Spring is finally in the air, which means that — if you live in a normal part of the world where you aren’t hit by four snowstorms in the span of three weeks and moping about in your dusty apartment — the birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and tulips are blooming all over the land. And there’s no better place to be right now to get into the spring of things than Keukenhof, one of the world’s largest flower gardens.

If you’re feeling like frolicking around in some flowers this year, you’re not alone: over one million visitors flow through Keukenhof’s gates annually. But what makes Keukenhof so awesome? How do you get there? And what does Keukenhof actually mean? Here’s why you need to visit Keukenhof, Holland’s tulip paradise.

First, A Quick Primer on These Tantalizing Tulips

Many of us — myself included — strongly associate tulips with Holland, but how much do you actually know about these spring-blooming perennials? Grab a cold Heineken from the fridge and put your thinking cap on, because it’s time for a World History pop quiz.

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

1. Tulips are native to central Asia and were probably cultivated beginning in the 10th century.
2. The name “tulip” is thought to come from the Persian word for “turban.”
3. Tulips’ popularity in the Netherlands likely started around late 1593, when pioneering botanist Carolus Clusius planted a collection of tulip bulbs and studied them at Leiden University.
4. Speculators traded tulip bulbs for outrageous amounts of money until the market for them collapsed dramatically in the spring of 1721.

If you picked #4, congratulations! You win a box of stroopwafel. (An aside: I just learned that you can have stroopwafel shipped to the comfort of your own home. MIND BLOWN. This is by far my greatest discovery thus far of 2018. Please pause for a minute while I go order three boxes for my balanced breakfast.)

OK, now that your history professor is back from her tangent: speculators did trade tulip bulbs for tons of moola during the Dutch Golden Age, creating an economic bubble. We’ve seen plenty of bubbles in recent history — housing bubbles, dot-com bubbles, even those darn Beanie Babies — but tulip mania is generally considered the first recorded speculative bubble. And burst it did: the dramatic collapse occurred in February 1637.

Where is Keukenhof, Anyway?

Sure, you can see tulips around Holland, but when you’re known as the “Garden of Europe,” it makes it pretty hard to resist a visit to Keukenhof.

The great thing about Keukenhof — meaning “Kitchen garden,” which is making me crave some fruit to go along with my aforementioned stroopwafel — is that it’s a very easy day trip from Amsterdam. As in, you could do it while leaving Amsterdam en route to Belgium (which is exactly what we did).

Keukenhof is located in South Holland — specifically in Lisse, a municipality that covers an area of 6.20 square miles. For context, it’s roughly a 30-minute drive from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

How to Get There If You Don’t Have A Car (Or: Lessons in Luggage Storage and an Easy Bus Ride)

First, assuming you’re staying somewhere in central Amsterdam, you’ll want to make your way to Amsterdam Schiphol, which doubles as both an airport and a train station. Got your bags with you? No problem — you can store your luggage at Schiphol in the basement between Arrivals 1 and Arrivals 2. My travel buddy Ashley has an easy-to-follow write up of where to find these lockers, if you tend to wander around for thirty minutes and get lost easily *myself, cough cough*.

Truth be told, this was my first time storing luggage at an airport or train station. To say I was nervous about leaving my bags in the bowels of some unfamiliar transportation hub would probably be the understatement of the year. (I mean, hell, I get nervous about leaving my cats unattended for a few hours, even though the furballs are usually snoring louder than a vacuum cleaner.) But Schiphol’s facilities are secure, easy to navigate, and, dare I say, stress-free. Don’t hesitate to use ’em — they really are a worrywart’s dream come true.

Once your bags are secured, head outside to the truck covered with images of tulips. (This excellent video shows you how to get to the Keukenhof bus area for anyone arriving at Schiphol by plane, train, or bus.) You can purchase your tickets here; I recommend the Combi ticket, which includes entrance to Keukenhof plus your ticket for public transportation.

Steps from the “Tulip Truck,” you’ll find Bus 858, also known as the comfortable Keukenhof Express. You really can’t miss it — even my overly GPS-reliant self was able to make it over here to the line for the bus.

Travel time from Schiphol to Keukenhof on the Keukenhof Express is roughly 30-35 minutes, meaning just enough time to read a few chapters of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl if you’re lucky enough to score a seat. And then… hurrah! You’re finally here!

Pro tip ⇒ Once you arrive, it’s possible to store your luggage or valuables at Keukenhof if you’d like. Make sure to use these lockers, modeled by Ashley below. They’re located near the park’s main entrance and are appropriately full of color and cheer.

So Why Should You Visit Keukenhof, Anyway?

Chances are, if you clicked on this post, you’ve already made up your mind to visit Keukenhof and see all of its majestic splendor.

But if, for some reason, you’re on the proverbial fence about visiting, allow me to present six reasons you should incorporate Keukenhof into your Netherlands itinerary. It’ll make your decision easy — once and floral. (Sorry, I’m the queen of terrible puns — but if you leave one in the comments, it’ll make my daisy.)

Reason 1: It’s the most beautiful ‘dam spot this side of the rainbow.

