Tulip day itinerary
When traveling to the Netherlands during springtime, lots of people are visiting the Keukenhof and the surrounding flower fields. What can be a nice tulip day itinerary when visiting the Netherlands? I have made two itineraries for you.
Tulip day itinerary – Half day
Travel from your hotel to Schiphol airport when your hotel is in the Amsterdam Region or Leiden airport when you stay in a hotel around The Hague or Rotterdam. From here buy a combination ticket for the Express bus to Keukenhof and sit back and relax for the next 30 minutes. When you enter the flower field area you will notice it immediately by the colors in the fields. Depending on your travel date you will find crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, tulips in bloom. When you travel towards the end of spring season the flower fields might be out of bloom already, make sure you read when are the flowers in bloom post for this.
When you arrive at Keukenhof, the express bus will drop you of at the main entrance at Keukenhof. You will find some restaurants and shops at the entrance and they will be available at the park too. Explore the park at your own pace. There are lots of outdoor area’s and four indoor pavilions with flower exhibitions. Most people walk around for three to four hours (incl. a coffee break) before they leave at the bus stop towards Schiphol or Leiden.
Keukenhof is open from 8 AM till 7.30 PM. It is possible to plan your half day visit in the morning so you can combine it with other destinations like a visit to Haarlem, Leiden, the Hague or Delft. And you can do it the other way around and visit another destination first before you travel to Keukenhof.
Tulip day itinerary – Full day
For a full tulip day you can add some things to the half day itinerary. What about a boat ride in the whisper boats through the flower fields, it takes 45 minutes and they leave next to the windmill. When you get up the windmill first and see fields in bloom you are sure you will see them when taking a boat ride. More information about taking a boated here.
Another possibility is to rent a bike at Keukenhof and explore the flower fields on your own. It is a lovely way to see the fields from another perspective and enjoy the lovely scent of the fields. Depending on your level of fitness you can ride the rest of the afternoon or for a shorter time. When you take your time you can drive along the fields towards the sea at Langevelderslag and back through the fields again. I have created some different routes for you.
When you are early in season you can visit a tulip picking farm to see how the tulip grow and bloom. You can pick your own tulip bouquet as well. Have a look at this picking garden in Hillegom. In season I am picking my own bunch of tulips every Saturday here.
There is a tulip museum at the town centre of Lisse. Unfortunately due to major renovations they are closed until summer 2015. The town centre of Lisse has nice restaurants perfect for a lunch or dinner before you head back to your hotel again.
Wishing you a lovely Tulip day! Please let us know your reviews of your tulip days!
Tulips in Holland gives you information about the spring flowers and flower fields in the Netherlands. If you are interested to see what the current blooming status is have a look here for the weekly flower updates.
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Thank you! I’m planning to be in Amsterdam soon and the information you have in your website, including this suggested itinerary is very helpful!
You’re welcome! Wishing you a wonderful time in Amsterdam!
Hello ! We plan to visit Keukenhof next week end (11th April). Can we see a lot of tulips ? Or is it too early ? Thank you ! Kind regards.
At the Keukenhof there will be indoor tulips in bloom and the early tulips are in bloom outdoor. It is too early for lots of regular tulips in the fields, They are not in bloom yet.