Visiting Keukenhof from Amsterdam: Everything You Need to Know!

Dreaming of walking through endless beds of colourful flowers at Keukenhof? You’re not alone! Every spring, this world-famous garden bursts into bloom, drawing visitors from all over the world. And the good news is, it’s just a short trip from Amsterdam! Having made the journey myself more than once (and trying out a few different routes along the way), I’ve put together this practical guide to help you figure out the best way to get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam. Whether you’re looking for the fastest option, the most budget-friendly or the easiest, I’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to make your trip from Amsterdam to Keukenhof as smooth as possible.

What is Keukenhof?

First of all, you should know that Keukenhof is a flower garden or botanical garden. If you’re planning to visit because you’re picturing yourself frolicking amongst endless fields of tulips, then this is not actually what you’re looking for. While many beautiful tulips are here, they’re planted in garden beds, often making cool designs, rather than fields. However, you can easily visit the fields surrounding Keukenhof as well, if you want to get the best of both worlds!

Why should you visit Keukenhof from Amsterdam?

Many people think Keukenhof is actually in Amsterdam, but it’s not. In reality, it’s located about 40 kilometres away from the city, next to the town of Lisse in the province of Noord-Holland (North Holland). There aren’t any train stations in Lisse, so you can only get to Keukenhof by driving, either a car (or campervan) or catching a bus (either a shuttle or private tour). But Amsterdam does make a very convenient base for visiting Keukenhof, especially if you have other Dutch sightseeing planned or maybe you’re just on an extended layover at Schiphol Airport.

How to get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam

There are three main ways to reach the gardens of Keukenhof from Amsterdam, and in this guide I’m including Schiphol Airport as Amsterdam even though it’s also not technically within the city – but it’s very close and easy to get to! Here are all the options you have to get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam.

Option One – The QBuzz / KeukenhofBuzz

There’s a special bus line that runs when Keukenhof is open to ferry visitors from Amsterdam (and some other cities) directly to the gardens. This bus line is called the KeukenhofBuzz, or QBuzz, and it only runs between the two destinations, so you don’t need to pay attention to bus stops to ensure you don’t miss yours. When you purchase your Keukenhof tickets on the official website you can also purchase a combi-ticket which includes your round trip bus ticket. Then you just show the QR code you’ll receive to the people at the bus stop to get on and off your bus. There are also two different places you can choose to catch the QBuzz from, which I’ve outlined below.

NOTE: Do you live in the Netherlands? If so, you can actually use your OV-chipkaart to tap in and out of the QBuzz instead of ordering a special ticket! The price is the same though, €17 for a round-trip. Make sure you keep an eye out for the tap-in and out stands as they’re at the beginning of the line, NOT on board the bus as usual.

A – From Amsterdam RAI

The main QBuzz bus stop that’s actually located within Amsterdam proper departs from outside Amsterdam RAI. Amsterdam RAI is a convention centre (where they hold the Amsterdam Winter Paradise each year) which has its own metro station. So depending on where you are staying in Amsterdam, you can catch the metro or a tram to Amsterdam RAI and then follow the signs to the bus stop.

However, Amsterdam RAI station can also be a bit confusing depending on where you get the metro from. For example, when I last visited Keukenhof via the QBuzz I got on the metro at Amsterdam Zuid station, so when I got out of the Amsterdam RAI station, I was not actually right by the convention centre where the bus stop is located. If you happen to get out of the station at this spot, make sure you head under the overpass which is on your left as you walk out of the station, then continue along the footpath past the hotel which looks like three boxes stacked on top of each other, until you reach the QBuzz stop.

In fact, the best way to get to this bus stop is actually to try and catch the metro to the Europaplein station, but it doesn’t tell you this very clearly on the Keukenhof website. You also don’t need to worry about being perfectly on time. You are prompted to choose a time slot when booking your transport, but they don’t really check this. Also, you can leave Keukenhof and catch the bus back to Amsterdam whenever you like.

B – From Schiphol Airport

You can also catch the QBuzz from outside Schiphol airport, although it’s about a five-minute walk from the main terminal entrance to the bus stop and you can’t see it as soon as you walk out. Just head to the left of the Iamsterdam sign (left as you’re facing it) and follow the Keukenhof signs.

If you’re on a long layover though, this means you can still visit Keukenhof, and you can even store luggage for free at the Keukenhof entrance! Even if you’re not flying somewhere or staying at one of the airport hotels, there’s a train station underneath the airport, so it might be more convenient to get the train to Schiphol and then get the bus, rather than going into Amsterdam proper to get to Amsterdam RAI/Europaplein.

