Traveling the Tulips

Flags, Bags, and Holland

Fields in North Holland outside Alkmaar ©ChristopherLarson

Tulip time is a big ticket item for the Netherlands as a whole — lots of tourists come to see the fields of color that pop against the otherwise green lands of the Netherlands. Having been twice — in 2017 and again in 2019 — it is one of my favorite spring time activities in Europe. While touristy, that shouldn’t be a reason not to see the tulips. So much of (more) recent Dutch history is wrapped up in these flowers, and they really fueled the country’s rise to power through the 17th century. So, while the tulips are beautiful to see, they have also had a huge impact on the state of the country today. If you want to know a bit more about the history of the tulips in the Netherlands, here is a good article.

Fields in Noordoostpolder ©ChristopherLarson

With that short introduction, I will get into the details here. I have written this post as I felt that there isn’t really a good source that goes into depth about the various options and plans when it comes to visiting the tulips. I had to do so much research on my own, not really knowing where would be the best place to go, how, and what the options were. I hope this helps, and if it doesn’t, please comment on how I could make this better.

Lone tulip in North Holland outside Alkmaar ©ChristopherLarson

Choosing your mode of transportation

So, the main decisions that you will need to make will be where, for how long, and how. It is hard to say which comes first here — choosing a location, or choosing a mode of transportation. To me, the mode of transportation determines what you do, so I have started here with it:

1. Book a tour — There are multiple agencies that offer tulip field tours. I myself haven’t done this option, but if you are short on time, don’t want to rent a car, and don’t want to ride a bike, then this is a sure fire way to accomplish your goal.
2. Rent a bike — I also haven’t done this yet, but it is certainly an option. Here is a good article on how to do it. You will have to get yourself to Keukenhof and then rent a bike from there, but this is all doable and not too complicated.
3. Rent a car — A car is where you can really have the freedom to truly explore, and would be my recommendation. Given that you can drive from Amsterdam and then back in a giant circle in about 2.5 hours or so, you could realistically do a day of exploring the red and orange regions below (assuming you visit in April and get off to an earlier start). The ideal time period is 2 days, one in the orange section, and one in the red. If you only have a bit of time and are stuck close to Amsterdam, then the blue section is full of tulips as well — unfortunately there are a lot of power lines and modern windmills too. But, you still get to see fields upon fields.

Windmill and tulips north of Alkmaar ©ChristopherLarson

Choosing your Region

This is what I think can be the hardest part of traveling the tulips — where do you go?? If you ask a local, they say go anywhere. If you search the internet, there aren’t too many amazing articles on the areas. So I hope to help here. For me, the biggest difference between the orange, red, and blue areas (see below) is in what you’re looking for. I will break it down:

Map of provinces of The Netherlands, with tulip areas ©ChristopherLarson

1. The red and blue regions are more compact with“tulip routes” that are sign posted and lead you through the fields of the year. These are organized by the local people and councils, and their websites can be accessed here for the red (Noordoostpolder is the municipality) and here for the blue (Flevoland is the province). These are probably more for people who don’t want to just wander as much, or are more short on time. The routes are easy to follow, and the fields are spectacular.
2. Why the orange region stands out to me is because of all of the windmills and the chance to see tulip fields and windmills. Here is an interactive map of where all of the windmills are in the entire Netherlands, broken down by provinces. Use this if you want to try and find some fields that back up to a windmill. The orange area above is called North Holland, when you’re searching the database. There are no windmills in the red and blue — at least according to the map and driving through the area. I really love this area because you just wander, with no signs and no real help, and don’t find any other tourists. Just get in your car and drive and follow the colors. Additionally, the orange region houses the Keukenhof Gardens — a 2 month/year tulip garden that also sits near some tulip fields itself. While not my favorite way to see the tulips, if you love the flowers then an hour or two there would be well spent.

Screen shots of windmill map (left) and tulip routes (center & right)

Choosing the time of year

Finally, and the least complicated, is to choose the time of year. The Tulip season runs really from late-March to early/mid-May. Both times I visited it was the last weekend of April. Suggestions say that the tulips bloom at their brightest around middle of April. Both times I have gone I would say 30–40% of the fields have the tulip leaves on the ground. Even then, though, there were still incredible fields everywhere. When I go back however, I will shoot for the middle of April just to see any difference.

Fallen tulips north of Alkmaar ©ChristopherLarson

My recommendations

So I have alluded to them above, but given the time and the ability/desire to drive, I would rent a car and spend one day exploring North Holland and Alkmaar, and another day in Noordoostpolder and Flevoland. This may just tulip you out, but it offers variety and getting to see the Dutch country side more. If you only have one day and a car, then I would explore North Holland and Alkmaar area. To give you an idea of the way they I drove, here is a map tracking the trip through my Polarsteps account, which gives my route this last time, which I would recommend.

My trip through tulip fields, screen shot from my Polarsteps account

That should do it. I hope this helps! If not, again, please leave me a comment below and I will do my best to update it.