All About The Tulips & Windmills At Netherlands's Keukenhof Park

Spring is a season of new beginnings, where flowers bring happiness and beauty to our surroundings. And there's no better place in Europe to witness this splendor than Keukenhof. Located near the vibrant city of Amsterdam, this world-renowned destination features vast gardens filled with seven million tulip bulbs and other flower varieties. These stunning gardens spread across 32 hectares (or 79 acres) of land. Every year, Keukenhof comes alive with over 7 million hand-planted flower bulbs which bloom in the springtime. In 2024, Keukenhof will celebrate its 75th anniversary, making it an extra special occasion that you won't want to miss.

This world-famous exhibition attracts visitors from all around the globe, offering a unique and unforgettable experience that you won't find anywhere else. Keukenhof will not have a specific theme this year, but the flower shows during Keukenhof 2024 will have their theme. The Keukenhof Tulip Gardens welcomed over a million visitors from all around the world in 2022 for their Flower Classics theme.

Know The Garden

Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, opened on March 21, 1949. Initially, the garden was established by a group of bulb growers and flower exporters to exhibit their products and support the Netherlands' export industry. The following year, in 1950, the garden was made open to the public, and it immediately became popular. In its first season, Keukenhof welcomed around 200,000 visitors. Over the past 74 years, Keukenhof has become a world-renowned attraction and international showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector, highlighting flower bulbs. Keukenhof's events showcase the best of the Dutch floricultural industry.

What To Do

Keukenhof offers a variety of activities and services for both adults and children. Take a boat trip through the flower bulb fields with an electrically-propelled whisper boat. You can also explore the colourful environment by bike, and take a look inside their 1892 mill, or discover the highlights of Keukenhof with a guide, and more.

Check out the series of Inspirational Gardens here. Hilltop Heaven is an amazing garden that draws its magical powers from the bright hundreds of spring flowers illuminating the sky. You can also step into the tropical world of the Beach Garden Inspiration Garden, where the Ibiza ambience merges with Keukenhof's beauty.

Tulips Originated In Central Asia

Tulips originated in Central Asia and were first grown in Iran (Persia) as early as the 10th century. Tulip cultivation started in Persia (Iran) in the 10th century and later became a symbol of the Ottoman Empire. Several historical sources explain how tulips were introduced to Europe over the centuries. By the 16th century, tulips were being cultivated in the Ottoman Empire. The modern name for Tulip is a Latinized form of the Turkish word for turban, "Tülbend," derived from the Persian "Dulband", which means round. It is believed that the name was chosen because the shape of the flower was reminiscent of a turban.

The Information

Address

Stationsweg 166A, 2161 AM Lisse

Dates and Tickets

The gardens are open for just two months every year, from mid-March to mid-May, so visitors have a limited time to experience their lush beauty. As spring arrives, Keukenhof 2024 will be opening its doors to visitors from across the globe. This year, the garden will be open to the public from March 31 to May 12, 2024. Last year, more than 1.4 million visitors purchased tickets to Keukenhof. Given the large number of visitors, Keukenhof limits the availability of tickets. To ensure you don't miss out on visiting the garden, it's recommended that you purchase your tickets online in advance. If you want to avoid the crowds, it's best to book your tickets for early or late in the day and try to avoid the weekends.

Tickets for the event can be purchased at keukenhof.nl. The tickets are available online and are valid for a specific date and time slot. The entrance fee for adults is €19.50 (INR 1,621.82), whereas the ticket office charges €23.00 (INR 1,912.91) for the same. Children between 4 to 17 years of age can avail the entrance ticket for €9.00 (INR 748.53), while children aged 0 to 3 years can enter for free. In addition to this, parking charges for cars or motorbikes is €8.00 (INR 665.36).

Timings

The Keukenhof Gardens are open from 8 am to 7:30 pm. The tulip festival allows entry up to 90 minutes before closing at 6 pm. It usually takes visitors 2-4 hours to explore the entire park and see the tulips, hyacinths, and narcissus. If you have the last timeslot, you might have to rush a bit or might not be able to see the entire park.

Getting There

A convenient public transport connection is available to reach Keukenhof, a popular flower park. You can take a public bus service that departs from Amsterdam RAI (Europaplein) or directly from the airport. To reach Europaplein or Amsterdam RAI, you can take the subway (line 52) or several other tram, subway, and bus lines. The Keukenhof Express buses operate from multiple bus stops and go directly to Keukenhof. You can catch these buses from RAI Amsterdam (terminal: Europaplein, bus number 852), Schiphol (terminal: Schiphol Airport, bus number 858), Leiden Central Station (terminal: Leiden Centraal, bus number 854), and Haarlem Central Station (terminal: Haarlem Centraal, bus number 50 & 850).