Netherlands›South Holland: Bulb Fields, The Hague & Rotterdam›Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields›May
Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields in May
Good month: May is at the end of the recommended season (Late March – early May (tulips peak mid-April)). Plan around: Tulip Season: Timed Tickets Sell Out. Tulip season and Keukenhof can fall this month.
The season ends with May.
2 days in Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields in May · from ₹38,103 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book May
Closures, crowds and rules at Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields this month.
Worth knowing
Tulip Season: Timed Tickets Sell Out
Keukenhof sells timed entry slots online, and weekends, Easter and King's Day sell out. Book as soon as you have dates, arrive at opening (8:00) or after 16:00 to miss the coach groups, and expect the Keukenhof Express buses from Schiphol to queue at midday. The fields flower in turn: daffodils and hyacinths in late March, tulips from about the second week of April, cut by early May.
What’s on in May
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Tulip season and Keukenhof2027: Keukenhof 18 Mar – 9 May
Keukenhof opens for about eight weeks; crocuses and daffodils flower first, the tulips peak around mid-April, and the bulb fields between Haarlem and Leiden are in colour from late March to early May, then cut. The Bloemencorso flower parade drives from Noordwijk to Haarlem through the bulb district on a Saturday in late April. Weekends and Easter are the busiest days: book Keukenhof's timed tickets early.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹38,103 for two
- Room a night₹13,850
- Food a day, each₹4,160
- Main sight entry, each₹2,290
Mid-range
₹70,676 for two
- Room a night₹21,300
- Food a day, each₹9,600
- Main sight entry, each₹2,290
Luxury
₹1,42,550 for two
- Room a night₹35,150
- Food a day, each₹22,400
- Main sight entry, each₹2,290
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for the Netherlands yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Amsterdam (AMS), 26 km away
Then: Transfer · 36m (Taxi / private transfer, per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 8 cities, one way from ₹21,000
Routes compared
- Amsterdam to Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields
- Haarlem to Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields to Delft
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields to Giethoorn
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields to Hoge Veluwe & Kröller-Müller
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields to Kinderdijk
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields to Maastricht
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields to Rotterdam
Entry rules
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,445
- Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Netherlands centre in India (12 cities, from New Delhi and Mumbai to Kochi and Jalandhar) at least 45 days before you fly, and no earlier than 6 months. Apply to the Netherlands if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus VFS's ₹1,855 service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
- At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). A decision takes about 15 days, up to 45 days if more checks are needed. Appointments are hardest to get from April to July: book as soon as your dates are fixed.
- If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
- On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Schiphol.
Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).
One Schengen visa covers the Netherlands and every other Schengen country (France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, but not the United Kingdom, which needs its own visa. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits vary by city and season: check visa.vfsglobal.com before you book flights.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands in May
Also in season this month.
- Amsterdam · great month
- Delft · great month
- Giethoorn · great month
- Haarlem · great month
- Hoge Veluwe & Kröller-Müller · great month
- Kinderdijk · great month
- Maastricht · great month
- Rotterdam · great month
Nearby in South Holland: Bulb Fields, The Hague & Rotterdam:
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Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields in May, day by day, priced for your group.