Where to See Tulips in the Netherlands (2024 Guide & Map) | Exploring the Netherlands (2024)

Are you travelling to the Netherlands in spring and do you want to see the famous tulip fields? No worries, I’ve got you covered. In this post you will find all places in the Netherlands where you can admire the tulip magic: from tulip fields to tulip museums and show gardens. It’s packed with tips how to find the best tulip attractions in the Netherlands.

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase via one of those links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost for you.

Where to see tulips in the Netherlands?

On the handy map below I’ve marked all places in the Netherlands where you can see tulips. You can add the map to your Google Maps and use it even if you are offline. Read further for more information about the marked places.

The best tulip tours in the Netherlands

If you have limited time, or don’t feel like renting a car and driving around, the best way to see tulips in the Netherlands is with an organized tour.

Here is a selection of tours to see the tulips that depart from Amsterdam. Some of them include also an entry ticket to Keukenhof.

• Keukenhof and Tulip Fields Bike Tour
• Half-Day Tulip Fields and Keukenhof Bicycle Tour
• Keukenhof – Tulip Fields – Tulip Experience
• Tulip Fields and Windmill Tour with Lunch
• Keukenhof and the Illuminated Flower Parade

There are also some amazing tours that you can do when you are already at Lisse, Hillegom or Alkmaar. What about a helicopter flight over the tulip fields or a drive-it-yourself tour with the 100% electric and eco-friendly 2-person Renault Twizy?

• Noordwijkerhout: ‘Tulip Experience’ tulip fields and museum
• Alkmaar: Tulip and Spring Flower Fields Bike Tour
• Hillegom: The Tulip Barn
• Lisse: Tulip Field Helicopter Flight
• Lisse: Land Rover Tulip Tour
• Lisse: Drive-It-Yourself Tulip Fields GPS Audio Tour

If you wonder how to get to those places from Amsterdam, you can use the handy Glimble app. Just turn on your location and type in your destination and the app will give you the best options to reach Lisse or Hillegom. The best part of it is that you can buy your tickets in the app and travel hassle-free. The app is absolutely free to download.

• Click here to download Glimble for Android
• Click here to download Glimble for iPhone

Tip: Read this post about using the public transport in the Netherlands. It’s packed with tips that only a local knows!

Keukenhof Tulip Gardens

The most popular place to see tulips in the Netherlands is of course Keukenhof – the largest spring flowers garden in the world. Spread over 32 ha, this beautiful park showcases not only tulips, but also daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, lilies-of-the-valley,bluebells, snowdrops, and irises among others.

Read more: Visiting Keukenhof Gardens in 2024 – our complete Keukenhof guide with lots of useful tips

Located near Amsterdam, Keukenhof attracts 1.5 million tourists per year, actually for a month and a half when it’s open. Each year, in the autumn, there are planted more than7 million bulbsand800 different sorts of tulips, so that the next year we can enjoy the magic, called Keukenhof.

In 2024 Keukenhof is open from 21 March till 12 May.

Where to see tulips in Amsterdam

During tulip season, you don’t need to leave Amsterdam to see the beautiful flowers. Here are the places in Amsterdam where you can see tulips or learn more about tulips.

Museum Square on National Tulip Day

If you happen to be in Amsterdam on the 3rd Saturday in January, you can enjoy an amazing improvised tulip garden with more than 200000 tulips on Museum Square. On this day are the celebrations of the National Tulip Day, that mark the start of tulip season in the Netherlands. Everyone is welcome to pick there own bunch of tulips for free.

Address: Museum Suare (Museumplein), 1071 DJ Amsterdam

Floating Flower Market

Another place to see tulips in Amsterdam is the famous floating flower market located in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Canal Ring. The market is open all year round and besides tulips during tulip season, you can also enjoy other flowers and buy typical Dutch souvenirs.

Address: Floating Flower Market (Bloemenmarket) Singel, 1012 DH Amsterdam

See Also

The Best Places To See Tulips In The NetherlandsHow to see the tulip fields in the NetherlandsTulpenroute: Top 4 Famous Dutch Tulip Routes to Explore in SpringTulip Route Netherlands: 3 road trips around the flower fields near Amsterdam - The Orange Backpack

Amsterdam Tulip Festival

In April Amsterdam celebrates the Tulip Festival – the whole city turns into a tulip garden and you can admire the tulips virtually everywhere in the city. 100000 tulips are displayed at 75 locations all around the city.