Option Two – Hop-on Hop-off Holland Tour

If getting a tram and/or a metro to an unfamiliar part of Amsterdam seems daunting to you, you can also book the Hop-On Hop-Off Holland Tour, which is actually more of a different transport option than a tour. If you book this option, then you only need to get to the This Is Holland front desk at Amsterdam Noord, which is directly across the river from Amsterdam Centraal Station (it’s behind the big tower in the photo above). There’s a free ferry to get across the river too, which only takes 3 minutes!

Once you’ve reached the north side of the river, walk behind the Amsterdam Tower to the This Is Holland building (above) where you can check in and wait for the shuttle bus if it’s not there yet. After getting rained on when waiting for the QBuzz this year, I am definitely planning to try out this option next time I go to Keukenhof! From there, you’ll travel by coach to Keukenhof Gardens and can then choose when you want to return, with departures every 30 minutes. Also, this shuttle and Keukenhof combo ticket is somehow cheaper than the QBuzz and entry ticket from the official site…

Option Three – Join a tour combined with other destinations

Aside from just booking transport and entrance to Keukenhof, you could even join a special tour which combines other destinations with your time at Keukenhof. All of these tours also depart from This Is Holland. Some examples include:

• This full-day tour visits the traditional windmills of Zaanse Schans for a couple of hours before then heading to Keukenhof.
• This tour visits Keukenhof and also includes a ‘windmill cruise’ in the area nearby.
• This tour visits Keukenhof, includes a windmill cruise and visits De Tulperij, a tulip garden in the area nearby.

Option Four – Driving

Of course, if you have access to a car then you can easily drive from Amsterdam (or anywhere in the Netherlands) directly to Keukenhof. Just be prepared for some delays as there can be a lot of traffic the closer you get to the garden. There’s plenty of parking at Keukenhof, although you do have to pay for this (€9 in 2025). If you don’t have your own car you could always rent one, either just for the day or for a few days if you also want to visit some more out-of-the-way places, like Giethoorn.

Once you’re there and getting back!

Once you arrive at Keukenhof you’ll be let off the bus right by the main entrance, so it couldn’t be easier to head in and start enjoying the gardens. When it comes time to return to Amsterdam you just need to head back to the same spot and look for the signs showing which bus you need (see above)!

Fun fact: If you travel via QBuzz then you don’t have to use the same stop for both legs of your trip. On my last visit to Keukenhof, I got the metro to Amsterdam RAI and then the bus to Keukenhof. On the way home though, I got the bus to Schiphol Airport so I could catch a direct train home. I had no issues with my ticket saying ’round-trip Amsterdam RAI,’ the people scanning tickets sent me through to the Schiphol bus without batting an eyelid.

Where to stay in Amsterdam while visiting Keukenhof

While I have a complete guide on the best places to stay in Amsterdam broken down into neighbourhoods, I’m also going to mention some other hotels below in case you’re specifically looking for somewhere to stay right by where the tours I’ve mentioned leave from.

If you’re going by bus from Amsterdam RAI:

Stay at Van der Valk Hotel Amsterdam Zuidas-RAI, nhow Amsterdam RAI or Motel One Amsterdam if you want to just walk right up to the QBuzz bus stop.

If you’re going by bus from Schiphol Airport:

Stay at citizenM Schiphol Airport Hotel, Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol or Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center if you want to catch the QBuzz from the airport.

If you’re going by hop-on hop-off bus or tour:

Stay at Sir Adam or ClinkNOORD Hostel so you can walk to This Is Holland to join your tour.

Other ways to get to Keukenhof

So far I’ve only talked about getting to Keukenhof from Amsterdam as that’s what this post is all about, but you don’t have to start in Amsterdam if you don’t want to. For example, the QBuzz line also travels between Keukenhof and Haarlem, as well as Keukenhof and Leiden. Here’s a bit more info:

• From Haarlem to Keukenhof: You can also purchase a combo ticket for Keukenhof which includes return transport from Haarlem. This bus leaves from right outside Haarlem Centraal train station, although it only runs about twice an hour, so not as often as the bus from Amsterdam.
• From Leiden to Keukenhof: Or you can purchase a combo ticket to travel between Leiden and Keukenhof. The QBuzz departs from outside Leiden Centraal train station and runs up to six times an hour.
• From Lisse/Hillegom/Sassenheim to Keukenhof: And finally, if you don’t want to waste any time travelling, you can even stay in one of the towns right by Keukenhof to cut down on transport time. In my guide to seeing tulips in this area, I’ve also included the best accommodation close to Keukenhof, if you want to be as close to the action as possible!

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Have you visited Keukenhof from Amsterdam? Let me know in the comments if there are any other details I should include in this guide or pin one of these if you’re planning to travel from Amsterdam to Keukenhof in the future!