Clogs and windmills might be enduring symbols of Holland, but it’s the country’s national flower — the tulip — which lures millions to the tiny
northern European country, especially during the annual Amsterdam Tulip Festival, held during the month of April. Eight-five locations around
the city are ablaze with bright-hued tulips. Some of the tulip-adorned sites included the Van Loon and Van Gogh museums, the roof of the NEMO
Museum, the Central Train Station, and Dam Square, but don’t miss the small streets, parks, and fountains full of planters and window boxes that
turn the canal-crossed city into a Dutch storybook.
The tulip festival blossomed in 2015, the idea of a local garden designer who envisioned one tulip planted for each individual citizen of
Amsterdam — around 850,000. Organizers are getting closer — an estimated 500,000 tulips will be on display this year. Grab your cameras and
head to Holland this April when tulip mania is in full bloom.
TIP: Official guides are available April 1 and include a map of Tulip Festival locations around Amsterdam with descriptions of the varieties on
display. Guides are €2 and can be picked up at numerous locations. tulpfestival.com
VISIT DAY TRIPS
TULIP MUSEUM OF AMSTERDAM For more tulips than you’ll probably ever seen in your lifetime all in
one place, head to the small town of Lisse and Keukenhof Gardens,
less than an hour outside of Amsterdam. The 79-acre park is by far
Holland’s most popular flower attraction thanks to the roughly seven
million tulips, in about 800 varieties and a riot of colors that bloom
each year. Millions arrive to wander the miles of outdoor trails and
peek into the pavilions where growers present their prize blooms. The
gardens are open between March 21 and May 10 in 2020. Book entry
tickets online in advance. Buses leave from Amsterdam city center, and
there are plenty of organized tours, too. keukenhof.nl
Tiptoe through tulip history at this canal house in the trendy Jordaan
neighborhood that’s now a museum tracing the flower’s journey from
the Ottoman Empire to its arrival in Europe and Holland, where it has
inspired artists, designers, florists and fans century after century. If
you’ve still got tulips on your mind when you get home, the museum’s
online store has dozens of tulip-themed goods that ship within the U.S.
and Canada. amsterdamtulipmuseum.com
GARDENS
The botanical garden of Hortus Botanicus (dehortus.nl) has roughly
4,000 types of plants, including rare tulips which bloom in April,
scattered around outdoor gardens and greenhouses, while Amsterdam’s
111-acre Vondelpark (hetvondelpark.net), the city’s largest, is beloved
by locals who come to bike and stroll the wide-open spaces, speckled
with ponds, sculptures and yes, thousands of colorful tulips. The Groot
Melkuis (grootmelkhuis.nl), a waterside café inside the park, is ideal for a
coffee and snack break, and kids adore the large playground.
SHOP
The world’s only floating flower market, Bloemenmarkt, is tucked
inside houseboats permanently moored on Amsterdam’s Singel canal.
This colorful attraction is open year round, rain or shine, and where
to go for Dutch tulip bulbs, fresh cut flowers, plants, seeds, as well as
other souvenirs and gifts.
Leave some time to explore the flower and bulb fields surrounding
Keukenhof in the truly Dutch way, by bike! Wheel along winding routes
from the historic town of Leiden to the beautiful city of Haarlem, and
pass through a sea of vibrant crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.
Rent a bike for a few hours, or go big and book a four-day tulip tour
with Holland Bike Tours. hollandbiketours.com
The annual Flower Parade (in Dutch, Bloemencorso Bollenstreek)
will be held on April 25 and see 20 flower-bedecked floats and 30
lavishly decorated cars follow a 26-mile route from the seaside resort
town of Noordwijk via the flower fields near Lisse to the historic city
of Haarlem. Arrive early to stake out a spot — this event attracts
hundreds of thousands from all over the world.
GETTING THERE
Delta Air Lines/KLM and United all have nonstop flights from Dulles
International Airport (IAD) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).
Congratulations to KLM who are celebrating their 100th anniversary.
Along the Canal in Amsterdam
WINTER 2019/20 51 FLYWASHINGTON.COM