Amsterdam Keukenhof travel logistics?
March 15, 2017 11:13 AM Subscribe
I am arranging a group of 10 adults to travel from Amsterdam Centraal to Keukenhof, then onward to Leiden for dinner, and finally back to Amsterdam CS in the evening. I'm having trouble sorting thru the info on the English versions of the ride planning websites sites and my Dutch is niet zo goed. Can anyone help me sort this?
Our budget is around 45€ per person including admission. Originally I was going to charter a minibus for the trip but I'm getting quoted upwards of 700€ for the day--surely hiring a couple taxis for each leg would be cheaper!
Does the combi ticket include return to Amsterdam? Seems like best is to buy combi tickets for everyone (32€) which would get us there and into Keukenhof, then (if possible) use the combi ticket to take the 858 bus to Leiden rather than back to Schiphol, and buy everyone a train ticket from Leiden to Amsterdam (9€). But I'm not clear if that's possible.
Anyone who's made this journey before, or alternately who can advise on the viability of ordering a couple UberXL's, instead, please let me know--thank you!
Our budget is around 45€ per person including admission. Originally I was going to charter a minibus for the trip but I'm getting quoted upwards of 700€ for the day--surely hiring a couple taxis for each leg would be cheaper!
Does the combi ticket include return to Amsterdam? Seems like best is to buy combi tickets for everyone (32€) which would get us there and into Keukenhof, then (if possible) use the combi ticket to take the 858 bus to Leiden rather than back to Schiphol, and buy everyone a train ticket from Leiden to Amsterdam (9€). But I'm not clear if that's possible.
Anyone who's made this journey before, or alternately who can advise on the viability of ordering a couple UberXL's, instead, please let me know--thank you!
Yeah, the website doesn't specify if the combi ticket is a return ticket, but I think it's safe to assume it is, judging the prices of the ticket. If the ticket didn't include a return, it would be way too expensive.
Could you maybe contact customer service to ask whether you could use the combi ticket to travel to Leiden instead of Schiphol? I expect it to be the case you can only use the combi ticket to travel Schiphol-Keukenhof and back, but they will know for sure of course. And I would be very surprised if customer service of the Keukenhof would not be able to speak English, so that shouldn't be a problem.
posted by leopard-skin pill-box hat at 11:40 AM on March 15, 2017
Could you maybe contact customer service to ask whether you could use the combi ticket to travel to Leiden instead of Schiphol? I expect it to be the case you can only use the combi ticket to travel Schiphol-Keukenhof and back, but they will know for sure of course. And I would be very surprised if customer service of the Keukenhof would not be able to speak English, so that shouldn't be a problem.
posted by leopard-skin pill-box hat at 11:40 AM on March 15, 2017
I would be very surprised if customer service of the Keukenhof would not be able to speak English
This was going to be my suggestion. I've been to NL several times for business and never encountered a Dutch person who doesn't speak English.
If all else fails car rentals at Schiphol (i know I'm an ugly american) are very affordable and I've never had issues driving in NL.
posted by French Fry at 11:46 AM on March 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
This was going to be my suggestion. I've been to NL several times for business and never encountered a Dutch person who doesn't speak English.
If all else fails car rentals at Schiphol (i know I'm an ugly american) are very affordable and I've never had issues driving in NL.
posted by French Fry at 11:46 AM on March 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Also, if you plan to travel from Amsterdam - Leiden - Keukenhof - Leiden - Amsterdam, like PaulZ suggests, it would probably be cheaper to get a group return ticket for the train. For 10 people, it would cost 70 euros, so 7 euro pp, which is cheaper than a normal return ticket.
Edit: you could get a combi ticket Leiden - Keukenhof for 24 and the group return ticket for 7 euro, which would only cost you 31 euro, so it's even slightly cheaper than the 32 euro you budgeted.
posted by leopard-skin pill-box hat at 11:49 AM on March 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Edit: you could get a combi ticket Leiden - Keukenhof for 24 and the group return ticket for 7 euro, which would only cost you 31 euro, so it's even slightly cheaper than the 32 euro you budgeted.
posted by leopard-skin pill-box hat at 11:49 AM on March 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
The combi ticket is a return ticket (I've bought them several times), but you have to travel via the same route in both directions. That is, if you buy the combi ticket for Amsterdam Centraal - Keukenhof, then you can't use it to travel from Keukenhof to Leiden at the end of the day. And I'm not sure what you mean by taking the 858 bus to Leiden; the 858 runs between Schiphol and Keukenhof, while it's the 854 that goes between Leiden and Keukenhof.
Anyway, I think your best bet might be to buy the Amsterdam Centraal - Keukenhof combi ticket, but when the bus drops you off at Schiphol, get on a train to Leiden (€5.80 per person) instead of Amsterdam C. The trip from Schiphol to Leiden is only 15 minutes.
posted by neushoorn at 11:50 AM on March 15, 2017
Anyway, I think your best bet might be to buy the Amsterdam Centraal - Keukenhof combi ticket, but when the bus drops you off at Schiphol, get on a train to Leiden (€5.80 per person) instead of Amsterdam C. The trip from Schiphol to Leiden is only 15 minutes.
posted by neushoorn at 11:50 AM on March 15, 2017
addition to neushoorn: or get the 854 to Leiden, €3,50 / 45 min after your visit to the keukenhof. Then get a group ticket Leiden / Schiphol, since you already paid for the Schiphol/Amsterdam Central part of the trip with the return combi ticket.
posted by Thisandthat at 12:52 PM on March 15, 2017
posted by Thisandthat at 12:52 PM on March 15, 2017
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posted by humboldt32 at 4:24 PM on March 15, 2017
posted by humboldt32 at 4:24 PM on March 15, 2017
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About the public transport options:
I can't find an answer either to the question if your Schiphol-Keukenhof-Leiden plan would be possible with the combi ticket.
But there is the option Amsterdam-Leiden by train, and then the combiticket Leiden-Keukenhof. This would be 24+2x9 = 42 euro's and takes 10-15 minutes longer than the Amsterdam-Schiphol-Keukenhof route.
posted by PaulZ at 11:36 AM on March 15, 2017