Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Tulip Experience tour with pickup

Summary

Walk through fields of color at Keukenhof and meet the tulip growers

You’ll travel from Amsterdam with hotel pickup to see Holland’s famous tulips up close—exploring both the interactive Tulip Experience museum (where you can pick your own bouquet) and wandering through Keukenhof Gardens’ endless blooms with skip-the-line entry. Alongside local stories and fresh spring air, it’s a day full of color and small moments you’ll remember long after the trip.

What’s the experience like?

"You ever seen a million flowers at once?" our driver asked as we left Amsterdam, and honestly, I thought he was exaggerating. But then you get out to the Tulip Experience and it’s like someone spilled paint across the earth—patches of red, purple, yellow everywhere. The air even smells different out here, kind of sweet but with that damp spring earth underneath. Our guide, Marijke, grew up nearby and kept pointing out which rows her family had planted. She told us about how tulips first came from Kazakhstan (which I didn’t know) and how Dutch growers still argue over the best way to store bulbs—she laughed when she said her uncle still does it “the old stubborn way.”

Inside the museum part, there’s this mix of old wooden tools and these huge modern machines that sort bulbs faster than I could count them. You can listen to stories on the audio tour—sometimes I’d just stand by a window and watch people working outside instead. Then you step out into the show garden and it’s almost too much for your eyes at first. There are photo spots but honestly my favorite moment was just kneeling down to pick my own bunch (included in the ticket), feeling the cold dirt under my nails. Some folks were posing for selfies but I just wanted to remember what it smelled like—fresh green stems, a bit of pollen.

After that we headed to Keukenhof Gardens with our skip-the-line tickets (thankfully—there was already a line forming). It’s bigger than I expected; you can wander for hours past ponds and under trees where petals drift down if there’s any wind. There were families everywhere, some locals in rain jackets chatting over coffee, kids running between flower beds. At one point I sat on a bench eating a stroopwafel from one of the stands—sticky fingers, sugar everywhere—and watched an older couple try to pronounce “hyacinth.” I still think about that view: rows of color stretching off until they blur into sky.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Tulip Experience and Keukenhof Gardens

• Visit Tulip Experience Museum and Show Garden
• Explore Keukenhof Flower Gardens with Skip-the-Line

Top questions

How do I get from Amsterdam to Keukenhof Gardens on this tour?

The tour includes hotel pickup in Amsterdam with transport by private Mercedes vehicle directly to Keukenhof Gardens.

Is entry to both Keukenhof Gardens and the Tulip Experience included?

Yes, skip-the-line entrance tickets for both attractions are included in your booking.

Can I pick tulips during this tour?

Yes, you can pick your own bunch of tulips for free in the show garden at the Tulip Experience.

Is this tour suitable for children or people with limited mobility?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels and infants or small children can ride in a stroller or pram.

When is the best time to visit Keukenhof Gardens?

The best time is in April when most flowers are in bloom.

How many varieties of tulips will I see?

You’ll see around 700 varieties at the Tulip Experience show garden and 800 varieties at Keukenhof Gardens.

Are there options to avoid crowds?

You can choose an early or late tour option to help avoid peak crowds at both locations.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Amsterdam, skip-the-line entrance tickets for both Keukenhof Gardens and the Tulip Experience (with audio tour), transport by private luxury Mercedes vehicle, a professional driver or host throughout, plus you get to pick your own bunch of tulips straight from their garden before heading back home.