotel and parking space in Haarlem, Leiden, or on the North Sea coast, or have booked a city trip to Amsterdam, you can also book a practical bus transfer, including admission tickets, directly here.

✅ Tip: You can find suggestions for places to stay near Keukenhof in Keukenhof opening hours, or for Haarlem in this article about hotels.

Tulip Festival Card

Visitors to Amsterdam who are travelling without a car and want to visit the Keukenhof and use all the local transport in the canal city and the surrounding area should at least look at the Tulip Card offer. All the extras included in the card, such as the Amsterdam Travel Card, can be found on the booking page. The Amsterdam Travel Card, including travel to the Keukenhof, can also be booked separately!

Book your Tulip Festival ticket online

Keukenhof – An inspiration

Visitors can marvel at tulip varieties from the 16th and 17th centuries in the newly renovated historic garden. For example, one of the so-called original tulips is the Black Parrot, a black parrot flower.

You wouldn’t expect a Japanese garden among the many tulips. But here at Keukenhof, the gardeners have conjured up a Japanese ambiance with maple trees and a unique concept. Keukenhof also offers many ideas for designing flower or herb gardens for your garden at home in eight small inspiration gardens.

Themed exhibitions and various flower shows are held in the large pavilions, some made of glass. A fascinating orchid show and the presentation of lilies, carnations, roses, and irises in the most beautiful colours have been part of the event for several years.

Over 100 works of art by international artists are stylishly integrated into the artistically designed tulip beds, making Keukenhof the most extensive sculpture garden in the Netherlands. Individual tickets can also be booked directly here.

The history of Keukenhof

The history of Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century. Back then, the vast estate was mainly used for hunting and growing herbs for the kitchen at Keukenhof Castle.

The current name Keukenhof is derived from Keukenduin (kitchen dune), a stretch of dunes near Lisse. From this, the name Keukenhof, the Kitchen Court, developed. In 1857, the landscape architect Zocher drew up the plan for the English landscape garden, which still forms the basis of the large garden complex at Keukenhof today. It was not until 1949 that the first spring flower show was held. Today, over 100 court suppliers are responsible for transforming Keukenhof into a magnificent sea of flowers every spring with tulips, daffodils, imperial crowns, and thousands of other bulbous plants.

Worth seeing – The flower parade

The absolute highlight, however, is the flower parade. Beautiful floats made up of thousands of tulip, hyacinth, and daffodil flowers travel the 42-kilometre route from Noordwijk to Haarlem and then arrive at Keukenhof Boulevard in the afternoon (from around 3.00 pm), where visitors eagerly await them.

Every year, the flower parade has a different theme, and hundreds of volunteers, without whom this spectacle would not be possible, always manage to inspire the visitors.

Tip: Tickets with transport from Amsterdam – VIP Flower Parade

The history of the tulip

The tulip initially comes from the mountains of Kazakhstan. The name goes back to Persia and Turkey, and in Persian means dulband or, in Turkish, tulbend, the turban. The bulbous plant travelled a long way to Holland via Persia, Turkey, China, and Antwerp, where in 1593, the scientist Carolus Clusius planted the tulip in the Hortus Botanicus botanical garden in Leiden and reserved the right to grow tulips in Holland for himself alone. The botanical garden was broken into one day, and the precious bulbs were stolen. After this, the tulip spread quickly throughout the Netherlands, and a veritable tulip mania developed.

The tulip developed into an object of speculation, particularly during the Dutch Golden Age. As the tulip requires sandy soil and a cold winter for cultivation, it soon became apparent that Holland offered ideal conditions for breeding. The tulip trade developed splendidly, and the highest prices were achieved for tulip bulbs. In the 1630s, large sections of the Dutch population from all social classes were involved in the tulip trade.

However, trade quickly normalised as supply outstripped demand, and the rapid fall in prices drove many of those involved to ruin, causing considerable damage to the Dutch economy.

The first tulip-growing area slowly developed near Haarlem, still known today as the city of flowers. In the 17th century, the enthusiasm for tulip cultivation grew steadily; many amateurs cultivated the popular bulb in their gardens to exchange ideas with others, and many cities, such as Haarlem, created extensive gardens outside the city walls to produce new species. Today, the Netherlands is the world’s largest producer of flower bulbs, exporting around 1.2 billion euros a year worldwide. Over 2 billion tulips are produced, half ordered by Germany.

