Tulips above Amsterdam

Where all tour companies go to Keukenhof, we focus our attention on the tulips and bulb fields above Amsterdam. Because here are plenty of tulip sights that are just as well worth a look. And a bonus: they are a lot less touristy than tulip sights such as Keukenhof. Where are the bulb fields in North Holland? And which places here are really recommended? We highlight some 'tulip-rich' places.

Tulip fields near Amsterdam

When we talk about tulip fields above Amsterdam, we are talking about the tulips in the province of North Holland and the region of West Friesland. Tulip fields in North Holland can be found in all directions. It is not for nothing that this region is also called the northern bulb region! In all kinds of places you will see bulb fields brimming with tulips along the road in North Holland.

You don't have to drive far to watch tulips in North Holland; the first tulip fields near Amsterdam can already be seen with a 15-minute drive.

When are the bulb fields in bloom in North Holland?

Before you immediately jump in the car to admire the tulips, it is useful to know: when are the tulips in the bulb fields in North Holland in bloom? That is in the period between mid-April and mid-May. Plan your visit to the bulb fields in North Holland somewhere within this period. Because then the tulips are at their best and you see entire strips of yellow, red, purple, pink and orange that color the landscape of North Holland.

No one can tell you in advance when the tulips are at their very best. This depends on their growth in combination with the weather conditions.

Tulips in Kop van Noord-Holland (40-60 minutes drive from Amsterdam)

The far north of North Holland is known as the 'Kop van Noord-Holland'. Or in short: Noordkop. Roughly the entire region north of Alkmaar belongs to it. Are there tulips? It's chock-full! The Northern Sand Area is the largest continuous flower bulb area in the world.

The first tulip fields from Alkmaar are a 15-minute drive away: the area between the village of Burgervlotbrug (15 minutes' drive from Alkmaar, 50 minutes from Amsterdam), Hoorn and Den Helder is a continuous piece of tulip fields.

And of course there are not only tulip fields! Because in addition to looking at tulips in the Kop van Noord-Holland, you are also close to the North Sea, you will find nice eateries everywhere and cycling routes crisscross the region. All the ingredients for a multi-day outing – especially in April or May, when the tulips are blooming!

In addition to tulip fields, close to Amsterdam, a 25-minute drive away, you will also find the Zaanse Schans: a village in which you go back in time, to old Dutch life. The Zaanse Schans is a village with wooden houses that belong to the national monuments, mills, barns and workshops. Clogs are made, cakes and cheeses. Enough to see!
Julianadorp is located in the Kop van Noord-Holland, just below Den Helder. Because the immediate area around Julianadorp with colorful bulb fields is as beautiful as the tulips bloom, there is a complete website dedicated to colorful Julianadorp: ColorfulJulianadorp.nl. Here you can read about all kinds of activities, from bites & kicks to helicopter flights over the bulb fields. If you are in the area, pay a visit to Floratuin Julianadorp, a flower and bulb specialist store. Here you will find a show garden of 7000 m2 (open from the end of March to mid-April) with exclusive and new varieties of flower bulbs.

Bulb fields Egmond aan Zee (45 minutes drive from Amsterdam)

The Egmond bulb region is also worth a visit if we focus on tulips in North Holland. You will find the bulb fields at Egmond aan Zee, Egmond aan den Hoef and Egmond-Binnen: around the three 'Egmonden'! A perfect place to watch tulips and to park your car along the road here in North Holland. Besides tulips, there are also other bloomers in this region. Think of daffodils, grape hyacinths, hyacinths, lilies, gladiolus…

Tulips in the Beemster

Cheese from the Beemster is a household name. But there are also tulips from! This polder area, which was reclaimed in 1612, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was then kept dry for no less than three hundred years with fifty polder mills. The Beemster clay is a good soil for, indeed, tulips!

Next to the Beemster you will find De Rijp. De Rijp is a town that was bigger than Amsterdam for a while. The town was largely burned down in 1654: more than four hundred houses were destroyed.
Just above the Beemster, in Schermerhorn (30 minutes from Amsterdam), there is a museum windmill that we visit with Tulip Tours Holland.

Tulips in West Friesland

The west of North Holland is also known as West Friesland; a rustic region with beautiful villages, with cows and farms. The tulip fields are nicely spread out. You can find them in the villages around Hoorn: Wognum, Hoogwoud, Hem and Venhuizen.

• Picking your own bunch of tulips in West Friesland? In this region you will find the tulip picking garden of Tulip Tours Holland! If you join our tulip tour in North Holland, we will end the day with a visit to our tulip picking garden, where we will have lunch and pick tulips.

Even more tulips in North Holland
Besides watching tulips in North Holland, there is even more to experience in this province in the spring. Below we list some ideas for outings!
• Land of Velvet
• Breezand Spring Garden
• Poldertuin Anna Paulowna

Our tulip tour through North Holland
Are you going to spend a day watching tulips? Join Tulip Tours Holland! With our all-in-one tulip tour in North Holland we go past the windmills in Schermerhorn and from the Beemster along endless tulip fields. At the end of the tulip tour we visit our own tulip picking garden in West Friesland, where you pick tulips and have lunch among the tulips.
Discover more about tulip farmer Mike here

Tulips above Amsterdam