Check out the website of the festival for a map with all locations and activities: www.tulpfestival.com.

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

If you are in Amsterdam outside of the tulip season, you can visit the Amsterdam Tulip Museum. Here you can learn everything about the tulips: where the tulips come from, how they came to the Netherlands, what is the Tulip Mania, how tulips are cultivated these days, and lots of other tulip stuff.

Address: Prinsengracht 116, 1015 EA Amsterdam

The best places for tulips near Amsterdam

If you want to venture on a short trip just outside of Amsterdam, there are lots of possibilities to see tulips near Amsterdam. Some websites market those activities as if they are in Amsterdam, but actually they aren’t. Hence, I’ve put them in a different section.

Tulip Experience Amsterdam

The Tulip Experience Amsterdam is one of the newest attractions near Amsterdam. It is a large tulip show garden with special places to take the perfect tulip pictures. There is also a small museum, a coffee corner, and a farmers market where you can buy local products and tulip souvenirs. The tulip nursery behind this attraction is a family-owned business that’s run in a sustainable way.

Oh, and you can pick your own bunch of tulips there, which is included in the ticket price!

Flower Parade

If you want to see something truly amazing, then the Flower Parade (Bloemencorso Bollenstreek) should be on you bucket list. In 2021 the flower parades in the Netherlands (the so-called ‘corsos’) have be included on the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage!

A dozen of floats decorated with the most stunning figures made out of bulb flowers will parade through the streets in the so-calledBollenstreek(Bulb region) and will pass by Keukenhof.

In 2024 the Flower Parade will be held between 17 and 21 April with the parade being held on the 20th. The 42 km long route starts at Noordwijk and ends in Haarlem. Check out the website of Bloemencorso Bollenstreek for the route of the Flower Parade in 2024.

If you can’t be in Keukenhof on 20 April to see the parade, don’t worry. You can still have a glimpse at the beautiful flower floats in the days before the parade, as there’s a special behind-the-scenes tour this year, which includes also a Keukenhof entry. With this tour you can see how the floats are being decorated and learn more about this long-standing Dutch tradition.

On the 19th in the evening the floats are all lit up and take a short parade through Noordwijkerhout. Seeing the illuminated flower floats is truly amazing. You can buy a combined ticket for Keukenhof with a visit to Illuminated Bloemencorso, which includes all transfers. Note, that this is possible only on 19 April.

The Tulip Barn

The Tulip Barn has been created as an alternative to the farms with tulip fields. You can walk around in this large tulip field and take as many pictures as you want without trespassing or being afraid you’ll ruin the tulips of the farmers. The Tulip Barn is a real tulip-galore for the tulip fan.

Museum of the Black Tulip

This lovely museum is located in Lisse and can be perfectly combined with a visit to Keukenhof, however the museum is open all year around and can be visited outside of the tulip season. At the Museum of the Black Tulip you can learn how tulips are cultivated and the history of growing tulips in the famous Bollenstreek (Bulb Region) in the Netherlands.

Annemieke’s Organic Flower Nursery

Annemieke’s Organic Flower Nursery (Annemieke’s Pluktuin) is a lovely garden where you can pick up seasonal flowers. Of course in spring it’s all about the tulips! You can check on the website when the picking season begins. It continues for about 7 weeks from the end of March till the beginning of May.

Address: Haarlemmerstraat 15a, 2182HA Hillegom

The best tulip fields in the Netherlands

The tulip fields are actually commercial farms where tulips are grown mostly for the bulbs. You can visit the tulip fields by bike or by car driving a specially marked route. When visiting the tulip fields, remember one thing – do not enter the tulip fields! They are a private property and you’ll be trespassing!

In the last couple of years the tulip fields became really popular which led to people flocking to the fields en masse for the most amazing Instagram photo, ruining the tulips and the tulip beds, thus destroying the crop of the farmers. Don’t be like that! Visit the fields with utmost respect and do not trespass!

