The Keukenhof is the main reason why foreigners come to Lisse, and well-worth it. It is an elaborate park and floral exhibition, and actually a promotion for the Dutch flower industry.
These are the famous tulip gardens surrounded by tulip fields in Netherlands. Keukenhof is open only in the first two months of spring, in 2012 from March 22th to May 20th when the spring flowers are in bloom. The best time is to visit may depend on the weather conditions but is usually mid April. For the nine weeks of opening, hundreds of growers, breeders and product groups, in various product shows, join forces in an effort to present a high quality flower exhibition the visitors to Keukenhof.
The park opens as early as 8AM. Be there around that time and enjoy the wonderful combination of a very quiet park with the flowers opening up. Keukenhof can be uncomfortably busy in afternoons. Closing time usually is 7.30PM.
There is no direct bus or train from Amsterdam: instead, travel to Schiphol by bus or by train and then take the 58 or 61 bus.
From Leiden Centraal Station, take bus 54, from Haarlem station bus 50 or 51. Combination tickets for the bus ride and entrance are on sale at the bus ticket offices, outside both stations. Bus 58 and 61 run from Schiphol Airport to the Keukenhof: additional services are put on during the height of the season, but crowds of tourists at the height of the season can cause near riots.
In 2012 Keukenhof will be open from March 22th up until May 20th, including all Sundays and public holidays, from 8AM to 7:30PM daily (ticket office closes at 6PM). Entrance fees for 2012: adults €14,50 and children (4-11 years) €7 per person. Parking €6 per vehicle.
Tickets can be purchased at the door (but be prepared for a lengthy wait), or online at www.keukenhof.nl. If you buy your ticket online, you do not have to stand in line at the ticket office, but you can walk straight to the ticket inspector. If you come by car, it is wise to buy a parkingticket online as well.
The easiest way to visit Keukenhof is Connexxion's all-in Combi-ticket. This ticket includes a return bus ticket to Keukenhof and an entrance ticket to Keukenhof. By showing your Combi-ticket you can enter Keukenhof directly, so you don't have to worry about traffic-jams, parking problems or ticket queues at the park.
You can buy this all-in Combi-ticket at Schiphol Airport train station, Leiden Central train station, The Hague Central train station and also online . Prices for the Combi-ticket for 2012: adults €21, 65+ €18 and children (4-11 years) €11 per person.
You can also buy an all-in Combi-ticket at the Tourist Information desk at Amsterdam Central train station and at the Tourist Information desk at Leidseplein in Amsterdam. Prices for this Combi-ticket for 2012: adults €25, 65+ €18 and children (4-11 years) €11 per person.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Lisse
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Lisse Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
