Spring has sprung and so have our spirits!
The warmth of sunshine and the scent of flowers that start to bloom have filled our hearts with joy and renewed our zest for life.
In the Netherlands, every year we welcome Springtime with a festival of flowers, tulips in particular.
The Netherlands is world-famous for its tulips, and this fame can be traced back to the 17th century when "Tulip Mania" swept the country. During this time, tulip bulbs were so highly prized that they were considered a form of currency. Now, The Netherlands is one of the world's leading exporters of tulips, with millions of bulbs being shipped globally each year.
Let me share with you some places to check out to admire the beauty of spring through the tulip fields all across the Netherlands. These are fields across the country where farmers grow tulips for export and for local retail, some of them are open for visitors too. We decided to drive around some of these fields.
The Keukenhof Gardens, often referred to as the "Garden of Europe," is a must-visit destination during the tulip season. The garden showcases an incredible display of tulips and other spring flowers. You can find a wide variety of tulip species and colors found in the Netherlands, from the classic vibrant red tulips to unique and rare tulip hybrids.
@carolranas A visit to Keukenhof shouldn’t be missed this spring! You’ll see why Holland is world-known for its flowers. #teamperez #visitholland #keukenhof #tulpen #springvibes ♬ Sunny Day - Ted Fresco
It's a huge park with millions of tulips and other flowers in all colors and shapes. The best time to visit the tulip fields is typically from mid-April to mid-May, highly recommended to book in advance as Keukenhoff is mostly packed with people, especially on the week when the flowers are in full bloom.
2. Lisse - Hillegom - Noordwijk (Bollenstreek) Route
Lisse is known as the flower capital of Holland because it has many tulip nurseries and flower fields. It also has some fantastic tulip fields that you can see from the road or even walk through if you ask permission from the owners. It is in the Bollenstreek region. Yearly, we have the Bollenstreek festival where the farmers showcase the tulips in these huge pergolas and parade them around the region.
If you drive along the roads and highways in these towns, you'll be blown away by the beauty and variety of flowers that you can see. There were red ones, yellow ones, pink ones, purple ones, striped ones, fringed ones... You name it, they have it. They looked so perfect and fresh under the blue sky. Some gardens have areas specifically for visitors and you can even pick some flowers too.
3. Flevoland Noordpolder
Lisse is known as the flower capital of Holland because it has many tulip nurseries and flower fields. It also has some fantastic tulip fields that you can see from the road or even walk through if you ask permission from the owners. It is in the Bollenstreek region. Yearly, we have the Bollenstreek festival where the farmers showcase the tulips in these huge pergolas and parade them around the region.
If you drive along the roads and highways in these towns, you'll be blown away by the beauty and variety of flowers that you can see. There were red ones, yellow ones, pink ones, purple ones, striped ones, fringed ones... You name it, they have it. They looked so perfect and fresh under the blue sky. Some gardens have areas specifically for visitors and you can even pick some flowers too.
3. Flevoland Noordpolder
The next spot is in Flevoland, about an hour and a half from Amsterdam. Emmeloord is a town that has a lot of tulip farms around it. But unlike Lisse, where most of them are close to each other, here they are more spread out. There are even tulip fields along the windmills. It was a nice spot to take some photos.
I used Google Maps to find these routes. Yearly, the region publishes the route to see the fields. You just need to follow some signs that say "Tulpenroute", which means "Tulip Route". This special route guides you through some of the best spots and fields to see tulips in this area that are open to the public. Here is our YouTube video and admire how pretty amazing these fields are:
The fields here were even bigger and more colorful than in Lisse. Some looked like rainbows or paintings or carpets made of flowers. It was incredible! If you are coming from Amsterdam, I highly recommend renting a car and driving around the fields. These fields are vast and public transportation is difficult.
Those are the three spots we have visited so far. We are still all ears on other places that have some nice tulip fields that are open to the public. I believe there are some fields as well in the Northern part of Holland, which we will explore next year.
Do you also have tulip fields in your country?
Do you know some more tulip routes along the Netherlands?
Share it in the comments below!
