11 Colorful Tulip Tours from Amsterdam
Each spring the Netherlands bursts into color as the countryside’s tulip fields bloom. It’s a spectacular sight, a welcome sign that warmer days are ahead, and you’ll likely encounter flower stalls selling bulbs and fresh flowers across the country. However, if you want the full horticultural experience, here are a few ways to visit the country’s famous tulip fields on a day trip from Amsterdam.
1. Discover Keukenhof Gardens at your own pace
Southwest of Amsterdam, Lisse is famous for its Keukenhof Gardens. Spend more time admiring Keukenhof’s colorful tulip fields and less time waiting with this skip-the-line ticket which includes fast-track entry, transportation from Amsterdam, and plenty of time to explore the garden’s millions of flowers at your own pace.
2. Go in-depth on a private tour of Keukenhof Gardens
Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about tulips by exploring the Keukenhof Gardens in the company of a private guide who will explain everything about tulip history and cultivation. On a private tour that’s exclusively for your party, you can ask all the questions you want.
3. Combine Keukenhof Gardens with historic Giethoorn
Save time and visit two top Dutch destinations in one day. This combination tour includes a visit to the floral spectacle that is Keukenhof, as well as the enchanting village of Giethoorn where you’ll take a boat trip through the canals.
4. Tick off multiple attractions in a single day tour
A windmill village, a tulip garden, and a clog museum are a few of the stops you make on this activity-packed tour of the Dutch countryside. As well as admiring the tulips of Keukenhof, you’ll visit the traditional windmill village of Zaanse Schans.
5. Journey through the Netherlands’ “flower bulb region”
Head west out of Amsterdam and into the Bollenstreek, or “flower-bulb region.” A small-group guided tour will take you along rural roads—lined by flower fields on both sides—that big tour buses just can’t reach.
6. Enjoy tulips and pottery on a combo tour
7. Experience Floriade, the “World’s Fair of flowers”
Don't miss your chance to experience a unique horticultural event that takes place just once every 10 years. Enjoy a private guided tour of the Floriade 2022 Expo in Almere and see all the highlights, from tulips in spring to dahlias in summer.
8. Visit a family-run tulip farm and get bulbs to take home
Combine Keukenhof Gardens with a visit to a family-run tulip farm in the village of Voorhout. You’ll get to take home summer seeds and a flower bulb to start your own garden—and a 3-course lunch at a Dutch brasserie is included.
9. Bike to a tulip field for a photoshoot in Hillegom
Blooming tulips are a fleeting phenomenon but this tour will help you remember the spectacle forever. Pedal your way to a colorful tulip field in the village of Hillegom, then pose for professional photos to create the ultimate souvenir.
10. Stroll by Amsterdam’s floating flower market
Stay in Amsterdam and enjoy a local’s perspective on the city by embarking on a private walking tour that takes you to off-the-beaten-path hidden gems, as well as highlights including Bloemenmarkt, the famed floating flower market on the Singel Canal.
11. Visit the world’s largest flower auction
Journey to Aalsmeer, home of the busiest floral market in the world. Admire the astonishing speed of logistics in action as millions of flowers are traded. Afterward, see blooming tulips up close by cycling past the flower fields between Sassenheim and Lisse.
Alternative: Explore the Amsterdam Tulip Museum
Even outside of tulip season you can learn about the fascinating role tulips have played in the Netherlands’ history. Just across Prinsengracht canal from the Anne Frank House, the small but mighty Amsterdam Tulip Museum will tell you all you need to know about the fragrant national symbol.
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