Tour to Keukenhof Gardens
 

I just saw a 6 1/2 hr. tour by bus to the gardens from Amsterdam (4 1/2hours in the gardens) for 33 euros per person. Isn't this a better deal than paying for the train to Leiden, then bus and admission to gardens to do it on our own? I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has taken a tour.

ttt

I've been to Keukenhof Gardens several times but always on my own - yes the 33 euros seems a great deal and probably would approximate the cost of train to Leiden, bus to gardens and admission.
Tip! very crowded on weekends - so your 4.5 hours would mean waiting in lines at most popular pavillions - go on a weekday if possible. The gardens themselves are rather compact but it's the several glasshouses specializing in certain types of plants that attract crowds.
www.keukenhof.nl

It is not the cheapest but by far the easiest way.
Citybus doesnot stop in front of keukenhof, but in the village of Lisse. Also with all kind of connections/train/bus etc. you loose a lot of time.

Not sure what Citybus is but the buses from the Leiden train station go right to the Keukenhof entrance and go constantly. Very easy to do on your own - train to Leiden then bus to Keukenhof - takes about an hour from Amsterdam.

We went to the gardens on our own last May. Take the train to Lisse, walk out of the station and there is a separate booth selling the bus and entrance tickets for Keukenhof. Its very easy and since you can take the earliest train you want, the crowds (at least for us) were minimal. We were there by 9:30am and it was gorgeous. By noon, it was jammed with bus loads of people pouring in and buses lined up waiting to unload.

Lisse doesn't have train service but Leiden does.

At 33 Euro per person, assuming that more than one person will be going, it would probably be just as cheap to rent a car for the day. Don't pick it up at Shiphol, however, because there would be a heavy surcharge. Driving in the Netherlands is easy. The gardens are not difficult to find, either. We drove to Keukenhof from Delft last year and had no problems.

Would it be possible to do this trip either by bus or the tour with an elderly person in reasonably good health but who may tire soon? Is there a lot of walking involved? Is there a view of the tulip fields from the bus itself? (In case we do not get to walk too much in the gardens.) Would it be easy to have her sit down in one spot while I look around? I am not sure how big/widespread the gardens are but what I really want to see are the tulip fields which I hope will still be blooming in the first week of May.
Barbarita, could you tell me where you saw the tour? I believe there are tours from the airport too.

The gardens is quite compact with many benches around, especally by the creek-the area offers one of the best views(shown on many postcards). I have been to the gardens several times(all by public transpot), once with a semi-disable family member. By walking slowly, resting on benches quite a few times, taking couple tea and lunch breaks, she enjoyed the visit without any problem.

Regarding tulip fields, it depends on the weather, but from my experiences, I am afraid most of them will be beheaded by late April, as you know they are for the commercial harvest of bulbs.

I missed Keukenhof last year by two weeks and was told that the best time is around April 15th-the end of April is definitely too late.Hoping to see the tulips this year !

tulips bloom earlier or later as to the weather - thus could be blooming in late April but usually peak earlier. To see the tulip fields abloom without lifting a foot take a train from Amsterdam to Harlem then change to a train to Leiden - this line goes right thru the heart of the flower fields and right by the Keukenhof though there is no stop nearby. Get off at the Hillegom station - a raised platform in the middle of the flower fields - there are benches on the platform from which a vista of the pulchritidinous flower fields unfold - there are flower besides tulips much of the spring and summer.

Thanks for all the replies. We have decided to take a bus tour since the train to Leiden costs 13 euros and then the bus and entrance to the gardens is 17 euros. This is the same as the bus and the agency is right near our hotel. Thanks again.

We took this tour many years ago and were basically pleased. We did find that there really wasn't 4-1/2 hours for the garden though, and we wished we had more time. Someone told us that the next time (yet to come), we book the morning excursion and request to be picked up on the afternoon return. We will definitely do this. The garden is a glory!!!

cmeyer54,
What day of the week did you go?

We were there on a Sunday I believe. btw, the tulips we ordered are already peeking up! I can't wait to see how they do here!

cmeyer54
I purchased tulips in AMsterdam 20 years ago and they are still coming up! I am hoping to but some but I am not sure if the timing will be good.