If you want to walk through the fields and make lots of selfies with the tulips, visit one of the experience or show gardens, like those in Noordwijkerhout or Hillegom.

So here they are, the best tulip fields in the Netherlands!

Bollenstreek

The Bollenstreek (Bulb region) is among the most famous places in the Netherlands where you can see tulips. This region is located in Western Netherlands and is bordered by The Hague to the south and by Haarlem to the north. It is in this area where they started growing tulips towards the end of the 16th century. Historically, the Bollenstreek is the cradle of tulip bulbs production in the Netherlands.

In the Bollenstreek you can visit Keukenhof, and the Museum of the Black Tulip in Lisse. The famous Flower Parade takes place in this area, too. You can also fly above the tulip fields with a helicopter. Most of the tours out of Amsterdam include a visit to a tulip farm in this region.

If you are travelling by car, I can highly recommend a self-drive tour of the tulip fields with a convenient stop at Keukenhof. You can download the route from the website of ANWB (the Royal Dutch Touring Club), which includes a GPX file. Although the website is in Dutch, there’s a map and you can find your way easily.

Flevoland Tulip Route

Flevoland is a less popular tulip destination in the Netherlands, and I have discovered it just a couple of years ago. However, if you travel from Almere to Lelystad in tulips season, you will quickly find out that tulips are everywhere.

Flevoland hosts the largest open fields of tulips in the entire Netherlands with more than 5000 hectares of the famous Dutch flowers. There’s even a tulip island that extends from the coast of Zeewolde in the form of a tulip and planted in spring with more than 150000 tulip bulbs. It is definitely worth a visit when touring the Flevoland tulip route, which is recommended to do so by hiring a car and exploring this amazing visual masterpiece.

The tulip route in Flevoland in 2024 will available from 13 April till 5 May.

Noordoostpolder

Noordoostpolder is another place in the Netherlands with large areas of tulip fields and its own Tulip Festival. Noordoostpolder (a part of the Flevoland Province) is a large area reclaimed from the sea in 1942. The former sea bed soil turned out to be very fertile and suitable for growing tulips. The first tulips were introduced there in the 1960s and since then the spring landscape of the Noordoostpolder is unthinkable without the colorful tulip fields along the roads.

The Tulip Festival in the Noordoostpolder will be held between 19 April and 5 May in 2024. From the website of the Tulip Festival you can download free car and bike routes along the tulip fields.

There’s also a tulip experience field, which you can visit free of charge. As you are expected not to enter the commercial fields, this experience tulip field offers the opportunity to walk along hundreds of meters of tulips without breaking any rules.

Address: Creilerpad 14, 8312 PS Creil, opening times during tulips season: daily, from 10:00 till 16:00

De Kop van Noord-Holland

De Kop van Noord-Holland is another place where you can enjoy the magic of the tulips. This area is quite close to Amsterdam and easily accessible by public transportation from the Dutch capital. Tulip, crocus and hyacinth fields are stretching for kilometers in the polders, making the area above Amsterdam a one-of-a-kind spring garden.

In De Kop van Noord-Holland you can visit the Polder Garden Anna Paulowna (Poldertuin Anna Paulowna). They call it the Little Keukenhof and for a reason. The garden is open all year round but it’s most beautiful when the tulips are in bloom during the tulip season. The entry is free.

Address: Molenvaart 2, 1761 AJ Anna Paulowna

Another place to see tulips in De Kop van Noord-Holland is the Land van Fluwel park. During the Dutch Tulip Experience you can learn everything about the tulips: where they come from, how they came to the Netherlands, and how they are cultivated. There’s a viewing tower in the park and they offer a ride along the tulip fields with the Bloembollen Boemel (Flower Bulbs Wagon), which is a unique way to experience the fields.

In 2024 the Flower Bulbs Wagon can be booked between 6 April and 5 May (Thursday to Sunday).

Address: Land van Fluwel, Belkmerweg 65, 1753 GD Sint Maartenszee

Hortus Bulborum is an amazing place to brush up your knowledge about tulips. It’s an open-air tulip museum, where you can see historic tulip bulbs. This garden is actually a gene bank for heirloom tulip bulbs and you can see there ‘forgotten’ tulips which are not produced commercially anymore. The oldest tulip in the garden dates back to the end of the 16th century!

