Only open for eight weeks out of the year, the Garden of Europe, also known as Keukenhof, is a beautiful flower garden on the outskirts of Amsterdam.
This tulip garden is known for its massive rows of various colorful tulips, brightening the Netherlands landscape. I was lucky enough to make it to Keukenhof this past year, and have all the tips and tricks of what you need to know before you come.
When is the best time to go?
Open from late March to early May, the park has a very limited window of visitation. I went on the early side of the opening dates and found that in that first week, it is a little too cold and the fields are just starting to bloom compared to the pictures online. However, each type of tulip blooms differently so I was able to see different flowers from morning to afternoon. If possible, I recommend going in the middle of the season and getting to the park when it opens so you can see the morning and mid-day blooms.
How much time will I spend there?
In total, I spent about 3 ½ hours at the park. There are different flower exhibitions throughout the park, as well as a petting zoo and my personal favorite, the greenhouse. Since the tulip fields surrounding Keukenhof were not in full bloom when I visited, I did not ride my bike around the fields and town. However, this is an extremely popular activity later in the season so I would take advantage of it next time I visited.
How do I get to the park from Amsterdam?
There are multiple ways to get to Keukenhof from city center Amsterdam. I found the easiest for me and my family was to Uber, as the ride was only about 50 minutes and took us right to the park entrance. Other options are taking the bus or taking a taxi. The bus, I found, took over an hour and a half to get to the park and involved transfers and taxis were relatively expensive. However, if you have a large enough group to pitch in for a taxi ride or a small enough group to navigate the bus transfers, those might be better options for you.
What was the best thing you saw at the park? Will it live up to the pictures online?
My favorite section of the park was the greenhouse. This was the section that has the most blooming flowers when I visited, and was bursting with color. Rows and rows of tulips filled the greenhouse with a myriad of different types of tulips. Keukenhof absolutely mimics the pictures online and is an amazing site to visit!
