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Perfect Day in Tulip Season
Tulip time in Holland is by far the most popular time of year to visit Amsterdam and starts on the first day of Spring. Read on for a perfect day in Tulip Season in Amsterdam. This year’s Tulip Festival in Amsterdam will take place from March 20th-May 11th. Many ask if Amsterdam and Holland are the same, but Amsterdam is the city, and North Holland is the region it’s found. North and South Holland are the regions of the Netherlands where the tulips are farmed and celebrated. Visitors enjoy taking a European River cruise during this season. The boats often leave from Amsterdam or Rotterdam and sail through the Dutch and Belgium cities that are filled with flowers.
There is a direct train from Schiphol airport to Lisse, where Keukenhof Garden is located. For a perfect day in Tulip Season, it might be best to go right to Lisse. If you have just 1-day in town to see flowers, it might be best to take the direct train to Lisse from Schipol Airport (there is no direct train to Lisse from Central Station). There is more to do in the area of Lisse, besides just the Keukenhof Gardens. The second most famous tulip Museum is in the town of Lisse called the Museum de Zwarte Tulp (Dutch spelling of tulip).
This area also has a picking garden called De Tuliperij so you can bring home a tulip souvenir and there are a few tulip photography fields. Places like Tulip Experience Amsterdam or The Tulip Barn have been created so that visitors can get in the fields for that perfect tulip photo opportunity. These locations have been created to protect farmers’ fields from being trampled. When driving the tulip route, remember not to step in the fields!
Spring Flowers in Amsterdam
Amsterdam transforms into a flower haven in March with flower arrangements, displays and flower shops all over the city. You will see them especially in Dam Square, throughout the canals in the Jordaan neighborhood, Museumsplein and popular parks such as Westerpark, Vondelpark and Bloesempark. Home owners dress their door stoops and windows with flowers. Some of the most amazing arrangements will be decorating the streets and neighborhoods.
The tulip certainly gets all the attention, but there are more than just tulips in Holland. The perfect day in tulip season also included other spring flowers. Cherry Blossoms have a few weeks when they are in bloom and the Bloesempark, just south of the city is the perfect location to find them. Crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths are also popular in the Dutch Spring and will bloom from March-May. Dahlia’s are popular flowers in Holland, but don’t bloom until Summer. Catch them if you are visiting after the Spring bloom!
Centrum
When arriving in Amsterdam by train, you will exit the train at Central Station and walk out to an amazing view of the city and canals. This area, down to the canal ring, is considered Centrum. This is a busy and touristy area, with lots of shops and snacks to enjoy. Dam Square is the next big open area, with the new church, Royal Palace and de Bijenkorf (largest, upscale department store). Dam Square is always decorated with beautiful flowers in the Spring! This is the area that is turned into a tulip garden on Tulip Day in January. Rembrandtplein is another area (Southeast of Dam Square) with many tulip arrangements.
This location is just a block away from the Stins Flowermarket, also known as the floating flower market. This flower market is really talked up, but it’s nothing worth going out of your way to see. It is mainly a bulb and tourist market, so visitors are often disappointed when they finally arrive. I find that visiting a local market, such as the Waterlooplein or Albert Cuypstraat market, has a better variety of flowers and souvenirs at much better prices.
The Jordaan
The Jordaan is the neighborhood in Amsterdam, just west of Centrum. It is a quintessential neighborhood that is a must visit on any visit to Amsterdam. The canals, bridges and streets are lined with boutique shops, restaurants and canal houses. In the southern part of the neighborhood, the Nine Streets refers to 4 canal streets and 5 roads that make an area popular for boutique shopping. Flower arrangements will be all over the streets and found decorating bridges.
My favorite part of the Jordaan is in the northern section around Brouwersgracht. This canal runs perpendicular to the three main canals, the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht. There are always bikes, decorated with flowers that make perfect photo opportunities in this area, but Spring time takes it to a whole new level. Flower arrangements are found on display on the bridges and squares. In the northwestern corner of the Jordaan neighborhood is Westerpark, which is filled with cherry blossoms for 2-3 weeks each spring. Westerpark is a great place to bring children or picnic on a warm spring day.
