Take a tour of the Garden of Europe, as Keukenhof near Amsterdam is known, to see tulips and windmills in all their resplendent glory.
(Photo: Getyourguide.com)
Keukenhof started life as the kitchen garden for a Dutch castle, Slot Teylingen, in the 15th century. After undergoing various restructuring phases in the subsequent centuries, Keukenhof is now a vibrant showcase of a quintessentially Dutch landscaped garden, with millions of bulbs planted every year. While the grounds of the castle are open for most of the year, the impressive floral display is only available for eight weeks in spring, from late March to early May. Keukenhof tours from Amsterdam are the easiest way to experience the gardens for most visitors.
Keukenhof Skip-the-Line Ticket and Transfer from Amsterdam
The simplest, and cheapest, tour to Keukenhof from Amsterdam is this no-frills transport and ticket option. This is ideal because, if you’re looking to only visit the gardens, you can get inside as quickly as possible and explore the gorgeous arrangements of colourful flowers at your own pace. Transportation departs from just across the Ij from the Centraal train station in Noord and you can enjoy a video presentation about the gardens on the way. From €43 per person.
(Photo: Getyourguide.com)
Day Trip Keukenhof Gardens with Windmill Cruise
Other tour options combine the benefits of the above tour with additional experiences along the way. In this case, you will still get skip-the-line tickets to Keukenhof’s beautiful gardens, but beforehand you’ll head to Kaag Lakes, located close by, for a boat cruise that provides views of other tulip farms, waterfront windmills and historic mansions on a variety of islands. Please note that, as with all of the tours on this list, tour availability is only from mid-March to mid-May, so scroll through the months on the booking page (see link below) to that period of time to find out more details about the tour.
From €53 per person.
Keukenhof Full-Day Trip with Tulip Farm from Amsterdam
To get a more up-close and personal experience of Dutch tulip farming, this tour builds a visit to a working tulip farm into the itinerary, so that you can learn about how they are grown and how they can be arranged into such stunning, color-coordinated fields. This tour also stops at an original windmill to meet the miller there, takes the Kaag Lakes cruise and provides skip-the-line access to Keukenhof, for the perfect tulip tour of the Netherlands. From €85 per person.