Have you ever heard someone say “Spring showers bring May flowers”. Well, step out of the way May because April is the month of the Tulips! That is right, when you are seeing photos like this –>
or this –>
likely those photos were taken in April. So how exactly do you plan a trip to the Netherlands to partake in this flower festival? Read more to find out!
Step 1: Know When To go
In order to see the tulip fields in full bloom, you need to be informed when planning your trip. Generally, the tulips bloom in Spring between the end of March and Mid May. That encompasses roughly a 6-week window. While this may sound like plenty, the caveat is that, according to DutchGrown, each bloom really lasts between a few days and 1-2 weeks.
Therefore, in order to ensure you are catching the beautiful blooms, you must know where you plan to go in advance and check with the individual fields for their timing.
Step 2: Know Where To go
Deciding which farm to visit is a very important decision. I’ve included a brief blurb about the various options below. When you decide on one (or a few) check out their websites to make reservations and learn more about when they are expecting the most beautiful flowers.
Here are some of the most popular stops –
How To decide which Tulip Farms to Visit
- Keukenhof Gardens – This is by far the most well known place to view the tulips. They claim to have “the most beautiful spring garden in the world!” and they guarantee tulips for their entire season which is generally from the end of March to Mid May. Tickets cost €19.
- Tulip Farm De Tulperij in Voorhout – Here, “you will experience the flower bulb. trade in all scents and colors”. The entrance is free but don’t be surprised if you end up buying some of your own hand picked tulips or ordering bulbs from their store!
- The Tulip Barn – Open from April 1 to May 15, the Tulip Barn has activities many weekends for individuals and families. You can check out their calendar on their website. Tickets are €7.50 for individuals but there are different rates for families.
- Tulip Experience Amsterdam – This is primarily a museum but it also has a show garden with 1 million tulips that will flower in stages. Tickets cost €12.50 for adults and include a cup of coffee/tea and a bunch of tulips!
- Annemieke’s Pluktuin – As of March 28th, this is open for you to stop by and pick out some tulips! Unfortunately, the prices are not listed on the website.
- FAM Flower Farm – FAM Flower Farm is not publicly accessible but they do accept reservations during the season where the tulips are flowering. This experience is a little more expensive and exclusive compared to others. The cost is €45 and includes coffe, tea, stroopwaffles (aa dutch delicacy!), and aa bunch of tulips. They only allow a max of 15 people per visit granting you a more private picture taking experience.
Getting More from the Tulip Region
A Bike Route You Won’t Regret – If you can’t choose which one to visit or you have time to visit multiple farms, you can consider renting a bike in Lisse and biking one of several routes they offer! This may also be your best chance to see tulips out in the wild as well!
Here is a route shown on Rent A Bike Van Dam’s website:
Huys Dever – Again, this isn’t exactly a tulip farm. This is a castle in Lisse. It was likely constructed in 1375. You can visit it for free and during tulip season it will likely be covered in gorgeous flowers!
Step 3: How to Get there
You can see in the map above, the tulip farms are all in close proximity to each other in the center of the country. The most common way to get to the Keukenhof Gardens is from one of the 3 major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and the Hague. Let’s talk about the possible transport options from the perspective of you being in one of these 3 cities.
Option 1: Travel By Car
Renting a car in the Netherlands is possible through some well known rental companies such as Hertz, Thrifty, Europcar, Flizzr, Sixr, and more. As a tourist, you are generally allowed to use the license from your home country to drive there. To be sure, you may want to double check your country’s embassy page.
As you can expect, renting a car is one of the more, if not the most, expensive option. But it does give you the flexibility to stop and smell the…tulips…at your own pace. (Actually a fun fact – most tulips don’t smell!)
If you are worried at the idea of driving in a new country – be sure you check out the driving rules before you start driving. This will help you decide if renting a car is right for you. Here is a good site that might help with all your driving needs – Expatica Netherlands.
Let’s talk driving distances! Here are the 3 major cities with distances and time estimates by car. Unfortunately, there can be a lot of traffic congestion due to the Netherlands’ high population density. Therefore, take these times with a grain of salt. Leave early and check your preferred map app for more accurate readings.
From
- Amsterdam – 39 km – 34 min
- The Hague – 33.3 km – 38 min
- Rotterdam – 57.5 km – 47 min
One additional note, be prepared to pay for parking when visiting the tulip farms!
Option 2: Travel By Taxi
Taking a taxi from one of the 3 big cities is an expensive option.
Here are some estimates:
- Amsterdam – 30 min – €80 One-Way
- The Hague – 29 min – €70 One-Way
- Rotterdam – 45 min – €140 One-Way
Option 3: Travel By Public Transport
Unfortunately there is no train going directly to Keukenhof. You can however, take public transport from the 3 major cities. This option will probably take twice as long but costs only a fraction.
From
- Amsterdam – ~46 Min
- Depending on where you are in the city, you likely need to get to Schiphol Airport. Check Google Maps for the best route at your specific time of travel.
- Depending on where you are in the city, you likely need to get to Schiphol Airport. Check Google Maps for the best route at your specific time of travel.
- The Hague – ~55 min
- From the Hague, you will likely need to get to Den Haag Centraal Station. From there, you have a couple of options taking various Intercity/Sprinter trains and busses. Check Google Maps for the best route at your specific time of travel
- From the Hague, you will likely need to get to Den Haag Centraal Station. From there, you have a couple of options taking various Intercity/Sprinter trains and busses. Check Google Maps for the best route at your specific time of travel
- Rotterdam – ~1 hr 15 min
- From Rotterdam, there are a couple of train and bus combinations that will get you to Lisse. All of them will either connect through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport or Leiden Central. Check Google Maps for the best route at your specific time of travel
Once you get to Lisse station, you can walk 20 minutes to the Keukenhof fields.
NS in the Netherlands primarily operates the public transport. Here is a link to their website to plan your journey – https://www.ns.nl/en.
Option 4: Travel By Tour Bus
To close this section out with an easy and popular option, you can visit the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens via a tour bus.
The tour bus to Keaukenhof Gardens, aka the Keukenhof bus, departs from several popular train stations across the country. Here is the bus schedule timetable taken from the tulip festival Amsterdam site.
Tickets cost between €10 – €16 one-way.
| Keukenhof Express Bus (direct transfer) | Timetable | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam RAI Station (bus 852) | 6 times an hour | 35 minutes |
| Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (bus 858) | 6 times an hour | 30 minutes |
| Haarlem Station (bus 850) | 2 times an hour | 25 minutes |
| Leiden Central Station (bus 854) | 4 times an hour | 25 minutes |
step 3: Where to stay
Based on everything you have seen so far, where you want to stay is really based on your preferences! You can access Lisse and the tulip region from any of the 3 big cities which greatly expands your options for stays. Additionally, you could consider staying in Lisse.
You may find that if you are booking close to tulip season, options are very limited and possibly expensive.
Try checking out Airbnb or HomeToGo if you want to expand your search to less traditional hotel options!
Step 4: Taking your perfect Tulip photo
Stay tuned – My picture will be added here shortly 🙂
🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷
The above information is based only on my research about this trip and not yet based on my actual experience. I hope that it might be helpful to you!
Happy Explorinig!
Dayna
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