Visiting the tulips in the Netherlands should be on the top of your bucket list! It’s one of the most beautiful sites seeing the endless rows of tulips. The tulips draw over a million visitors per year to Holland to see them. After experiencing them myself, it’s no surprise why seeing the tulips are on so many people’s bucket list!
Keep reading to to learn everything you need to know about visiting the tulips in the Netherlands!
Best time of Year to visit the Tulips in the Netherlands
The best time of year to see the beautiful tulips is mid April. Although, tulip season runs from mid March to mid May. Peak week can vary slightly depending on the year. If you do arrive before the tulips are in full bloom, there are other beautiful flowers, like hyacinths in bloom.
You can check the yearly flower forecast here to know when may be best to plan your trip!
A few facts about the famous Dutch Tulips
- While you may have seen those iconic photos of people walking through tulip fields, that’s simply not the case. You CANNOT walk on or through the tulip fields. There are a few places you can pay to get up close to them [more details below].
- Tulips are not actually Dutch. They were transported to the Netherlands in the 1500’s from places like China, Turkey, and Persia.
- This probably goest without saying but do NOT pick the flowers!
- Flower farmers main revenue in business is the bulbs, rather than just the blooming flowers themselves. They let the flowers fully grow, before eventually chopping off the petals and leaving the stems, so that the bulbs to grow strong.
Watch our video to see our Mother Daughter trip to the tulips in the Netherlands!
Where to see the Tulips in the Netherlands
If you’re planning a trip to the Netherlands, you are probably wondering where you can see the beautiful tulips! There are a few different options for the best way you can see the Dutch tulips. Keep reading to learn which option is the best for you!
Keukenhof Gardens
Visiting Keukenhof Gardens is one of the best places to see the tulips. It’s only open 8 weeks of the year, during the tulip season. It’s known to be the most beautiful spring garden in the world!
After visiting, we can say that the gardens are absolutely stunning! We were happily surprised that the gardens were even more beautiful in person. Keukenhof has such a large variety of tulips, all arranged in the most beautiful landscaping. There are many sections of the garden that very different from one another so I’d make sure you have time to walk through it in its entirety. We actually spent 3 to 4 hours, walking around, taking photos, and simply enjoying the beauty of the tulips.
We highly recommend that book your tickets in advance and for the earliest time slot in the day. The gardens get extremely busy, especially during peak weeks!
If you’re looking for the best place to see the tulips in the Netherlands, this is it! You can learn more about visiting Keukenhof Gardens here.
Tulip Fields
Tulip fields are all around the Netherlands. As mentioned above, you cannot walk through the tulip fields. But you can admire them from a far! If you’re already planning on visiting the Keukenhof Gardens, you can rent a bike or walk around the tulip fields near the Gardens.
Paid Tulip Fields
If you are wanting to have a more up close experience with the tulips, a paid tulip field is the best option for you. Locals have tried to educate the tourists about protecting the fields but not walking through them. Places, like the Tulip Barn, were created to give tourists a designated place to walk around in the tulips and take all the photos they’d like.
Check out De Tulperij, The Tulip Barn and Tulip Store Show Garden!
Pin the graphics below to save our blog Seeing the Tulips in the Netherlands!
Amaaaaaazing!!! The flowers are stunning. Thanks you for sharing your insights!!!! How long do you think a person should allot to calmly walk the whole garden? Are the pathways around the garden easy to walk on? Thanks!!
It was SO BEAUTIFUL!! We would recommend a few hours to walk around the Gardens. The pathways are all pretty flat and all paved. We actually spend 4 hours exploring it haha!