You should expect to see a lot of people at Keukenhof. The average amount of daily visitors is 26,000, however around peak season (mid to late April) this number is considerably higher. It can feel very busy in this peak period, especially if you arrive around 11am or noon. We really recommend arriving earlier – about 9am – or later, like 2pm.
In peak season, you can also hit a lot of traffic for the final kilometre before reaching the gardens. Earlier and later in the season, traffic is not much of an issue.
The food ranges from okay to terrible, and is not cheap. That is par for the course though at a busy tourist attraction. Keukenhof does sell beer, and you can also bring your own food and drinks into the park.
The main experience of Keukenhof is that you amble around large beds of manicured flowers. Predominantly tulips, but other varieties too. It has a very ornate and decorative feel to it. As I wrote in another post, you will not get the iconic field of rows of tulips. There are one or two fields that abut the gardens, and you can generally look out onto these.
For those who have kids there is a little petting so and a little playground.
There are also four indoor pavilions with various exhibits: One is for orchids, one is for predominantly tulips (but indoors), one is for a history of the tulip mania of the 1600s, and the fourth is a themed exhibit that changes from year to year. One year the theme was Dutch design, which was rather elegant and trendy. Another it was 60s flower power.
There are plenty of souvenir shops, and you will also find stands where you can order Dutch tulip bulbs to be sent to you at the right time of the year.
Bikes At Keukenhof
You can rent bikes in the Keukenhof parking lot, however you cannot ride the bikes in the gardens themselves.
Confused?
The bikes are intended to allow you to leave the gardens and explore the surrounding backroads. There are plenty of tulip (and hyacinth) fields nearby. These all get a bit busy as other people are all doing the same thing. However, if you don’t have you didn’t drive down then this is the best option you have for seeing a tulips field.
For more info check out: www.keukenhof.nl