Keukenhof, the largest tulip garden in the world

If you are planning a trip to the Netherlands in spring, Keukenhof is an unmissable program, where you can walk among the beautiful flower gardens in a huge area of 32 hectares.

The park is located near Amsterdam and the town of Lisse, it takes about 40-50 minutes to travel from the capital, depending on traffic. For simplicity, I booked a bus transfer on GetYourGuide, which left from Amsterdam, from This is Holland, at the exact time I chose.

This solution was also nice because the price of the program included the entrance fee, so when I arrived at the park, I didn't have to stand in line to buy a ticket, but could enter immediately, without the queue.

It's a good idea to book a few weeks before your trip, as tickets sell out quickly. I like GetYourGuide because you can cancel 24 hours before the event and get a full refund, so you don't lose anything if your plans change.

Of course, you can also arrive by car, in which case you will have to pay for parking.

They also organize a transfer directly from the airport, this can be read on the garden's page. You can also buy a combined ticket that includes the bus transfer and the entrance, just like I bought on GetYourGuide.

The park map is essential for navigation in the huge park. We received it with our ticket before boarding the bus, but it can also be downloaded online.

Keukenhof was a hunting ground in the Middle Ages, and then a piece of land belonged to a castle, where mostly kitchen garden plants were grown - the name of the garden also refers to this (Keukenhof means: kitchen garden).

The tulip garden was established in 1949 with the aim of allowing growers to show off various special tulip varieties to interested parties and thereby increase Dutch exports.

The tulip has become a national symbol in the Netherlands, although it originally came from Turkey. It was first cultivated in the Netherlands in the 17th century.

Usually, tulips bloom from late March to early May, but it is worth checking the Keukenhof website in advance to ensure you arrive at the right time, as the garden is only open during the tulip bloom period.

Other types of flowers can also be found here, such as hyacinths, crocuses, and daffodils, but the sight of flowering trees is also impressive. Gardeners also present flower mosaics and special compositions that change every year.

My personal favorite is the windmill and the tulip garden around it.