The spring has finally arrived in Amsterdam! I think most of us can agree that we were all fed up with the very cold winter this year, as “beast from the east” has brought us chilling winds and blizzards. It was really unpleasant in our city, but, at least we got to experience the frozen canals for the first time in years. Having that said, I want to present you with the signs that the cold days are finally over: blooming flowers everywhere!
The first flowers peeking through the snow in March were crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths. While we cannot deny their beauty, the popular symbol of the Netherlands is the tulip. They are available in a whole array of colors, and they start to show their beauty in mid April through to first week of May. This is the time of the year that you can discover fields of flowers looking like seas of colors.
The tulip season draws attention to many tourists across the world, because people want to see nature in full-blown colors. From April 21 until May 6 there is tulip festival taking place across Flevoland, which promotes this beautiful flower and makes it easier for people to experience it.
If you have a car, then you definitely have to make a trip northeast of Amsterdam to Noordoostpolder in Flevoland region. The authorities have prepared a 100km-long route accompanied with signs and information which lets you make a joyride along all the tulip fields. If you’re not convinced yet then, let me remind you, that you can only see those flowers for couple of weeks each year, and National Geographic has put this route on its 2009 list of most beautiful road trips in the world.
If you do not have a car, don’t worry, because you can still enjoy the views on your bicycle! There’s a smaller, “garden route”, that spans for 19 km and it involves 3 tulip fields. My suggestion for a lovely day-trip would be to take a train from Amsterdam to the small town called Emmelord and from there just explore on your bicycle around the tulip fields.
However, if you prefer something that sounds more like an organized trip, the Keukenhof garden would be more practical for you. While you don’t get to see the vast fields of flowers, you can enjoy the most beautiful flower garden in the world. It has 7 million tulips bulbs planted every year! That’s quite a lot for a park, if you ask me! You can also reach the garden in 30 minutes from Amsterdam, so that’s definitely something you cannot miss, if you don’t plan on making a full-day trip to see the fields.
So, if you are visiting us from mid April, you know what to do! It is truly a rare and unique sight. If you will need transport tickets or you would need to rent a bike for the whole-day trip, we can also help you out with it! We hope to see you soon!
