A little trip planning here...what's the best way to get to the Keukenhof Garden in the Netherlands from Amsterdam?
The garden offers a bus, as do other companies. One leaves from the RAI station, another from near the A'dam Tower.
I've read some buses can have long waits due to overbooking.
Is a small group transport/tour better - more comfortable/easier/better?
Thanks for sharing any experiences.
When I looked, the trip to the RAI station from central Amsterdam is probably a 20 minute, or more, bus ride, quicker by Metro if you are near a station. If I were in Amsterdam, closer to Centraal Station, I think taking the train to Haarlem, then taking either the Keukenhof bus or regular bus #50 might be as quick, probably less crowded. I did see something on the site that with the Keukenhof buses, if you buy the combo ticket (entrance to the gardens and bus) you only need reserve the bus departure, not your time slot at Keukenhof, but some have disputed that. Otherwise, you do need a ticket with a timeslot assigned.
buy the Keukenhof combo ticket which includes express bus transport and admission ticket. If you are near Amsterdam Central station, take the train to the airport. At the airport, exit the plaza and go outside, turn right and walk 300+ feet to where the Express bus leaves. There will be Keukenhof/bus personnel there to check your ticket and put you on the bus. Since you have to decide on a bus time, the buses are not overcrowded as they limit the number of bus tickets per bus. And the buses are frequent. You have a half hour leeway (before or after you booked time) on the bus time. So, for example, we had 10:00 am bus tickets, but got there at 9:30 am and they put us on the bus.
The combo ticket is round trip, so when you are finished at Keukenhof, you take the bus back to the airport, and then the train back to Amsterdam Central station. Couldn't be easier.
The time reservation is only for the bus. Your admission tickets are good for the day anytime.
A small group tour is not better and I wouldn't pay extra for it. And a tour isn't needed. You enter the park and you walk around amazed at the quantity, the arrangement and color of the tulips. You really don't need a guided tour to experience Keukenhof. Frankly, what's the tour guide going to tell you? ... This a blue tulip... there is a yellow tulip, oh, a red tulip....... . If you really need to know the type of tulip, read the signs telling you the name of the tulip.
But if you feel more comfortable having a private company drive you to Keukenhof, then by all means go ahead and spend the extra money. It's your trip. Enjoy Keukenhof!
PS. If you need more, here's a YouTube Video recording how to do everything I just wrote above, if that makes your journey easier and better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUNlKFApvJY
HI! I also had the same question. There are several companies that offer transport to Keukenhof with an entry ticket. In addition to the Combi ticket that the Keukenhof website offers there is also Hop On Hop Off and Get Your Guide, to name a few. Rather than meeting the bus at the RAI or the airport, for about the same price these companies's busses leave from the Central train station or This Is Holland. And no, this is not a guided tour through the gardens, but another way to get there, visit for as long as you want, and catch a bus back to Amsterdam. Has anyone used these other options? How were they? This just seems easier than going out to the airport. Especially if we are staying in the central part of Amsterdam. Or am I missing something?
The RS Guidebook info re getting to Keukenhof from central Amsterdam was a bit unclear when we went in 2018. We inquired at the main train station, bought the combo ticket (bus + admission to Keukenhof), took the free ferry from train station (Centraal) to the bus departure area, and we were on our way. No stop at airport, no transferring to a different bus. Ride was maybe 45 min. Super easy, especially since we were in walking distance to Centraal. A bus leaving from other parts of the city may be more efficient for you. (We stayed in Jordaan, and it was a short walk to Centraal.)
You’ll know you are nearing the Keukenhof entrance when you see row upon row of brilliantly colored flowers. Stunning. That’s just a taste of what will be a memorable visit!
No need for a tour, as others have said. There will be no language barrier as everyone is proficient in English and quite willing to help.
We did the Keukenhof Express bus/entry combo ticket that left from Amsterdam RAI at the Europaplein. My mistake was planning it as a "relaxing get-used-to-the-time-zone-switch afternoon activity for the day we arrived. That's generally our game plan on red-eye flights - dump our bags at the hotel, and find a park to relax in - to sit, snack, people watch, stroll, even nap. I thought that Keukenhof would be similar (and it was!) but I was WAY off on my time line and ease of getting from the airport (big delay due to a person on the track), checking in (easy), and then WALKING to the Europaplein. The walk part was the mistake as I was up for it, but my wife was not as happy we didn't just train/tram it over there (hindsight!). And the bus to Keukenhof was pleasant enough but in stop and go traffic for a bunch of the time.
In the end, we got to the park about an hour after queueing in line and then boarding the bus, but early afternoon on a weekday towards the end of the "season" meant a very pleasant park with not a ton of people and a chance to recharge.
Regarding the bus, it was interesting because a big queue had formed in front of us but there were no buses in sight. Then, one came and rapidly started to fill up leaving a lot of line left. But then another bus or two pulled in too, and the line disappeared. I think the buses get a little out of sync with traffic and waiting to be close to 100% full before departing.
