Exploring tulip fields and gardens near Amsterdam is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of my personal favorite trips I’ve ever taken. If we haven’t met, I’m Gina, and I’m a solo traveler who’s always chasing those “how-is-this-real?” kind of views – and tulip season in the Netherlands absolutely delivered. If you’re looking to stay in Amsterdam and experience a Dutch tulip season, this post breaks down the best way to visit the tulip fields and gardens. I’ve also included a map below with all the places I mention in this guide.
If you’re coming to the Netherlands for tulip season, there are 2 things you HAVE to do: see the Keukenhof Flower Gardens in Lisse, and bike around the tulip fields. The best part? You can actually do both in one place!
In addition to their fabulous gardens, Keukenhof offers bike rentals that let you ride around the Bollenstreek region, aka the most famous tulip-growing area in the country. IMO, this is the most seamless way to experience tulip season without worrying about renting a car or mapping out multiple stops across the Netherlands. However, if you do have a car and want to explore beyond the main area, I’ll give you some other suggestions later in this guide. I’ve also linked some tulip tours from Get Your Guide at the end of this post.
Visiting Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse
Keukenhof Gardens is known as the most beautiful botanical garden in the world, and after visiting here, I’d have to agree. Coming here during tulip season was one of my favorite life experiences and something I would urge every traveler to add to their bucket list. The amount of color and beauty and gardening precision is just unreal!
Needless to say, I was overstimulated in the best way. Everywhere I looked, there were massive flower beds overflowing with tulips and other blooms. I couldn’t decide which direction to go in first! If you’re also torn, a lady I met the day before advised me to find the windmill first when I got to Keukenhof. Apparently, you’re able to take a great photo from the top…and the line to do this gets longer as the day goes on.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see the bin of maps at the entrance due to the massive crowd, so I was basically just guessing my way through the gardens. Despite all my wandering, I never stumbled upon the windmill. I can’t speak to the views or the photo ops, but if you were able to find it, LMK your opinion in the comments. The lesson: be sure to grab a map right after the entrance!
- Pro Tip: The windmill will be on the right side of the gardens if you’re entering via the bus parking lot, and the left side if you’re entering via the car lot. I only know this because I managed to find a map when I was leaving. Sighhhh.
As you’re exploring, make sure to really observe how large some of the tulips are. Dutch tulips are much bigger than the ones in the United States, and it was wild to see this up close. I put my hand by one of them to give you reference of the size:
In addition to flower gardens, Keukenhof also has multiple restaurants, ponds with decorative fountains, activities for kids, and souvenir shops. Don’t miss the orchid display inside the Juliana Pavilion that showcases tons of orchids, along with telling you about their history and symbolism. Aside from the orchids, there are a few other indoor flower displays worth seeing. I was particularly a fan of the one shown below with glitter and disco balls:
FYI, one activity that I was told is NOT worth it is the whisper boat tour – multiple people mentioned that you don’t get a very good view of the flowers. If you really want to see the Netherlands from a boat, you’d be better off taking a canal cruise in Amsterdam.
By now, you already know this – but the photo ops were endless. As a solo traveler, I brought my tripod along to ensure I could get some good photos. There were a few spots I was able to angle it to look like I was in a sea of flowers:
Overall, I spent about 3 hours wandering around Keukenhof, but I could have spent longer. The only thing that made me leave was knowing that my bike was waiting for me! I was so excited to bike through some of the back roads of the Netherlands and see the tulip fields.
Biking Around the Tulip Fields Near Keukenhof Gardens – Exploring the Bollenstreek Region
Now that we’ve seen Keukenhof, it’s time to bike through the tulip fields! This section will walk you through renting a bike and everything I did during my ride. Biking lets you explore more of the Duin- en Bollenstreek (Dune and Bulb) region of the Netherlands, which is the heart of Dutch flower-bulb territory.
First – and perhaps most importantly – you’ll want to reserve your bike in advance. While not 100% necessary, this helps ensure that: 1. they won’t sell out, and 2. you won’t have to stand in the long rental line once you’re there. There’s a separate line for people who reserved in advance, and I was able to walk right up and get my bike immediately. At the time of this post, it costs 12.50 euros to rent a bike.
The bike shack is located in the Keukenhof bus parking lot (note – the car lot is at the opposite end of the park). If you exit Keukenhof, the shack will be towards the left side in the back of the parking lot, close to the main road. Ask one of the staff members if you’re lost!
There are 4 colored signposted routes that you can ride through, ranging from 5 to 35 km (~3.1 to 21.7 miles). I chose the Green Route, which was the second longest at 25 km (15.5 miles). You’ll get a map when you rent your bike that will show you different things you can see on your route. There’s everything from restaurants to photo spots to paid flower picking gardens on this map.
One thing I was excited about on the Green Route was stopping at The Tulip Barn – a tulip farm with rows upon rows of tulip fields. Unfortunately, it was raining off and on during my bike ride, and I must have somehow ridden right past it while trying to find shelter from the rain. Sighhhhh. If you take the Green Route, make sure to stop here!
