Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Sorry - I couldn’t help it. But what comes to mind when you think of tulips (besides Tiny Tim)? Holland, of course!

There is no bad time to visit the Netherlands (although it gets pretty wet and windy in the winter!) but it is even more spectacular from mid March until mid-to-end of April when parts of Holland are transformed into a patchwork of colors. There are many tulip farms in Holland and, if you are visiting Amsterdam, you can travel to the world’s largest flower auction which is just 30 minutes away (open year round but you have to go very early!)

During the official tulip season, you can enjoy a Tulip Time River Cruise, watch a Flower Parade, or take a day trip to Keukenhof Gardens, among other things.

Tulip Time River Cruises are typically a 7-night cruise in the Netherlands and Belgium in which you sail on smaller rivers to get to the most charming towns and scenic areas of both countries. If you time it right, you’d experience Floralia in Belgium as well as tulip season in the Netherlands. Floralia is a spring flower festival held at a castle outside of Brussels. The gardeners plant over a million bulbs by hand! Besides flowers (a stop at Keukenhof is also included), you can indulge in delicious Belgian chocolate (and beer!), bike in the Dutch countryside or explore Rotterdam’s unique architecture. If you’ve been to Amsterdam and want to see more of the areas nearby, this is the best way to do so!

The Flower Parade is a 20+ mile parade connecting towns outside of Amsterdam. It is the most colorful parade there is! Typically held in late April.

Keukenhof Gardens is a beautiful botanical garden located outside of Amsterdam. It is only open from late-March to early May but is “the” place to go for flower lovers.

If you can’t make it to Amsterdam in Spring but find yourself there in January, maybe you will be lucky to be there for National Tulip Day (or Nationale Tulpendag) which is the 3rd Saturday of January every year. Dam Square gets filled with about 200,000 tulips and the public can pick them for free! And if not there in January, don’t fret. The flower market in central Amsterdam is open year round - although it is most colorful in the spring and summer.

Is the Netherlands on your travel bucket list? We can help guide you to the best places to visit whether it will be your first trip or a returning visit. And if it is your first trip, we bet it won’t be your last (speaking from experience. After my second visit, I went back for four years!) Contact me now to get started on your travel plans!