Best Tulip Fields Near Amsterdam: A Complete Netherlands Tulip Guide (+ Map)

Every spring, the tulip fields in the Netherlands burst into a jaw-dropping explosion of colour, and some of the most beautiful tulip fields near Amsterdam are surprisingly easy to visit – with some only 30 minutes from Amsterdam’s city centre.

If visiting the Netherlands’ iconic tulip fields is on your bucket list, then I can confidently confirm that seeing the endless rainbow-hued rows of tulips is even more magical in person.

Whether you’re planning a multi-day tulip-hunting road trip or visiting Amsterdam for a weekend and want to see the tulip fields in bloom without the hassle of a car, here’s my guide on the best tulip fields in the Netherlands, including when to visit, how to get there, and a few things I wish I knew before visiting.

Timing really is everything! When I visited in mid-April (around the 18th), I experienced endless rows of full, open tulips, but a friend who went a few weeks later caught fields already being cut.

When you time it right, the colours are absolutely unreal! I even had to slightly desaturate my photos that feature in this post because they appeared almost TOO vibrant, but that’s truly how colourful they looked in person!

Late March is lovely for early blooms like crocuses and daffodils, while early May can still be beautiful, but more hit or miss for tulips specifically.

If seeing the tulips in full bloom is your main goal, I highly recommend visiting in mid-April when Keukenhof Gardens is fully open, and the surrounding tulip fields in the Bollenstreek are at their most vibrant.

It’s worth checking out the tulip flower report at keukenhof.nl for updates on key flowering dates. If possible, plan your trip to the Netherlands during weekdays to avoid the weekend crowds.

Across these regions, there are dozens of working tulip farm fields, but most are privately owned and roped off to protect the bulbs, meaning they’re best admired from the roadside rather than entered. Learn more about tulip etiquette.

Below are my recommendations on the best tulip fields near Amsterdam, where you can actually enter and walk between the multi-coloured rows of tulips.

Located in Lisse, this 32-hectare park features over seven million tulips that are hand-planted into themed displays, alongside hyacinths, daffodils and orchids. The park only opens for eight weeks each spring.

I truly underestimated how big and impressive Keukenhof really was – you’ll want to schedule at least four hours to visit the gardens, as there’s a lot of ground to cover.

Within the park, there are various picnic areas, restaurants and cafes, art sculptures & installations, and play areas for children, including a petting zoo.

The highlight of the gardens is the mill, surrounded by tulips, which makes for a great photo opportunity. You can go inside and take a tour of this traditional mill, built in 1892.

During your visit to Keukenhof, there’s an option to book a 45-minute tour on an electrically-propelled whisper boat where you’ll learn more about the flower bulb growing traditions as you float along the waterways that surround the nearby tulip fields.

If you want to avoid the peak crowds, I recommend booking your entry tickets for the 8 am opening slot. Note: You can stay in Keukenhof for as long as you like! Avoid arriving in the afternoon, when traffic in and out of Keukenhof is a nightmare.

No car? No worries, you can book this shuttle bus from Amsterdam, which includes entry tickets to Keukenhof and flexible returns, with buses departing every 30 minutes back to Amsterdam.

This was one of my favourite tulip farms because it combines real working fields with an interactive storytelling experience. Opened by a local tulip-growing family, Tulip Experience Amsterdam was created to show visitors what life is actually like behind the scenes of the Dutch flower industry.

Here you can walk directly through the impressive tulip garden featuring four million tulips and over 700 varieties. No ropes or barriers means there are endless photo opportunities where you can get up close to the flowers.

There’s a bunch of photo props too, all your typical Dutch icons like a windmill, a pair of oversized clogs and bicycles to pose next to.

There’s also a small indoor museum explaining how tulips are grown, harvested and exported, plus a cafe, a cinema, art exhibitions and a small farmers’ market where I discovered that tulip gin exists and it tastes delicious!

You can even pick your own bunch of tulips (included in the ticket price), which was the perfect prop for taking photos – I even took my bouquet back to our Airbnb, and popped it into a vase.

You can stroll through rows of tulips, explore over 25 creative photo setups and even enjoy a drink from the gorgeous Greenhouse Café – this place was such a vibe and is worth a visit by itself. Enjoy a range of local beers, wines, pastries and a selection of hot street food. 

I recommend visiting on a weekday and booking tickets in advance! Mornings and late afternoons are the best time slots for soft lighting.

I visited on a Friday – the only day the Tulip Barn is open late til 9pm – which meant I was able to capture these gorgeous sunset photos during golden hour.

The Tulip Barn is easy to drive to, with free parking on site; however, there’s also an option to book this Tulip Barn bus tour from Amsterdam, which includes entry tickets and pick up/drop off close to Noord station.

The reason is that only 20 people are allowed per time slot, which means you don’t have to battle any crowds. This meant I could actually slow down, take my time wandering between the rows of tulips, and take photos without anyone else in the frame.

Unlike the other large-scale tulip attractions, a visit to FAM Flower Farm felt very personal and carefully curated. The owners, Linda and Marlies, were incredibly friendly, welcoming everyone like old friends and sharing stories about running the farm while handing out hot drinks and stroopwafels.

Tickets are limited and available on a few select dates only. My advice is to sign up for the newsletter and follow @famflowerfarm on Instagram, so you’ll be updated when the booking dates get released.

The year I visited, I got an email on the 5th of April, with opening dates of the 18th & 19th of April. Needless to say, tickets sold out super fast!

If you want tulip fields near Amsterdam without crowds, this is one of my top recommendations!

As you walk through the displays, you’ll notice the director Michel’s genuine passion for tulips, with carefully timed colour combinations and a delightful selection of rare varieties and personal mixes.