This may sound obvious, but Keukenhof has got to be the world’s most beautiful Not-So-Secret Garden. You’ll find practically every color and hue of flower imaginable here, from magenta and amber to peach and crimson, in its 32 hectares (79 acres).

Have too many tulips growing in your backyard and want to see something different? Keukenhof also houses a variety of flowers, from orchids to crocuses and daffodils. For the most up-to-date information on what’s blooming, check out Keukenhof’s Facebook page, where they post a flowering report every Wednesday.

Keep in mind that Mother Nature is in charge here, too — so when you visit determines what you’ll see. Different flowers bloom at different times; we visited in late March 2017 (soon after the park opened), so the larger tulips hadn’t blossomed yet. (No matter — as long as I saw any kind of tulip, I’d be fine.)

Reason 2: You can take a bunch of photos surrounded by pretty flowers, and nobody will judge you.

From the minute we set foot in Keukenhof, I felt like I was among my people. And not just because of my Dutch ancestors: I’m talking about being surrounded by the click, click, click noises of fellow photographers. I mean, if there’s a technicolor wonderland that’s begging to be photographed, it’s undeniably Keukenhof.

This means that, generally speaking, you won’t be annoying others with your 53rd photo of those stunning pink tulips. Go ahead and frolic among the flowers, posing however you want — nobody will judge you because they’re all doing the same damn thing. (Let s/he who doesn’t take a tulip selfie throw the first flower bulb, am I right?)

That being said, it definitely helps to have a fellow floral photographer with you so your hand doesn’t cramp from all those horticultural pictures. All photos of me below were taken by Ashley from My Wanderlusty Life.

Reason 3: Keukenhof has a different theme every year.

Think you’ve visited Keukenhof once and you’re done with it? Not so fast. Each year, Keukenhof has a different theme. In 2016, for example, it was The Golden Age; in 2017, it was Dutch Design.

The 2018 Keukenhof theme is “Romance and Flowers,” and their website claims that “the most beautiful spring park in the world with its sea of flowers will put you in a romantic, spring mood.” I mean, it’s kind of true. Don’t mind if I do.

Reason 4: Soak up some Dutch culture while you’re at it.

There’s actually quite a few activities you can do at Keukenhof in addition to gazing at tulips on the ground. Try climbing a windmill to get a bird’s-eye view of the flower fields.

Or take a few minutes to watch some great performances by dancing Dutch men and women.

If you’re an adventurous eater, you can try some hot herring, which is available in the park. Though I didn’t eat it at the time, Ashley reported that it was worth a bite!

Reason 5: You WILL stumble upon some baby goats.

Because baby animals have the ability to melt even the coldest of hearts (usually), you won’t want to miss the cute goats just chillin’ on the grounds. Keukenhof has a petting zoo, and while it’s in the children’s area, we won’t judge if you spend time cooing at the furry four-legged creatures.

Reason 6: Keukenhof like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get.

Forrest Gump knew best when he said that Keukenhof — I mean, life — is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get. Half of the fun of strolling through the gardens is finding something new every five or ten feet. For instance, you might turn a corner and see this lovely pathway, with its vibrant purple and golden flowers.

Or you might stumble upon an area like this, which looks like springtime in a fairy tale wonderland.

You could spend hours meandering around Keukenhof’s 79 acres and find surprises around every turn. In fact, we spent much longer than expected here because… well, see for yourself.

And at the end of the day, if you look extra specially hard, you might even find a wild Julianne, loose in the theater. I’ll just be hanging out over by the ginormous wooden clogs.

Keukenhof 101: Need to Know Before You Go

OPEN HOURS

Keukenhof is open for eight weeks annually; the opening and closing dates vary slightly each year. This coming year, Keukenhof is open from 22 March until 13 May 2018.

General Hours: Open from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM. The ticket office opens at 8:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM.

Keukenhof is generally less busy at the start and end of each day, as well as the beginning of the week (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays).

Be sure to verify hours on the Keukenhof website in the event of any changes.

TICKET INFO

Tickets can be purchased either in person at Keukenhof or online. You can purchase tickets online here and save (€17,50 online for adults compared to €19 at the ticket office in 2019).

The Combi ticket provides the best value for your money, as it includes publication transportation plus the cost of admission. For example, if you want to take Bus 858 from Schiphol airport to Keukenhof and enter the park, your Combi ticket will cost €27,50 in 2019.

Pro Tip ⇒ We’d recommend at least 3-4 hours for exploring Keukenhof. However, allow more time than you think you need for your time in the gardens, just in case you want to peruse the gift shop, or, you know, take more pictures of flowers.

CONNECT WITH KEUKENHOF ON SOCIAL MEDIA

You can connect with Keukenhof on the following social media platforms:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• And don’t forget their general website!

Essential Info:
Where should you stay in Amsterdam? Check out all options here.
Where did I stay while I was in Amsterdam? I stayed here and here, both of which I liked.
Want a guidebook for the Netherlands? I use Rick Steves and Fodor’s.
Want to know what else to do in the Netherlands? Check out my posts on the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, plus how to spend an amazing 72 hours in the country.

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All costs were paid by me, and all opinions are my own. Not even a perfectly bloomin’ tulip can change that.