Celebrate the Return of Spring With the Netherlands’ Most Beautiful Tulips. Here’s Where to See Them.

Tulips are as Dutch as Gouda cheese and wooden shoes. Centuries ago, the intricate flora proved a hit with the Netherlands’ upper crust, who’d shell out big sums of guilders (the currency at the time) to wear them as corsages during balls or to decorate their canal-side homes. At the height of their popularity during the 1630s, a bona fide tulip mania swept through the country, and single bulbs of the most colorful species were worth more than their weight in gold.

Today, the tulip is still everyone’s flower, brightening public parks and backyards all around the country during spring. Amsterdam rings in the start of tulip season on National Tulip Day, an annual event on the third Saturday of January. The city’s Museum Square turns into a giant tulip garden where everybody—including tourists—is free to pick a bouquet.

The best time to visit the Netherlands to see tulips is between late March and early May, when flower fields are carpeted in eye-popping streaks of pink, orange, and yellow, and festivals in Amsterdam and the surrounding countryside put the beloved flowers in the spotlight. Keep an eye on the tulip blooming forecast here, and start planning your trip to the Netherlands to see these beautiful symbols of spring.

Amsterdam Tulip Festival

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Amsterdam’s annual Tulip Festival brings a kaleidoscope of colors to all corners of the city. From Vondelpark and central Dam Square to the swirling streets of the Museum Quarter, some 880,000 tulips will bloom in 85 locations around town. You’ll see these bright flowers in locations such as the Plantage Middenlaan near the historic Artis zoo, and NDSM Wharf, a former shipyard, across the IJ river.

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

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The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is a vibrant corner to visit throughout the year. This small museum along the Prinsengracht canal delivers a deep dive into the Himalayan origins of the bulb and the fascinating tulip mania that swept through the country during the 17th century. Other parts of the museum feature tulip-themed Ottoman ceramics and industry artifacts, and the gift shop, accessible without a ticket, sells certified bags of bulbs from a range of species.

Related: The 9 p.m. Museum Trick and Other Hacks to See Amsterdam Without the Crowds

Keukenhof

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The Keukenhof, an hour’s bus ride from downtown Amsterdam, hosts some of the Netherlands’ most dazzling flower displays. With 79 acres bedecked in more than 7 million bulbs (including more than 800 tulip species), it’s the largest flower garden in the world. No wonder it attracts well over a million visitors during the eight weeks it’s open each year. In 2026, the colorful, walkable gardens are open from March 19 to May 10.

Museum De Zwarte Tulp

Beyond Keukenhof, the town of Lisse has plenty of other jumping-off points for explorations around this tulip-growing region (also known as the Bulb Region, or Bollenstreek). For a lay of the land, stop by the Museum De Zwarte Tulp, where rotating exhibitions focus on tulips’ presence in paintings and their representation during the baroque period.

From here, embark on walking or cycling routes around the tulip fields. (There are half a dozen bike rental options.) The family-run Tulip Experience Amsterdam, just down the road from the Keukenhof gardens, has fields with more than 1 million blooms; guests can walk through them (tickets $15 for adults; $8 for children). Like Keukenhof, it’s open March 19 to May 10.

Bloemencorso Bollenstreek

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The Bulb District’s floral frenzy is at its peak on Saturday, April 18, when an annual flower parade known as the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek will travel the 26-mile stretch between Noordwijk and Haarlem in a procession of colorful floats tufted with tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and other bulb flowers. The parade passes through villages and towns along the route and makes a short stop at the Keukenhof entrance around 3:45 p.m.

On April 14, 15, and the morning of April 16, 2026, guests can peek behind the scenes at a hall in Noordwijkerhout (just outside Noordwijk) where dozens of volunteers will decorate the flower floats before they embark on an after-dark parade through Noordwijkerhout on the afternoon of Friday, April 17. If you miss the parade, the floats will be on display in Haarlem’s historic city center on Sunday, April 19.

Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder

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While the Bulb District around Amsterdam welcomes the lion’s share of tulip tourists every spring, most tulips are grown in the Noordoostpolder, a low-lying municipality about an hour north of Amsterdam.

During the blooming season from late April to early May, the area turns into a Technicolor patchwork of flower fields that are celebrated from April 17 to May 3, 2026, during the region’s annual Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder. During this time, a signposted car and cycling route guides visitors past the area’s most beautiful tulip fields.

Off-season tulip hot spots

While the Netherlands—Amsterdam in particular—is at its most colorful in spring, you can still get your flower fix if you visit during summer, autumn, or winter. The floating flower market (or Bloemenmarkt in Dutch) on Amsterdam’s Singel canal has been around since 1862 and is a great spot to pick up tulip bulbs to bring home. Be aware, though, that only certain varieties are approved by U.S. Customs and nonetheless require a phytosanitary certificate attached to their packaging—most vendors will be able to advise.

This article was originally published in 2016 and most recently updated on February 27, 2026, with current information.