Vondelpark
The Rijksmuseum is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit to see the Dutch Masters. The Van Gogh museum, Moco Museum and Stedelijk museums are also in this same area called Museumplein. The whole area is transformed with arrangements of flowers around the square. Vondelpark is just next door with large grassy areas to picnic, ponds and playgrounds. Tulips and crocuses bloom in the flowerbeds and additional arrangements will be found throughout the walkways and popular gathering areas. Besides being popular for picnics and strolls, many locals use the park for exercise. Cycling through the park, runners and groups meet for classes in the huge green park that is an urban oasis.
Keukenhof Gardens
If you are spending more time in Amsterdam than just a day, I highly suggest spending a full day in Lisse. This is where the famous Keukenhof Garden, is found and where visitors can interact with tulips without destroying farmers’ fields. Photographic tulip fields and picking gardens are located in this area to enhance visitors’ experiences. Keukenhof, known as Europe’s Garden, is the main attraction of Dutch flowers each Spring.
Keukenhof Tulip Gardens have the annual tulip displays as well as English and Japanese landscape gardens, a historic garden, a garden maze and several inspiration gardens that change annually. A boat ride is offered to get closer to the tulip fields closest to Keukenhof Garden. Bikes, scooters and other electric vehicles can be rented to explore the greater area.
Visitors can get to Keukenhof Gardens by public transportation, biking from the station, or renting an electric vehicle. For those short on time, book a prearranged tour like Flower Park Ticket and Transfer or a Day Trip to Keukenhof Gardens (be sure the time for the tour is short, around 5 hours and not a full day of 8-10 hours). I rarely suggest a tour to visit Keukenhof, because I find most people want more time and flexibility. But for someone who is only visiting Amsterdam for a day and wants to spend a few hours at Keukenhof, it is the most efficient use of time.
Tulip Field Tours & Day Trips
Since there is no way to experience all Amsterdam and Holland have to offer during tulip season in just one day, you’ll have to plan a longer Spring trip next year! Here are some of the amazing places to plan to go on your next tulip trip:
- Bollenstreek
- Tulip Experience Amsterdam or The Tulip Barn
- Tulip picking garden- like De Tuliperij
- Drive or ride the Tulip Route
- Drive the Flevoland Tulip Route
Be sure to read next week’s blog on Amsterdam’s Complete Guide to Tulip Season before planning your next Amsterdam Spring trip.
Amsterdam Attractions for One-Day in the Spring
If you only have one-day and you want to get the most out of seeing this tulip town, be sure to walk around the Jordaan area to see the tulip arrangements and canals that makes this town so special. Add a few quintessential Amsterdam attractions and foods to get the most out of your 24 hours or less in this beautiful city of canals.
Canal Cruise
Be sure to squeeze in a canal cruise before taking off to the airport again. If you spend most of your only day in Amsterdam at Keukenhof, then you won’t have much time to see the city by foot. A Canal Cruise tour from Central Station will show you most of the city, at its best. Companies such as Flagship for an hour, Blue Boat Tours if you’re traveling with kids for 75 minutes or Captain Jack cruises for 90 minutes (adult humor and stories) are great options you won’t be disappointed.
If you decide to walk around the Jordaan neighborhood or end up near the Anne Frank House, Flagship canal cruises are available here as well and typically can be walked on with cruises leaving on the half hour. If you are looking for an early morning cruise, to make the most of your time in Amsterdam try Pure Boats, just a street away from the Anne Frank House. The cruise will travel up and down some of the small waterways of Amsterdam, telling stories of the history and open-minded culture of the Dutch.
