Keukenhof
Welcome to Keukenhof, the Garden of Europe and home to the Annual Keukenhof Tulip Festival.
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Welcome to Keukenhof, the Garden of Europe and home to the Annual Keukenhof Tulip Festival.
Keukenhof, which is often referred to as "The Garden of Europe," is in Lisse, The Netherlands. The annual Tulip Festival is set in the Keukenhof Castle Estate. Keukenhof Gardens span over 79 acres and hosts the largest annual tulip festival in the world which attracts over a million visitors each spring during its short opening period, from March to May. The gardeners plant more than 7 million bulbs each year for the spring park, which includes over 800 varieties of tulips. They are planted to create a vibrant and colourful display. Keukenhof's meticulously landscaped gardens, picturesque lakes, and artistic floral displays make it a paradise for flower enthusiasts and photographers alike. This iconic garden showcases the deep horticultural heritage of The Netherlands and stands as a showcase for local and international flower growers to display their products in a 'living catalogue' of colour. A great day out for all ages.
This is a question we get asked a lot! If you would prefer to visit when its slightly quieter, first thing in the morning when it opens, or later in the afternoon 16:00 and on, can be slightly quieter, but please remember, given more than 1m people visit Keukenhof each year, its unlikely you will ever have the place to yourself!
Keukenhof does have an onsite car park, yes. We offer car park access during our ticket booking process. Car park costs €10.00 for the day.
Not far! Lisse, the village where Keukenhof is located is around 30-35 minutes from Amsterdam.
Did you know you can enjoy a helicopter ride over the Lisse flower fields around the Keukenhof area! Click HERE for details.
The Keukenhof gardeners don't just plant bulbs according to colour but also size to ensure it gives the public the best possible viewing experience!
Keukenhof dates back as far as the 15th century when Countess Jacqueline van Beieren (known as Jacqueline of Bavaria) used to grow food on the land for Teylingen Castle, so the land was called the 'Keukenduin' which translates to 'Kitchen Garden' and that is where the name 'Keukenhof' comes from!
During the 1630's, the estate was purchased by one of the governors of the East India Company. He expanded the estate over time and ended up with around 500 acres. In 1641 he built Keukenhof Castle (Kasteel Keukenhof).
Later, in the 1800's and under new ownership, father and son team, Jan David Zocher & Louis Paul Zocher, who were landscape architects, were commissioned to redesign the castle grounds. Their design, which was an English landscape style, is still the basis of Keukenhof to this day.
Later, in 1949, a group of the areas flower growers who knew the Keukenhof estate, thought it was the perfect place to display their flower bulbs in a 'Living Catalogue' in order that flower buyers could see the products before they purchased them and this is how Keukenhof Flower Festival started, as a spring garden! The businessmen decided to open it to the public as well as they knew they would enjoy it. The first show was held in 1950 and more than 200,000 people visited that first year! It was a resounding success!
Keukenhof has continued to grow over the years and is now one of the biggest and most popular flower shows in the world, welcoming more than 1 million visitors from all over the world each year.
Keukenhof is managed by the Graaf Carel van Lynden Foundation.
Although tulips are one of the main attractions at Keukenhof, they do still show many other flower and plant varieties around the estate. The Keukenhof Pavilions, which include the 'Oranje Nassau Pavilion', the 'Willem-Alexander Pavilion' and the 'Beatrix Pavilion' all showcase other plants and flowers, such as:
In 1975 Keukenhof was gifted the amazing windmill that still to this day stands proudly in the grounds. The Tower Mill or Keukenhof Windmill is an authentic windmill that was built in 1892, so is over 130 years old. Its balcony is accessible via stairs and offers a wonderful view of the flowers below. Unfortunately the windmill isn't accessible for wheelchairs or visitors with with walking difficulties as there isn't an elevator available.
You can hop, skip and jump across the pond! If you look closely, placed across the pond you will see circles. They are are wooden lily pad stepping stones! You are allowed to walk across them! Have fun (just don't fall in!). They are just on the water level, so anyone looking for the path at the side, it simply looks like you are walking over the water!
Keukenhof has grown a maze which is a great place to have some fun with the kids! If you make it to the centre, there is a platform that offers great views.
If you are an animal lover, find your way to Keukenhof Animal Meadow where you can find some fun farmyard animals to watch and even pet! The animal corner is home to cheeky goats, pigs, peacocks and rabbits. Its only a small section but definitely worth visiting, especially if you are with kids!
Keukenhof offers two small playgrounds for children. Miffy is one for the younger kids and another for the slightly older kids with a fun climbing net and other things to do.
Don't forget to pick up a fun (free) scavenger hunt if you are visiting Keukenhof with kids! Get them at the main entrance and it will help to keep the kids entertained as you walk around!
