Keukenhof is one of the world's largest flower gardens, located in Lisse, a small town in South Holland roughly halfway between Amsterdam and The Hague. It opens for just eight weeks each spring — typically mid-March to mid-May — during which millions of tulips and other bulb flowers bloom across the grounds at once. Most years, the season also overlaps with the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek, a flower parade through the surrounding bulb region.
Getting There and Tickets
Keukenhof is about 35 km southwest of Amsterdam. Most visitors arrive by a combined shuttle-and-entry ticket from Amsterdam, with buses running every 30 minutes for a flexible return. Travellers with their own transport can buy entry tickets directly; on-site parking costs around €14, with park staff helping direct cars. Entry tickets run about €25, and during peak bloom — when the park sees up to 30,000 visitors a day — booking a timed entry slot in advance is strongly recommended, as tickets can sell out.
Inside the Gardens
The gardens are organised as a series of continuously changing 'living paintings', with bulb displays redesigned each year. Several large pavilions punctuate the grounds, including the Willem-Alexander Pavilion (one of the largest covered exhibition spaces), the Oranje-Nassau Pavilion, and an orchid greenhouse. Information points inside the park typically advise visitors to tour the gardens first, then head out to see the flower parade if the dates align, and return to the park afterward.
The Flower Parade — Bloemencorso Bollenstreek
When it coincides with a visit, the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek is a parade of massive moving floats entirely covered in fresh flowers, built and assembled for just a few days each year. Crowds along the parade route can run five rows deep, so finding raised ground or an elevated vantage point helps for a clear view. The scale and detail of the floats is difficult to fully capture in photos or video — they're worth seeing in person.
Timing It Right
Because Keukenhof only opens for about eight weeks a year and the parade runs for just a day or two within that window, both events reward planning ahead — check the current year's exact opening dates and parade schedule before booking transport and tickets.