Eating in Amsterdam
Be sure to have a good meal, or three, before leaving Amsterdam. If you only have 24 hours, I’d be sure to have breakfast at a cafe or pancake house since they are culturally significant here in Amsterdam. The pancakes are different, some small pancakes called poffertjes and other pancakes are larger and thinner with a custard-like filling. For those who like croissants and other baked goods for breakfast, Amsterdam is the perfect place for a pastry and coffee on the go.
Snacks around Amsterdam are everywhere, starting with fries. Manneken Pis is the most famous fry shop in Amsterdam, but also typically has a line around the block. Honestly, most fry shops seem to have similar experiences and sauce assortments, at least those from the street shops. Stroopwafels are another popular treat, but there is no need to wait in line for over an hour at a fancy shop. Instead, walk through a market for a cheap 3 euro stroopwafel, made right on the spot for the warm caramel goodness.
If you need to grab dinner on the run, to eat on the plane or train, a baguette sandwich is the perfect meal. If you are fortunate enough to get to eat dinner at a restaurant, consider one of these restaurants that won’t disappoint!
- Cannibale Royale Handboogstraat (steakhouse)
- Il Pacioccone (Italian) and Pizzeria next door
- La Boca- casual steak
- Sagardi- steak & seafood
- Seafood Bar- 4 locations
- Hoppe- Dutch Brown bar
- Mr. Meat Steakhouse
- Black & Blue Steakhouse
- San Pedro steakhouse- no reservations needed
- Salmaura- Latin American
- Pesca- Theater of Fish
- La Olive- Spanish
- La Perla- pizza
- The Papeneiland Café- great apple pie
- Cafe Tgijssen- best apple pie
Visit an Amsterdam Coffeeshop
What’s that saying, when in Rome? Well, when in Amsterdam…try a coffeeshop! Coffeeshops in general can provide a variety of experiences, from just take away to a complete cafe with a kitchen. When you are walking and touring all day, stopping in for a coffee and smoke is a great quick break. Try some of our favorite coffeeshops in the central and Jordaan areas, near the most popular tourist areas:
- Green House
- Resin
- Abraxas
- Kandinsky
- Tyson 2.0
- Strain Hunters
- Green Place
- Coffeeshop Amsterdam
- Barney’s
- Popeyes
- SWED (in Oud West)
If you plan to buy a pre-rolled joint make sure to ask for a “pure joint” since the Dutch typically mix theirs with tobacco or herbs to cut it. This is not what American tourists expect (especially when you see no cigarette smoking signs on the door), but many Europeans are used to this system. Green House is our #1 favorite coffeeshop in all of Amsterdam because it has all three things a great coffeeshop needs: high quality products, great food & drinks and a relaxed vibe. The atmosphere changes throughout the day and there are three rooms to choose from when looking for a table.
There is also an option of combining a cannabis experience with a canal cruise to be most efficient on time. Hop on the Smokeboat or Buddha Boat if your group is all over 18, smokers or not. This short, 1-hour cruise around the canals of Amsterdam, gives you a relaxing experience to enjoy a drink and smoke while taking in the best sights of Amsterdam. Seeing the city by canal gives the visitor a new perspective and allows them access to many areas only seen by the water.
Get Back to the Airport
The most efficient way to get to and from the airport is always by train. It is only about a 15 minute ride and the full fare ticket is only 5,20 euro… you can’t beat that! If you are running late or are exhausted after your day of exploring the Dam, you can always get an uber or taxi to take you back to the airport in about 20 minutes from almost anywhere in the city. It’s worth making your flight over getting to the airport the cheapest by train. Amsterdam is an amazing city to wander through and see where the day takes you.
Perfect Day in Tulip Season, Next Up…
There is nothing better than a trip to Amsterdam, even if it is only for one day… unless it’s a week! Next week, tune into the blog for everything tulips! I’ve been fortunate enough to spend many years visiting Amsterdam during Tulip Season and I look forward to sharing some great tips and ways to immerse yourself in tulips, the way the locals do…by bicycle.
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