When Spring comes you all know that all our Instagram feeds will get packed with perfect dreamy pictures of some of the most incredible tulip fields in The Netherlands. But this year, I was looking for the greatest experience: finding the best tulip fields near Amsterdam with the best tulip tours.
And I won’t lie to you, I’ve done just that: found the perfect tour to the tulip fields in Northern Amsterdam and I want to share with you what I’ve seen and why I liked it so much.
Finding the best tulip fields near Amsterdam with the best tulip tours
I have to admit that I wanted to experience this in the easiest way possible, thus before booking the trip with Tulip Tours Holland, I had done a lot of research, gathered a whole lot of information, and come to the best decision I could have made.
What are the options for seeing the tulips in Holland?
Visit Keukenhof
This is the first thing that comes to mind if you know a little bit about tulips in Holland.
Keukenhof is maybe the most famous garden in the world for its millions of tulips. And when I say millions I’m not exaggerating: they have over 7 million tulip bulbs, covering over 800 varieties of tulips.
The park is carefully organized, offering various inspirational gardens, flower art, and different flower shows throughout the opening season.
What’s the downside to it? The crowds.
Since Keukenhof is so popular and it is open only for a short period of time each year, it gets pretty packed with tourists.
I was planning to visit Holland only for one day, thus getting from Brussels to Amsterdam, taking the 397 bus from the train station to Schipol Airport, and then taking another bus to Keukenhof (858 bus) would have meant spending the most time on the road, arriving at the park pretty late when it would have been already crowded, and not even getting that perfect picture I was dreaming of.
And yes, there is always the option of taking a tour from Amsterdam to Keukenhof.
In 2023 Keukenhof is open from March 23rd until May 14th.The park has a timed-entry slot, thus booking your ticket in advance is highly recommended.
Rent a car and get exploring
Of course, if you are planning to visit Holland for more days (or even for one) there is always the option of renting a car and heading for the countryside in the search of the best tulip fields in the Netherlands.
If you have decided that renting a car is the way forward for part of your itinerary, my go-to destination for the best prices is DiscoverCars.
It is a great aggregator that will help you find and book the best option for renting a car during your trip, helping yousave up to 70%on your car rental. They have a pretty goodcancellation policythat would give you options in case your flight or travel plans change.
Get the best deals for a car here!
I have to say that I have thought long and hard about this option, but the few downsides to this option discouraged me:
- I had only less than 24 hours to find that perfect tulip field I was looking for and had no idea where to find it
- I never drove elsewhere than Romania (which normally means I can drive almost wherever in this world) so I was nervous about doing it on my own (my mother who was joining me does not know how to drive)
- Finding parking spaces close to the fields, having the concern of a rented car
- Not knowing if I could find fields open to walk through them (I had read that in Lisse since it is such a popular destination for finding tulip fields, farmers usually close the fields and don’t allow sloppy tourists to step on their tulips)
Needless to say, I gave up on this option as well.
If, however, you are up to the driving and want to know where to head, here are the best options for finding tulip fields in Holland:
- Noordoostpolder
- around Lisse as you drive from Amsterdam toward the South
- Noordwijkerhout
Another great experience that includes a GPS with the exact locations you should explore is the Drive-it-Yourself Tulip Fields GPS Audio Tour. You will have a small 100% electric car all to yourself, equipped with GPS navigation.
Take the train and rent a bicycle
Finding the perfect tulip fields from Amsterdam or even the best Holland flower fields (yes there is more to Holland than tulips), means that you will have to have some time to explore.
When researching this option I actually found 2 versions of trips:
- Taking the train from Amsterdam to Lelystad, renting a bike, and go searching for the tulip fields in the less touristic Northern Holland. You will find plenty of tulip farms in Noordoostpolderthat offer guided tours in the tulip fields (read along about my experience and recommendation).
- The second option was to take the train from Amsterdam to Haarlem, renting a bike (6 EUR for a half-day, 10 EUR for a full day) and head South to the more tourist tulip fields in Lisse. Everywhere around the town, you’ll find plenty of colorful seas of tulips, all you must do is drive around.
For either of the options above, check out the train timetable and prices here!
Since the last time I rode a bike was many years ago and moreover, my mother does not know how to, this was not an option. Also, if the weather is not the nicest riding a bike in the cold for tens of kilometers might not be the way of doing this.
Book a tour with Tulip Tours Holland
In my opinion, this is the best option for really seeing the best tulip fields near Amsterdam.
