By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Where
- Keukenhof
- Tickets
- Ticketed
- Time of year
- March to May
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
Opening dates published by Keukenhof: open daily from 8am to 7pm, last entry 6:15pm. Tickets for a fixed date and arrival time went on sale in mid-October; combined bus-and-entry tickets follow in mid-January, with the bus timetable.
Keukenhof is the spring bulb garden at Lisse, about forty minutes from Amsterdam, open for about eight weeks from mid-March into May. Book online: tickets are for a fixed date and arrival time, cost less than at the gate, and are sold officially only on keukenhof.nl. For tulips at their fullest, aim for the second half of April, on a weekday, at 8am when the gates open. From Amsterdam, take metro M52 to Europaplein and the direct bus 852 from outside the RAI.
What Keukenhof actually is
Keukenhof is a show garden for the Dutch bulb growers, laid out among the old trees of a former estate and open only in spring. For the rest of the year it is closed while the next season goes in: seven million bulbs, in hundreds of varieties.
Each bed is planted in layers, so that as one flower fades the next comes up through it. The garden changes from week to week instead of peaking once, which is why it is worth seeing in March as well as in April.
Beyond the gates are the bulb fields, commercial farms where the flowers are grown for their bulbs rather than for cutting. Many visitors spend the morning in the garden and the afternoon among the fields on a hired bike.
When to go
- In the second half of April for tulips. They usually peak from about the middle of the month; the opening weeks belong to crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths, and a cold spring holds everything back.
- At 8am, when the gates open. The first hour has the emptiest paths and low light across the beds.
- On a weekday if you can. Weekends and the Easter holidays are the busiest days, and the roads into Lisse are slowest then.
Tickets and what it costs
Every ticket is for a fixed date and arrival time, and the only official seller is keukenhof.nl; the garden warns that fake sites claim to sell its tickets. Adults pay from €21 online against €27 at the ticket office, children aged 4 to 18 from €11, and under-4s go free.
Online prices vary by day. Combined tickets covering the bus and entry go on sale in mid-January.
Official information and booking: www.keukenhof.nl/en
Getting there
Keukenhof is in Lisse, in the bulb country between Haarlem and Leiden, not in Amsterdam. From the city, take metro M52 to Europaplein and walk to the stop in front of the RAI, where bus 852 runs without stopping to the garden entrance in about 35 minutes during the season. You pay by tapping a bank card in and out.
Driving is the slow option at weekends, when the roads into Lisse queue, and parking at the garden is sold as a ticket of its own.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Buying from a look-alike website
Keukenhof warns that fake sites sell its tickets. The only official shop is on keukenhof.nl, so check the address before you pay.
Planning to pay at the gate
The ticket office charges €6 more per adult than the cheapest online price, and every ticket is tied to a date and an arrival time, so a busy day may leave you with a late slot.
Booking the opening week for tulips
The first weeks are crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths. Tulips usually take over from about mid-April, later after a cold March; the garden’s flower report says what is out.
Driving on a Saturday
Weekend traffic into Lisse is slow. Bus 852 from Europaplein goes straight to the entrance, and you pay with the bank card in your pocket.
Arriving in the late afternoon
Entry closes at 6:15pm and the garden takes hours to walk properly. Come in the morning and leave the afternoon for the fields outside.
Other Amsterdam events
Frequently asked questions
When is Keukenhof open?
For about eight weeks each spring, from mid-March into May, daily from 8am to 7pm, with the last entry at 6:15pm.
How much are Keukenhof tickets?
From €21 online for adults and €11 for children aged 4 to 18, and more at the ticket office; under-4s are free. Prices vary by day, and every ticket is for a fixed date and arrival time.
When do the tulips bloom at Keukenhof?
Usually from about mid-April. The earliest weeks belong to crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths, and a cold or warm spring moves the tulips by a week or more, so check the garden’s flower report before you go.
How do you get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam?
Take metro M52 to Europaplein, then bus 852 from the stop in front of the RAI, which runs direct to the entrance in about 35 minutes. You pay by tapping a bank card in and out.
Is Keukenhof in Amsterdam?
No. It is in Lisse, in the bulb-growing country between Haarlem and Leiden, about forty minutes away by the direct bus.
Sources
- Keukenhof, opening dates and hours
- Keukenhof, ticket prices and planning a visit
- Keukenhof, frequently asked questions and the official ticket shop
- Bollenstreek, bus 852 from Amsterdam RAI
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.