Some beds flower all at once, others are designed to bloom in stages, which means visitors to the showgarden can enjoy colour for longer and plenty of variety if visiting mid to late season.

The show garden sits right in the middle of the surrounding tulip fields, so you’ll get those classic endless rows in the background. There are a few photo props dotted around the garden, including a vintage tractor and a flower bicycle from the iconic Amsterdam Flowerbike Man.

Entry to the Tulip Store Showgarden only costs €5 for visitors, making this one of the more affordable tulip fields to visit near Amsterdam. Make sure to visit the bulb & flower shop attached to the show garden, where you can also browse for souvenirs and grab a coffee.

At De Tulperij, you have the option to access a small tulip show garden for FREE, filled with dozens of tulip varieties, along with daffodils and hyacinths.

Next to this is a tulip-picking garden, where you are encouraged to pick your own tulips directly from the ground. I paid €7.50 for a bunch of ten tulips and loved choosing each stem myself.

There’s also an option to visit a larger tulip field nearby, only for photos, not for picking! This will cost you €10 for a 45-minute photoshoot amongst rows of colourful tulips.

The café here was another highlight for me. I ordered stroopwafel cheesecake and sat outside on a sunny terrace with a tulip cocktail in hand, surrounded by colour in every direction. During the tulip season, you can also order special tulip ice cream pastry.

De Tulperij is ideal if you want a slower, more local tulip experience near Amsterdam.

This small flower nursery in the Bollenstreek is run by a husband-and-wife duo who have been growing tulips here for years, opening their tulip fields each spring so visitors can pick their own blooms straight from the soil.

You are given scissors and shown how to cut the flowers properly so the bulbs are protected for next season.

There’s little information available on the couple’s website, mostly a heartwarming story about how they first got into tulip growing. So I recommend stalking Annemieke’s Pluktuin Facebook page, where they post updates on the tulip blooms and opening times. Note: the posts are written in Dutch but can be easily translated!

For my fellow Londoners, Amsterdam is only a quick 1-hour flight or a very relaxing 4-hour Eurostar journey straight into the city centre.

You have the choice to either stay in Amsterdam and do easy day trips out to the tulip fields, or base yourself closer to the action in towns like Lisse, Haarlem or Leiden during peak tulip season.

From late March to mid-May, the Keukenhof Express buses start running and are specifically designed for tulip visitors. The most popular options are Bus 858 from Schiphol Airport, Bus 852 from Amsterdam RAI, and Bus 854 from Leiden Central Station.

These buses drop you directly at Keukenhof Gardens and also pass nearby tulip fields in the Bollenstreek, making it easy to hop off and explore on foot.

Another great option is combining trains with a bike rental. Stations like Haarlem and Leiden have plenty of rental shops, and the cycle paths through the tulip region are flat, well signposted, and of course, incredibly scenic.

Most tours run for half a day or a full day and travel by comfortable coach, meaning you can sit back, enjoy the countryside views, and actually relax instead of navigating connections.

Many also include a knowledgeable guide who shares insight into tulip farming, seasonal bloom patterns, and the history behind the Netherlands’ famous flower industry, which adds a lot more context than just wandering on your own.

Accommodation here tends to be smaller boutique hotels, Airbnbs, and countryside guesthouses, so availability is limited and books up quickly for spring. If you’re hiring a car or cycling between farms, this is easily the most immersive way to experience tulip season.

If you’d rather stay even closer to the tulip fields, Hotel Restaurant de Engel in Lisse is a great alternative, sitting right in the heart of the Bollenstreek and just minutes from multiple tulip farms and Keukenhof.

I recommend choosing a hotel near Amsterdam Centraal, Museum Quarter, or Zuid, as these areas make day trips to Keukenhof, Haarlem, and Leiden much easier, as you’ll be staying close to major train stations and departure points.

Most fields you’ll pass belong to growers who rely on healthy bulbs for future seasons. This is why it’s SO important not to trespass on a farmer’s field, as walking between the rows of tulips will damage the bulbs. 

Unfortunately, I did see a lot of tourists walking across roped-off tulip beds during my visit, which is really frustrating given there are plenty of tulip farms set up where you are allowed to walk along the rows of tulips and take as many photos as you want. By the way, I had no shame calling out to these trespassers and correcting them!

Photography-wise, timing is everything. I planned my visits for the early morning or late afternoon, when the light is flattering, and the crowds are thinning out. A longer lens helps capture endless rows without getting too close, and shooting across the rows rather than along them creates depth and hides the dusty ground.

Neutral outfits photograph beautifully against the tulips, especially white or light pastel coloured dresses. It’s worth noting that long, flowing dresses or skirts are likely to pick up dirt and mud, so don’t wear anything too fancy in case you end up brushing the ground or paths.

In terms of droning, please note that most tulip farm locations and places like Keukenhof Gardens strictly prohibit the use of any drones. I was only able to capture a few aerial photos with my drone with special permission from the owners of FAM Flower Farm.

If you’re hoping to capture the colourful tulip rows from the sky, I recommend driving away from the crowded areas in Lisse. Head west and south to avoid areas near Schiphol airport. Of course, make sure you have all relevant drone permits and licenses before flying!

Between the 1st and 30th of April, Amsterdam hosts the annual Tulp Festival, where hundreds of thousands of tulips sprout up across the city at nearly 100 different locations. Check out this interactive map with all the tulip locations at tulpfestival.com.

You might not be wandering through fields, but you will absolutely be surrounded by colourful flowers wherever you walk through the city. Here are the best places to see tulips in Amsterdam.