Apart from Tulip Tours Holland, there are plenty of other options with larger organized groups, here are only a few:
- Keukenhof Flower Fields & Canal Cruise
- Amsterdam: Keukenhof, Zaanse Schans, and Canal Cruise
- Keukenhof Tulips and Delft Tour from Brussels
- Brussels: Keukenhof, Tulips, and Delft Tour
- From Amsterdam: 5.5-Hour Half-Day Ultimate Tulip Experience
Who is behind Tulip Tours Holland?
Mike is the guide of the day! He’s actually farming tulips himself, living in the most picturesque Dutch village next to the most beautiful pink tulip field. He will tell you lots of stories about tulips, the Netherlands, and much more.
Seila is the greatest photographer! With a warm smile always on her face (she is from Spain after all) she will make you feel comfortable and take the most beautiful pictures for you to remember forever!
What have we done in a day tour
Leaving Amsterdam behind in a minivan, I did not have to worry about driving or paying attention to the tulip fields. I could just sit back, relax, and admire the beautiful landscape and Dutch houses, almost torn from a fairytale.
Just a short half-hour after we left town we got to see the first colorful tulip fields and my heart was dancing with joy!
The tour took us through Northern Holland, all the way up North from Amsterdam because this is where the less-known flower fields of Holland are found. Everywhere we went, we only saw farmers checking their crops, no tourists snooping around except for us.
The first stop was at the smallest candy shop in Holland and in the small and historic town of de Rijp.
With a population of a little bit over 4000 people, located in the Alkmaar province, de Rijp was once a very important port town (even more important than Amsterdam) that lost its shine because of several fires that affected the town throughout the years.
The small town is now just a quiet charming village, which will steal your heart away. And if you have seen Zaanse Schans be sure you’ll love De Rijp.
Moving forward we stopped next to a beautiful old windmill, so iconic for the Netherlands, and even more perfect with the colorful tulip fields in the background.
As we were taking pictures on the side of the road, a great Dutch guy stopped by and offered to lead us to this great spot where we would find fields of tulips in different colors and windmills in the background. I’m still impressed by how friendly and willing to help Dutch people are.
Since this is not your typical tour, and Mike and Seila are devoted to offering you the greatest experience, we did a small detour and went looking for the perfect spot.
This allowed us to take some of the most iconic pictures of the Netherlands, its tulips, and windmills.
After a delicious Dutch lunch, we drove to one of Mike’s tulip fields (the one which was in bloom, since it was rather early in the year) and took some of the loveliest pictures.
At Tulip Tours Holland they have some of the prettiest props for taking pictures, from the charming green bicycle to the very yellow traditional Dutch clogs, to the romantic white picture frame.
Just a side note to have in mind when planning your trip to the Netherlands to see the tulip fields: please respect the fields and don’t step inside with foreign objects unless you have the field owner’s permission (as I did).
Did I mention they also have a drone? They’ll take some pretty awesome pictures from above!
When is the perfect time to visit Holland for the tulip fields?
This was the first thing I looked for when planning my trip to the Netherlands for the tulips.
With a small window of opportunity, you can let yourself be guided by the opening period of Keukenhof. Usually, the park is open between late March-early April, and mid-May.
If you want an even more accurate timetable and your trip dates are flexible, you can check out the Bollenstreek website where you will find a map of all the stages the tulip fields are in.
My go-to version would be to contact Tulip Tours Holland before planning your trip and ask them for the status of the location 🙂 They will surely help you out with all the information you will need.
What is the best time to see tulips in Amsterdam?
The best time to see tulips in Amsterdam is from mid-March to mid-May when the tulips are in full bloom. During this period, the iconic flower fields of Holland can be seen all over the Dutch countryside and even within Amsterdam itself.
The city also celebrates National Tulip Day on the third Saturday of January, which features a colorfully decorated square filled with thousands of tulips. Visiting during this period will give you an amazing display and is definitely worth seeing!
When is the Amsterdam tulip festival?
The Amsterdam tulip festival takes place in April 2023.
This is when Amsterdam’s iconic flower fields are in full bloom and the city celebrates with a variety of activities, including live music and theater performances, parades, markets, and much more. Visitors from all around the world come to see these beautiful displays during this time period!
When is the Tulip fields season?
The tulip fields season in the Netherlands typically takes place from mid-March to mid-May when the tulips are in full bloom.
During this period, visitors can enjoy colorful displays of tulips and windmills in Holland all over the Dutch countryside and even within Amsterdam itself.
This is also when Amsterdam celebrates its Tulip Festival!
Other travel resources for visiting The Netherlands
- See the prettiest small towns in The Netherlands
- Zaanse Schans– windmill and chocolate town
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any entity.
