Keukenhof revisited

Is Keukenhof really worth the hype? Explore with me as I revisit these beautiful gardens after the pandemic and decide for yourself.

We’ve recently revisited Keukenhof after the dreadful lockdowns that was caused by the pandemic. Here are a few things that we experienced on our second visit:

Travel

Since both my hubby and I have visited The Netherlands on multiple occasions now, we thought that we would be able to navigate our own way to Keukenhof with public transport without relying on someone else to buy the tickets from.

We purchased a 1 hour GVB ticket at €3:40 to take us from the Vijzelgracht metro station (M52) to the Europaplein station which was only two stops away. Upon leaving the train we simply followed the sign posts for the 852 bus stop (Keukenhof Express) outside the station. As we arrived at the stop, we were greeted by a very friendly lady that wanted to scan our ticket for the bus. At this stage we didn’t had tickets so she simply pointed to a QR code that allowed bus to purchase the return bus tickets at €17 per ticket. Once the transaction was complete, the tickets were downloaded into our Apple wallets and it was ready to be scanned. This took less than 5 minutes. During the time of our arrival, speaking to the lady, purchasing the tickets and getting back into the queue to get the tickets scanned, two Keukenhof Express buses had come and gone. They were very frequent.

Once we managed to get onto the next Express bus, the queue behind us was about 40 people strong. Most got onto the single-storey bus with around 10 people making use of standing room. For those that live in London: the buses reminded me of the A10 that takes you from Canada Water to Victoria. The layout is identical. The trip took around 30 minutes and dropped us off right in front of the entrance. It couldn’t be any simpler.

Once we decided to return at the end of the day, we queued for nearly an hour and a half to get back onto the Express. The traffic was also extremely heavy on the way back to Amsterdam and as a result the 30 minute trip turned into nearly two and a half hours. Don’t make any tight plans such as restaurant bookings or flights as you might miss it!

Keukenhof Tickets

When we first visited in 2017, we very much had paper tickets for everything. However, we were very pleasantly surprised to learn that Keukenhof has gone paperless (for the tickets in any case!) and we were simply able to scan the QR codes on the digital tickets to enter. At €19 per ticket (a €2 increase from 2017) it is still an affordable way to spend a day!

Visitors

The sheer volume of people in 2023 was astonishing. We arrived at around 10:30 (the park opens at 08:00) thinking that the early morning rush would’ve dissipated, but we were very wrong.

We queued to get through the gates. This was actually very fast considering the amount of people and the fact that only two gates were open. Once we were in, it was difficult to stop and take pictures as people were all pushing to get the nicest shots of the pretty daffodils. It was nearly impossible to get a picture without a crowd in the background. This was a very different experience in 2017 as we could leisurely take our time to take pictures, stop and marvel at all the beautiful flowers and simply take in those first few moments without being pushed or hurried along the path. And before you say that we have chosen a busier day, we were actually there exactly 6 years prior down to the day…

Smell

The sweet smell of hyacinths is just as intoxicating as it had been before. The scent that drifted up through my nostrils dug out the memories from our previous visit. It is a scent that I will forever be associating with Keukenhof. My hubby and I have moved house since our previous visit to Keukenhof and much to our delight we discovered that we have inherited a whole bed of hyacinths that blooms every spring. We are so lucky to experience and relive the sweet smell year after year in our own little piece of paradise.

Food

I’m not sure whether or not we were just too skint the first time we went or if we were just paying more attention to flowers rather than food, but we have found that in 2023 there were just so much more choice when it came to having a bite to eat. Previously we only had a cup of coffee and a (lekker!) slice of appeltaart, but this time round there were opportunities not only for coffee, but also poffertjes, a variety of pastries, frietjes (french fries), burgers, sandwiches of all kinds, fish, frozen yogurt and ice cream and a whole host more. You are still allowed to bring in your own food, but there is certainly no need if you don’t feel like carrying anything perishable with you. Just note that Keukenhof operates a cashless system and therefore only accepts debit and credit cards (not American Express though!).

Photographs

Keukenhof is a photographer’s haven. The gardeners have made every effort to ensure that there is a good balance between ‘getting up close and personal’ with some flowers and ‘keeping visitors at bay’ with those more delicate and intrinsic designs. This does mean that if you do have a relatively good camera (even a cameraphone like me!) you are able to get beautiful pictures without it being spoiled by anything. Paths are mostly paved which means that there is no muddy mess and the grass stays beautifully green that results in some beautiful photographs.

Displays and flower shows

There are plenty to do and see at Keukenhof even on a rainy day. There are six buildings with various flower shows to see.

Beatrix has thousands of orchids. Even though I am not really a massive orchid fan, this was truly beautiful.

We didn’t go into Juliana this time round as it simply explains the history of the tulip bulbs, but if this is your first visit, then it is definitely worthwhile and very interesting!

Oranje Nassau had the most beautiful flower arrangements and displays.

My most favourite building had to be Willem-Alexander. Made up of six poly tunnels it housed some of the most beautiful tulips I have ever seen.

Is it worth going to Keukenhof?

Without a shadow of a doubt. Even if you are ‘not that into flowers’ it is still a sight to see, smell and experience. When you realise the effort that goes into making this spectacular flower show possible you appreciate it even so much more. 7 million bulbs are dug up and replanted by hand each year. Each flower’s colour placement and position in the ground have been carefully thought through. It has been designed by experts to ensure that no matter how many times you visit the park you still experience that wow-factor. If you are able to go, then do it. It is an experience you will NEVER forget.

** I have no affiliation to Keukenhof or anyone involved in Keukenhof. The views and opinions on this blog are my own and come from experiencing the park first-hand. I paid (ok, the hubby did pay!) for my own tickets and transportation.

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