Tulips in Amsterdam
Visit Amsterdam in Spring to see the famous tulips
The Netherlands are famous for its tulips and every year millions of colourful varieties of tulips are on display in and around Amsterdam.
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What is the best time to see tulips in Amsterdam
Spring is the best time for tulips, so from March through to May. However, the best time to see the tulips in Holland is usually mid-April to early May. It is worth noting that the weather will have something to say on this. Depending on how cold or warm the Winter is and the subsequent Spring, the tulips may bloom earlier or later.
At Keukenhof Gardens for example, they stagger their planting so there will always be tulips blooming throughout the season for their visitors to see. The commercial farms, will chop the tulip flowers off before the season ends to make sure the plant puts its energy into the bulb and not the flower. These farmers are actually cultivating the bulbs and not the flowers. Therefore, it is possible you could arrive after this chop and be looking at empty farmers fields wondering where all the tulips have gone! So, it is a fingers crossed moment to some extent near the end of the season.
If your wondering what a farmers field full of tulips in bloom looks like, then ‘Marvel’s Spiderman Far from Home’ has a nice CGI scene in it where a ship lands in the colourful tulip fields. Spoiler alert, it was shot in a plain UK field and everything added afterwards (read about it here). But it gives you an idea and shows how iconic these fields of tulips are worldwide.
Amsterdam Flower Festivals and Events
There are a number of popular flower events and festivals held every year. With the current issues with the pandemic, we are unsure whether these will go ahead. They are currently scheduled so use the list below as guidance.
National Tulip Day
National Tulip Day is marked by the creation of a temporary tulip garden in Dam Square. It is filled with 200,000 tulips and once open all visitors can pick a tulip free of charge and take it home. This special day marks the start of tulip season in the Netherlands. National Tulip Day is scheduled to be on 2o January in 2024.
Tulip Festival
1 April – 30 April 2024
The Tulip Festival is large and long. It is not a one day festival, rather a flowering season festival. Flower displays are held all over Amsterdam and the surrounding area in 85 different locations.
You’ll see tulips everywhere, especially in popular attractions such as Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, Rembrandtplein and Van Gogh Museum. Take your camera and you’ll find beautiful tulips all over the city adding a splash of colour to every corner.
Flower Parade -Bloemencorso Bollenstreek
17 – 20 April 2024
Flower Parade Bloemencorso Bollenstreek. If you visit Sassenheim on the 17, 18, 0r 19 April you can see the construction of all the floats and how they are built up with all the varities of flowers and colours. This is held in DeLeeuw Flowerbulbs and you can buy entry tickets on the door of the hall. Friday 19 th April is open only until 1pm, the previous two days are open 9am until 10pm.
The Flower Parade itself is on Saturday 20 April 2024. Usually this attracts more than a million people, all looking to see the amazingly designed and colourful floats at some point on their 42km journey from Noordwijk to Haarlem. It starts at 9.30am in Noordwijk and then slowly makes its way through various towns to end up in Harlaam at around 9pm. You can watch the parade from three grandstands in Lisse, Hillegom and Sassenheim.
This parade is often mistakenly called the Keukenhof Flower Parade as it runs through the Keukenhof area on its journey. This though is a good opportunity to see the parade and the magnificient gardens and tulip fields all in one go. This might go someway to explaining why there are often over a million visitors attending each years spectacle.
This years parade is the 77th Anniversary celebration.
If you miss the actual parade, the floats all stay in Harlaam on Sunday 21 April, so you can go take a close look at them then too.
One of the best ways to see this amazing event is by helicopter. You can enjoy incredible views from the air, looking down at the parade, Keukenhof Gardens and the tulip fields. These flights are for 30 minutes. These helicopter flights over the tulip fields in Amsterdam also run at limited times during the season too.
Tulips in Amsterdam
Visit in Spring if you want to see the tulip fields in full bloom and Keukenhof Gardens at its best.
Where are the tulip fields in Amsterdam
There are many tulip fields that surround Amsterdam. The famous flower strip is made up of lots of tulip fields which stretch over 20 miles to the West of Amsterdam. It is a truly beautiful and wondrous sight full of colour and scent.
There is a tulip field cycle route running between the towns of Haarlam and Leiden with 35km of flat easy riding bike paths. You can hire a bike in Amsterdam and purchase a bike day train ticket from Amsterdam to Leiden. Then either cycle from Amsterdam to Leiden, Leiden to Amsterdam or if your super fit then cycle there and back. You might need a day trip to the spa for your legs afterwards though.
Alternatively, you can rent a bike from Keukenhof Gardens and cycle some of the route in that area. Whatever, you chose, this is a great way to see the fields and stop whenever you like.
There are also many tulip field tours around Amsterdam, that have the tulips as their sole focus or as part of a larger day tour.
Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam
Keukenhof Gardens is an incredibly popular tour from Amsterdam. You can visit on your own or join one of the many provided Keukenhof Garden tours that run throughout the year.
Obviously, the most popular time to visit Keukenhof Gardens is in the spring. As Keukenhof stagger their planting of tulip bulbs, you’ll get to see tulips in bloom somewhere in the gardens throughout Spring. Mid-April to early May is your best overall opportunity to see the most tulips though, if you have the choice.
We have a dedicated page all about Keukenhof Gardens that looks in detail at visiting this wonderful attraction.
Amsterdam Tulip Museum
If you have not got the time to visit the surrounding areas of Amsterdam or you are not in Amsterdam during Springtime, then you can visit the Amsterdam Tulip Museum which is open daily in Prinsengracht and looks at the history of the tulip in the Netherlands.
Amsterdam Tulip Museum, Prinsengracht 116, 1015 EA.
Open Daily 10am – 6pm
Closed 27 April and 25 December.
Ticket prices
Standard ticket €5
Families of 3 or more €10
Students €3
You can use the I Amsterdam City Card or the Go City Amsterdam Pass for free entry.
The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is quite small and most visitors only spend half an hour or so there. A detailed look will probably take you around an hour. There are six rooms looking at the world of tulips and their history. Photographs, videos, interactive displays and historical artefacts combine to educate you on all things tulip.
The Tulip Museum is set within a traditional canal house so unfortunately is not considered wheelchair accessible.
Tickets are only available online and space is limited to 25 people at any one time.
Tulips in Amsterdam – other attractions
Amsterdam Flower Market
The most obvious other flower related attraction in Amsterdam is the Amsterdam Flower Market. This is a daily market where you can find flowers, bulbs and seeds for sale, all right on the canal side. Barges are moored permanently to the side of the Singel canal and showcase a range of different flowers. The area is also good for cafes and other shops selling souvenirs.
Many of the popular walking tours of Amsterdam will take you through the flower market as it is a bustling and heady mix of scent and colour.
During Spring you can also see tulips decorating many of the historic and popular attractions around Amsterdam.
Aalsmeer Royal Flora Holland
This is the largest flower auction in the world. Flowers from all over the world are traded here every day. You can visit the auction live in action and see the incredible logistics that move millions of flowers around the vast building. There are guided tours or you self-guide your way round using their app or following the signs.
