Discover Tulip Season in Amsterdam

By /

tulip season

A lot of visitors come to the Netherlands from March through to May to see the tulips in bloom. So if you want to see the striking colors of thousands of flowering tulip bulbs, this is a great time to visit!

An amazing flower park to visit is the Keukenhof, which is open for these months only. However you can see the tulips other (cheaper and less crowded) ways, for example by cycling to the tulip farms and roaming by the edge of the fields.

Keukenhof

 

What is Keukenhof? One of the world’s largest flower gardens, with dozens of flower varieties across 79 acres.

Where is Keukenhof? These gardens are located in South Holland, nearly an hour from Amsterdam via public transport. 

When is it open? Mid-March through to mid-May. 

The Details 

Heading to Keukenhof is a great, easy and fairly straightforward way to see the beautiful arrays of tulips. Depending on which week you visit, you can also see daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths in amongst the flower beds. There are places to stop for food and drink (although food is pretty expensive) and opportunities to attend flower shows and various other activities. I visited in 2018 and they had a birds of prey demonstration in the middle of the park – perhaps check the website to see whats on!

The best way to get there from central Amsterdam is to get a train to Schipol Airport (around 10 mins) and then the 854 bus (the ‘Keukenhof Express’) which is signposted at the airport. Tickets for return bus and entry to the park cost approx. 30 Euro pp.

The Keukenhof garden attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and it gets pretty busy. If you’re not too fussed about manicured gardens and want to skip the crowds and save some money, you can view the tulips for free not far from the Keukenhof Gardens…

Self-Guided Tulip Tour

You can easily visit the tulip fields on a budget, you’ll just have to pay for public transport from Amsterdam. You can get the same bus from Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof gardens (854 bus) but instead of going into the gardens, take a walk towards the town of Hillegom. Within 30 minutes you will see stunning tulip fields without so many tourists. But these fields are not public – be careful not to step on or pick the tulips! Check BloemenRadar.com ahead of your journey to see where you can find flowers in full bloom.

If you continue your walk to Hillegom you can then get the train back to Amsterdam Centraal (30 mins train with a change over in Haarlem). If you want to make a day of it, stop off in the small city of Haarlem – a mini (and equally as picturesque) version of Amsterdam.

Featured Articles