There are also numerous cycling and walking trails in the area. You can choose your favorite one on the website of the region De Kop van Noord-Holland.

In Anna Paulowna there is organized the festival Flower Days (Bloemendagen Anna Paulowna), where you can admire unique flower mosaics. There are also lots of other spring flower activities and the whole town is decorated with flowers. In 2024 the festival will be held between 20 and 24 April.

Zeeuws-Vlaanderen

Quite unexpectedly another place to see tulips in the Netherlands is Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, a region in the province of Zeeland. The tulip fields are stretched between Terneuzen en Hulst. The best way to enjoy the tulips is to hop on a bike and explore the tiny roads along the tulip fields and the lovely little villages. Here you can download a bike route developed by ANWB.

There also lots of tulip nurseries where you can pick up your own bunch of tulips. Just look for the signs with Pluktuin (in Dutch).

Drenthe

Another surprising place in the Netherlands where you can see tulips is Drenthe. Besides being known for the national parks and the ancient history, Drenthe boasts some amazing tulip fields. You can find the tulip fields around the towns of Smilde, Hooghalen and Hijken.

To pick up your own tulips in Drenthe, visit the tulip nurseries in Beilen (Tulpenpluktuin Drenthe) or in Drouwenermond (Tulpenpluktuin De Monden). Here are the addresses:

• Brunstingerveld 16, 9411 VJ Beilen
• Zuiderdiep 42, 9523 TG Drouwenermond

Goeree-Overflakkee

Just a short drive drive from Rotterdam or The Hague is the island Goeree-Overflakkee. Most people will think of it as a part of Zeeland, but it actually belongs to South Holland. 7% of the tulip bulbs in the Netherlands come from the tulip farms on this island.

Each year in April the local tourist board organizes the Tulip Walking Tour (Tulpen Wandeltocht) along the local tulip fields. You can choose from three different lengths and there is also a bike route. In 2024 the walking tour will be held on 20 April. For more information, check the website of Tulip Walking Tour (only in Dutch).

There is also a self-driving route (about 43 km) where you pass by places like Oude-Tonge, Nieuwe-Tonge, Dirksland, Middelharnis and Ooltgensplaat. You can find the route here.

Groningen

The best tulip fields in Groningen you can find around Uithuizermeeden, Spijk, Oosternieland and Kloosterburen. On the website www.naardebollen.nl you can find different walking, bike and auto routes.

When is the tulips season in the Netherlands

The tulip season in the Netherlands officially starts on the 3rd Saturday in January with celebrating the National Tulip Day in Amsterdam. Until 2020 the National Tulip Day was held on Dam Square but in 2023 it was moved to Museum Square.

The square in front of the Rijksmuseum turns into a gigantic tulip garden with more than 200000 tulips. Everyone is welcome to pick there own bunch of tulips for free.

The National Tulip Day marks the beginning of the tulips season in the Netherlands when cut tulips can be sold. The tulips season ends around mid May with harvesting the tulips.

In 2024 National Tulip Day will be held on 20 January.

What is the best time to see tulips in the Netherlands

Tulips in the Netherlands are in bloom between mid March and mid May. If the winter has been cold and long, tulips will start blooming later, like mid April. On the other hand, if the winter has been warm with lots of sunshine and mild weather in February, the tulips will be blooming earlier, like from mid March.

If you are planning to visit Keukenhof, you will be able to see the tulips no matter when you are visiting. They plant there various tulip sorts so that the garden is in bloom for the whole period it is open from mid March to mid May.

To see the tulip fields in bloom, you need to do a bit of planning. Most tulips will be harvested in the beginning of May, so the first half of May is not a good timing to see them. In early April, there is a big chance that not all tulips will be in bloom, so you won’t be able to see the complete magic of the never-ending tulip fields. To be on the safe side, I recommend visiting the tulip fields mid April – second half of April.

Do you need some extra help to plan your trip to the Netherlands? Join the dedicated Exploring the Netherlands Facebook Group, where you can get tips from other travellers and locals. Or perhaps you have questions or comments? Join the group and I’ll be happy to answer them.