Visiting the Netherlands in spring and wondering what to put on your itinerary? Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse is one of the best places and a flower wonderland to be on your list. Located about 40 kilometers from Amsterdam, the garden has over 1.5 million visitors, who visit the seasonal garden annually from mid-March to mid-May.
You witness a plethora of flowers of different varieties, like tulips, daffodils, roses, chrysanthemum orchids, and various plants, making it a paradise for plant enthusiasts. It is not just a display of flowers and plants but a representation of several permanent and temporary art collections, like sculptures, paintings, photography, etc., of 25 artists that provide a different perspective for the visitors.
Flower shows and Bloemencorso parade
The most popular activity in Keukenhof Gardens is visiting the different flower shows in the pavilions: Oranje Nassau Pavilion, Willem-Alexander Pavilion, Beatrix Pavilion, Wilhelmina Pavilion, Irene Pavilion and Julianna Pavilion. Currently, Oranje Nassau Pavilion hosts the majority of the flower shows, including hyacinths, tulips, freesia and chrysanthemum, roses, daffodils and special bulbs, alstroemeria, gerbera, lisianthus and callashow, carnation and summer flowers. The Willem-Alexander Pavilion hosts various flower and plant shows, while the Beatrix Pavilion hosts the anthurium and orchid shows.
If you visit the Keukenhof on 12 April, don’t miss the Flower parade or the ‘Bloemencorso.’ It is a procession of colorful floats covered in bulb flowers such as hyacinths, tulips and daffodils that parade past you. It occurs across the ‘Bollenstreek’ or ‘Flower Strip,’ a 42 km route from Noordwijk to Haarlem. The parade doesn’t happen precisely inside the garden but passes through the Keukenhof Boulevard around 11 am, which visitors can see.
Keukenhof Tulip Festival
The Tulip Festival at Keukenhof is famous for highlighting the Dutch spring and the blooming season after the harsh winters. From 20 March to 11 May 2025, you can witness about 7 million tulips along with other flower shows, indoors and outdoors, dancing in the rhythm of the warm spring and summer breeze and the sunlight. You can walk through the flower bulb fields, as this can damage the bulbs, but you can walk around the walking paths and take photographs.
Tips: Get an unlimited entry and guided tour to the Tulip Festival with this Tulip Festival card.
Windmill visit at Keukenhof
The windmill of the 1890s at Keukenhof is quintessential of Dutch history and a must-see attraction. The classic wooden windmill with working sails and its design adds a scenic countryside aspect to a modern-day flower garden. You can learn about its history and climb the windmill through its ancient stairs to reach the observation platform and view the vast fields of colorful bliss and dancing flowers.
Visit the various Inspirational Gardens
Visit Keukenhof’s inspirational gardens, which spark the imagination and ideas of plant lovers about the different garden styles. Each garden area represents a garden type and its features, which you can experience and learn about during the visit.
It chooses different themes each year to display the gardening design and style of different landscapes and regions worldwide. Some include Hilltop Heaven, Beach Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Sounds of Spring, Romantic Mystery, Historical Garden, Japanese Garden etc.
Art Collections at Keukenhof
The art collection in Keukenhof is a lesser-known feature but adds to the cultural and visual aspect of the garden. The Dutch spring bloom of 7 million flower bulbs gets a story to tell with every art piece. The garden collaborates with 25 artists to combine floral and visual art, beautifully portraying through sculpture gardens and painting and adding a unique dimension to interpret nature.
Participate in other seasonal events in 2025
Visit Keukenhof Garden not just to see the flowers but also to witness pieces of Dutch culture, like the Dutch band players from 22 March to 23 March and the Holland Heritage Days celebration from 28 March to 30 March, which displays 19th-century Dutch culture, traditional music, and heritage.
Other events include the presence of Miffy in Keukenhof on 16 April, the Easter celebration with the Easter bunny roaming in the garden with a basket of chocolate eggs from 20 April to 21 April, meet-and-greet Fien and Teun in Keukenhof from 28 April to 2 May and witnessing the 18th and 19th-century Dutch classical music amidst the flowers from 10 May to 11 May, and romanticizing the environment.
Kid and Family Activities
The garden has a kids’ activity zone for your young ones, from animal pastures to tree maze and playgrounds for all ages. There are dozens of goats, pigs, peacocks and rabbits in the animal enclosure that the curious minds are fond of. The garden has mazes of bushes and playgrounds for older ones to play.
There are picnic spots at certain corners of Keukenhof where you can enjoy your packed food and drinks amidst the tulips during the day trip and enjoy some family time.
Enjoying Dutch delicacy
The garden has a few restaurants and eateries that serve Dutch and European delicacies, from meat and fish to vegetarian and vegan items. These outlets also have kid-friendly menus and portions for the little ones. Mobile food outlets can also serve coffee and snacks at different park sections.
A new restaurant, Jacoba’s Kitchen, has opened in the Oranje Nassau Pavilion. It serves entirely vegetarian food and has an excellent menu.
Boating and Bicycle ride around Keukenhof
Are you wondering what to do at Keukenhof after all the walking around the fields and indoor flower pavilions? Take a relaxing 45-minute electric boat ride around the garden, absorbing the region’s peaceful Dutch landscape and flower bulbs. No boat tour goes across Keukenhof itself, keeping in mind the preservation of nature. The boarding point for this unique experience is next to the Keukenhof windmill.
You can even rent a bike, available for all ages, but you cannot cycle through Keukenhof; you can only cycle around it. Keukenhof is a walking park, and cycling is not allowed inside; however, you can explore the beautiful booming flower fields from outside by bicycle.
FAQs
1. What can you do in Keukenhof?
You can visit the indoor flower shows and outdoor flower fields, the Tulip festival, the art collections, climb the windmill, enjoy boating and cycling around the garden, and participate in various seasonal events like Holland Heritage Day, Easter, music performances, etc.
2. How much time do you need at Keukenhof?
Visiting Keukenhof takes about 2 to 4 hours for a complete walking tour and relaxation amidst the flower fields.
3. Can you take food into Keukenhof?
You can carry food outside Keukenhof and enjoy your packed lunch in the picnic areas amidst the outdoor flower fields. However, you cannot eat outside in restaurants.
4. What is Keukenhof famous for?
It is famous for its varieties of tulips and other flowers and has the largest tulip field in the world.
5. How many flowers are at Keukenhof?
Keukenhof has about 7 million flower bulbs, which combine the indoor and outdoor spaces of the garden.
Featured Image: Envato.com
