The Dutch word “Keukenhof” refers to the history of the park as a “kitchen garden” (“keuken” means kitchen, and “hof” is translated to a sort of a courtyard garden).

Do you wonder how to pronounce the word Keukenhof? You don’t want to want to know how I used to pronounce (massacre!) in the beginning days and confuse others. Now, my understanding/pronunciation is much better and probably can suggest you try “ko-ken-hof” with hof sounding like “off”. That’s not exactly the right pronunciation, but that’s the best I can describe, and people will definitely understand what you mean.

Ok, I’ll end the Dutch and history lessons here😊 and move on to how to get there.

How to reach Keukenhof?

Keukenhof is situated between Amsterdam and Den Hague (The Hague) in a town called "Lisse". It is easily accessible by car and well connected by public transport from both Amsterdam and The Hague.

By Car: Follow the clearly marked signs to Keukenhof from the highway, or just set your GPS to Stationsweg 166a , 2161 AM Lisse. Look for the sign of “P-Extra”, It’s huge parking area, you can leave your car for about €6 per day.

Please note that the parking will be closed within one hour after the Keukenhof park is closed. Don’t miss the timing, otherwise, you’ve to wait until the next day to pick-up your car!.

By Public Transport: If you are starting from Amsterdam or north part of the Netherlands, there is a direct bus from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (bus route# 858) – which will be approximately 20mins travel. 

If you’re coming from South or by train, then Leiden Central is the nearest train station, from which you have a direct bus (route# 854) to Keukenhof – that will also be the same 20 mins travel.

👉 Note: If you're planning on public transport, you may look at the “Combi-ticket”, which includes the roundtrip bus from Leiden/ Schiphol combined with the entrance to Keukenhof. The ticket is usually €25 for adults and €12.50 for children 4-11 years old. You can buy them online from the Keukenhof website.

By Bike: If you’re feeling strong enough!!, you may bike all the way to Keukenhof in an hour. There’s a beautiful biking route from Schiphol, about 19 Kilometers long.

Keukenhof Garden and the tulips fields are available only during the “spring” period, from end-March to mid-May. (This year, it’s open from 21 March 2019 - 19 May 2019). There will be beautiful flowers throughout this period, but so far what I have seen in the last few years, the best time to visit the park is: "2nd/3rd week of the April" – this is the time when all the bulbs will be in full bloom and tender fresh.

Keukenhof garden is open all days (in spring) from 08:00 – 19:30 hours, but I would STRONGLY advise you to avoid weekends and public holidays; there will be a huge crowd on holidays. Always buy tickets online so that you can skip the long lines and visit on a weekday and as early as you could make it in the morning.



What can you do in Keukenhof (in addition to tulips)
Probably, you don’t need anything more than those stunning 7 million flowers and gorgeous garden. But, your kids may ask more and Keukenhof has something for them too.

⇨ There is a treasure hunt for the children, a petting farm, a maze, and a playground.
⇨ There are various exhibitions and flower shows with demonstrations that can keep the kids more engaged.
⇨ You can also take a boat trip through the beautiful flower bulb landscape.
⇨ This is something you must try; you can rent the bikes from the entrance and go all over the beautiful fields around.

What you can NOT do in Keukenhof (Park regulations)