Keukenhof in the Netherlands

[BellissimoGecko]

Anyone been to Keukenhof? I want to go this spring. Does anyone have any recommendations about the best way to travel there and where to stay, or any other places to visit? Thank you!

We are are going this year, yet to book though, so it's open 20th March to 11th May. I'd be inclined to wait until April for better flower displays. We plan to see nearby, lots of places are full, looking at Leiden and then travel by bus from there. Unfortunately it's not on the train line. There are lots of tours running from Amsterdam if you prefer that. We plan to have 3 days in Amsterdam then couple of days at Efteling (we have kids) before heading to Leiden. We want to be in Leiden to access the flower parade.

Thanks!

I think we might hire a house for a week then add on the flower festival at the end of that - or get a house closer so that we can drive to Keukenhof.

We were in Amsterdam last year so would prefer somewhere different...

there is a direct bus from leiden to keukenhof.

you could stay in leiden and explore den haag, delft, rotterdam.

there is the ferry from harwich to rotterdam/hoek van holland

Bump... we went to Keukenhof today. Our second visit. The first was 6-7 years ago in May and many of the flowers were past their best. We had wanted to go in the second week of April this time (everyone says that's the optimum window) but the dates didn't work, so we went today.

The majority of the tulips were not yet open, both in the garden itself and the surrounding bulb fields (which you can drive around in an electric boat starting from the garden), but there were masses of daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses - and some tulips. One of the pavilions had a dense display of tulips in flower under cover. In a week the place will be a riot of colour.

In some ways it was nice not being overwhelmed by border after border of yellows and reds, as it enabled (forced?) us to look closer at some of the displays. We came away with a lot of beautiful pictures regardless.

Entrance was €20 (€25 if you just rock up on the day) and the bus from Amsterdam or Schiphol adds €12 return - we thought this was good value. Food and drink are not cheap but not too crazy either, and you can take drinks or a picnic in.

One nice thing is that it's run by a non-profit and there is no corporate presence, other than the names of the bulb growers, which are mostly local family businesses. Almost anywhere else the main building (Willem Alexander Pavilion, named after the king) would be called the Microsoft Cortana Exhibit or some such nonsense.

We went first week of May last year which was considered "peak bloom" and the place was sold and absolutely heaving. The website gives a good indication of what there is to see week by week. We live in Brussels and did a coach trip with a stop / walking tour in Delft on the way - it was a lovely day out. As already mentioned - easy to get there from Leiden on the bus (but it will get busy). We just spent a weekend in Utrecht which was lovely. You could stay near the coast e.g. noordwijk and drive easily enough.

PS I thought the food offerings were really poor and expensive and wish I'd taken a picnic. You could get a burger or ice cream - though the queues were long.

The drinks were certainly expensive. We shared a chicken poke bowl, a slice of apple pie, and a large beer, for €29, and the beer was quite a bit of that. A large (fresh, melt-in-the-mouth) stroopwafel was €3.95. But attractions/parks are never cheap for catering, and it feels less bad when you know that the money goes back into the displays. The behind-the-scenes videos were really interesting, and I managed to get a few minutes to talk to one of the gardeners.

We went in 2022, in the second week of April. The tulips were in full bloom and it was glorious. One of my favourite days out ever.
We were staying in central Amsterdam, and got the metro to a big train station (can’t remember the name), and then queued at the dedicated Keukenhof bus stop. The buses are brightly painted and highly visible. It was really straightforward and well organised. We bought our tickets online to include the bus. We also included the little boat ride within our ticket, although you could queue up and pay for it when you arrive. I think it’s called the silent boat (because it’s a quiet engine?) It takes you on the canal around the bulb fields - worth doing, and we saw a hare!
Regarding food, we queued for a long time in the main cafe, and had apple cake and hot drinks. It was really busy , but manageable. There were lots of benches dotted around outside where you could eat your own food.
The only slight downside of the day was the return bus journey, as everyone seemed to leave at the same time, and we had to wait a while for the bus.
I agree with a PP, it’s not commercial, which adds to the enjoyment. You can buy little bags of bulbs at the shop, but otherwise it’s very low key. I’m hoping to return in the next couple of years, as I enjoyed it so much.