Keukenhof Gardens & Tulip Fields & Countryside

About this tour

Eight million spring bulbs at Keukenhof, then the windmill village of Zaanse Schans. Available mid-March to mid-May only.

For roughly eight weeks each spring, the Bollenstreek becomes the most colourful place on earth — and this tour is built entirely around catching it at its best. We start early so you walk into Keukenhof before the crowds, when the light is soft and the paths are quiet.

Inside the gardens, more than seven million tulips, hyacinths and daffodils are planted in sweeping designs that change every year. You have around three hours to wander the themed pavilions, the historic windmill and the winding flowerbeds at your own pace. Your ticket is arranged in advance, so there is no queueing at the gate.

On the way back we stop at the surrounding bulb fields — the famous striped rows — for photos, then finish the afternoon at Zaanse Schans among working windmills, a cheese farm and the clog workshop. It is the complete Dutch spring in a single day, and it only exists for a few weeks a year.

Good to know: Keukenhof is open only from late March to mid-May, and the tulips peak around mid-April, so we recommend booking early. Your entrance ticket is reserved in advance, which means no queues at the gate. We arrive before the big tour buses, giving you the quietest hours in the gardens, and on the drive between stops we take the back roads through the bulb fields so you see the colour stripes up close.

Highlights

• Keukenhof, the world's largest flower garden
• Tulip, hyacinth and daffodil displays
• Photo stops in the surrounding bulb fields
• Windmills and crafts at Zaanse Schans
• Skip-the-queue garden entry arranged