- Click here for tickets to enter The Tulip Barn
Throughout the tulip route, you’re able to stop at some of the fields and get photos. It’s important to note that a lot of the fields have a “flower line” that you aren’t allowed to cross. However, there are a few that let you walk through the rows of tulips and get photos immersed in all the flowers. This photo was one of my favorite shots that I took (and it wasn’t raining!):
All-in-all, biking through the back roads of the Netherlands with tulip fields surrounding me is a core life memory that I will always cherish. As a native West Virginian, it was giving me “country-roads-but-make-it-Dutch” vibes. If you’re going to Keukenhof, I would highly encourage you to rent a bike and explore the surrounding area. I loved it just as much as I loved the gardens themselves.
Planning Your Netherlands Tulip Season Visit
Now that we know what we’re doing for tulip season, it’s time to plan your trip!
Getting to Keukenhof Gardens from Amsterdam
Keukenhof is located in the town of Lisse, about 40 minutes by car or an hour by bus from Amsterdam. The cheapest way to get to Keukenhof is to purchase a bus ticket, or you could even get a bus ticket + gardens entry ticket combo.
If you don’t want to take the bus, your next best option is to rent a car and drive. Uber will cost approximately 100 euro each way from Amsterdam, and there’s no metro or train station that takes you directly to and from Keukenhof.
A Word of Advice When Taking the Bus
When I came to Keukenhof, I bought a ticket that included transportation to and from Amsterdam Centraal plus an entry ticket to the gardens from the 2nd link I shared above. However, the ticket didn’t give a definite return time, and when the driver announced the bus would be leaving the gardens at 2:10pm, I semi-panicked. I had already reserved my bike for 1:30pm weeks before!
Thankfully, years of solo travel has made me an expert at figuring out a solution during situations like this. If you find yourself in the same boat – or, just want more control over your schedule – you can easily make your way back using public transportation. Buses depart from the same area outside the gardens and run regularly to Amsterdam RAI Station, where you can transfer into the city. I ended up doing this after missing my original bus, and it was surprisingly simple.
- Pro Tip: You can also do these steps in reverse to get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam: take the metro to RAI, walk to the Europaplein/RAI bus stop, and take the 852 bus to Keukehnof. However, the lines will be long unless you get there early, and you may have to wait longer than if you depart from Amsterdam Centraal.
When is The Best Time to See Tulips Near Amsterdam?
We all know Mother Nature is unpredictable, so the best time to visit tulip season can vary each year. However, your best bet is usually to go around the last 2 weeks in April. My birthday just happens to fall in this timeframe, and I figured there was no better way to spend it than frolicking in a sundress through millions of flowers in a foreign country. Spoiler alert: it’s often chilly in the Netherlands in April (around 50-60°F), so I had to nix the dress. But I suppose frolicking in pants is better than not frolicking at all!
- Pro Tip: Visiting the Netherlands in the spring is also a great time to explore Amsterdam since it’s not high tourist season.
Where Are Other Places You Can See Tulip Fields Near Amsterdam?
If you’ve done Keukenhof, biked the tulip route, and still want more tulips, I would suggest checking out the tulip route in Noordoostpolder. The route is different each year based on where the tulips bloom, but the Tulip Festival folks map it out for you so you just have to follow the signs. PHEW! You’re able to drive or bike through the tulip route.
Visiting Noordoostpolder will require renting a car, as it is about an hour northeast of Amsterdam. I originally planned to do this one of the days after visiting Keukenhof, but I found that visiting the gardens and biking around Bollenstreek was more than enough for me! Plus, I didn’t have to endure the anxiety of driving in a foreign country by myself.
Are There Any Tulip Fields in Amsterdam?
Unfortunately, there aren’t tulip fields in Amsterdam’s city center, although you can see small areas of tulips in different places such as the grounds of the Rijksmuseum. To get to the best tulip fields, you’ll have to travel to areas outside of the city.
But despite there not being any tulips in the city center, I still had a wonderful time running around Amsterdam sans flowers. I spent a lot of time biking through the city, trying Dutch restaurants, shopping, and sitting by the canals. Amsterdam has grown to be one my favorite European cities, and if you’d like to explore it further, check out my 3 day Amsterdam itinerary.
Map of Tulip Flowers and Fields
- Note – since Amsterdam will be your home base, I marked it with a purple hotel icon to stand out
- Keukenhof Gardens
- The Tulip Barn
- Bollenstreek region
- Noordoostpolder
Tips for Visiting the Netherlands During Tulip Season
Now that I’ve checked a Dutch tulip season off of my bucket list, here are some things I would tell you to help prepare for your trip:
- Bring warm clothes. Like I mentioned, Dutch weather is typically in the 50’s-low 60’s at the end of April. If you see travel influencers in tulip fields wearing dresses, just know that they were freezing!
- Bring an umbrella and/or poncho. The Netherlands gets a LOT of rain, and it’s sometimes unpredictable. The day of my tulip visit, it rained for a few hours, even though my weather app predicted only a 35% chance! You’re able to buy ponchos in Keukenhof, but lines may be long.
- There are designated “Pick Me” spots if you want to pick tulips or tulip bulbs home. Otherwise, you aren’t allowed to pick tulips from any of the fields or flower gardens. The map on the biking route lists some “pick me” spots, and I saw places to purchase flower bulbs in Keukenhof.
- Most people stay in Amsterdam, but you can also stay in Rotterdam. Both cities are equally as far from Keukenhof, so it depends which one you want to explore. Amsterdam is more popular, but Rotterdam has a different, urban vibe and may be cheaper.
- Bring a portable phone charger. You’ll be taking a lot of photos, which may drain your battery.