Tulip cultivation and varieties

Over time, more and more varieties have been bred, and the tulips differ in colour and flowering time. Early varieties, such as the Purple Prince and the Beauty Queen, flower as early as April.

The medium varieties, which can grow up to 50 cm tall, include the very robust Triumph tulips such as Calgary, Lydia, and Seville. The late-flowering tulips are very widespread here, as they offer the most diverse varieties and sometimes delight us with their bright colours and extravagant shapes well into June. These include the parrot tulip and particular cultivars with fringed petals. Small types such as Corsage or Buddy are also popular in our gardens.

The tulip season in Holland and Germany runs from mid-March to mid-May, and the Keukenhof is only open daily during this period. As mentioned above, 2024 is from 21 March to 12 May.

The most popular photo motifs at Keukenhof

The Keukenhof is not only a popular destination for flower lovers – no – amateur photographers also find rewarding motifs here. The many different blossoms want to be photographed individually or in groups. Close-ups always delight the viewer because they best emphasise the beauty and elegance of the flowers. But there are also beautiful compositions of different plants, such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths, at the beginning of the season.

Each year has a different theme, so thousands of flower bulbs, the Brandenburg Gate, and Big Ben have already been conjured up. The numerous statues and works of art, which are stylishly displayed among the magnificent flowers, are just as famous as photo motifs as the beautiful 100-year-old windmill. From here, small boats sail along the canals around Keukenhof through the neighbouring tulip fields.

Queens Flowerbulb Shop

Not far from the Oranje Nassau Pavilion is the Queens Flowerbulb Shop, which means Queen of Flowerbulbs. The shop lives up to its name because here you can find flower bulbs for every taste and in excellent quality. The expert sales team is on hand to provide customers with advice and tips on all aspects of flower bulbs. There are numerous tulips and other bulbs in the neighbouring garden. These can be bought as bulbs in the Flowerbulb Shop and taken home immediately.

If a variety is not in stock, it’s no problem – you will find it in the Queen Flowerbulbs webshop. The nearby Oranje Nassau Pavilion, named after the Dutch royal family, usually hosts the most magnificent flower shows. The Oranje Nassau Pavilion, like several other pavilions, invites you to linger. You can enjoy the beauty and enticing scent of the many thousands of flowers with a freshly baked waffle and a cup of coffee.

My overall impression of Keukenhof

The overall impression of Keukenhof is simply joyous, an unforgettable experience. A playground and a maze offer variety for younger visitors, and the many seating areas between the fragrant flowerbeds are perfect for lingering a little longer. If you want to avoid exploring the park alone, there are plenty of opportunities to take part in guided tours.

The professional guides discuss the park’s history and provide information about planting techniques. They also show visitors some unique places in the park you won’t see anywhere else. As mentioned, there is much information about this in Keukenhof Entrance Prices & Tickets.

Keukenhof Holland: Tips

Visitors who want to stay a little longer at Keukenhof will also find interesting suggestions for overnight accommodation in Lisse (Keukenhof) or even on the nearby North Sea beach in Noordwijk under Keukenhof opening hours.

In the same article and Keukenhof admission prices, there are many more practical tips, including how to get to Keukenhof. If you want to read through everything again at your leisure on-site, WLAN is available in all pavilions at Keukenhof.

Address: Keukenhof, Stationsweg 166a, 2161 AM Lisse
Tel: +31 252 465 555
E-Mail: info@keukenhof.nl

Tulips everywhere

There are also vast fields of tulips outside Keukenhof. My tip here would be a GPS audio guide tour for self-drivers. If you save the entrance fee for the Keukenhof, the adventure is not that expensive.

Everything else can be found on the provider’s website. Make sure you book an electric two-seater in advance.

Drive-It-Yourself GPS Tour with Audio Guide

The price is always for two people, and everything is also in German. Have fun!

Museum and flower picking

There is also a varied world of flowers at the Tulip Experiece Amsterdam south of Amsterdam. Suitable for a stopover of 1.5 to 2 hours if travelling to and from the park by car, otherwise you can find out how to get there by public transport on the provider’s website.

Tulip Experience Amsterdam is located at Delfweg 37 in Noordwijkerhout, between Amsterdam and The Hague and close to Keukenhof. Open during Keukenhof visiting hours.

📍 Address: Delfweg 34 in Noordwikerhout
🎟️ Admission: Tickets for the Tulip Experience