Tulips

Month and Year? Exact dates? After all, you are asking about ... plants!

https://keukenhof.nl/en/

https://www.brussels.be/flower-carpet

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Tulips+amsterdam&utf8=%E2%9C%93

Ghent is so charming, and worth a short visit. You could use it for day trips as well. Ghent itself doesn't have 4 or 5 days worth of things to do in itself.

You could also stay in Leiden and do day trips to The Hague and also Rotterdam to visit Kinderdijk.

We were in the Netherlands this past mid April. It was wonderful. But outside of visiting Keukenhof Gardens, which is spectacular with tulips galore, we otherwise didn't see tulips. When we got home from Amsterdam we were asked about the tulips. I think everyone (ourselves included) pictured cities teeming with tulips and it's just not the case as we experienced it. Certainly not Amsterdam.

We sure got lucky with beautiful weather though!

If there are things in Brussels that are interesting to you, then by all means visit there for a day, or even 2. It's completely up to you and what your interests are. But Ghent is certainly worth a short visit. As are many of the smaller cities and towns in the Netherlands. That country is much more than just Amsterdam. I suggest looking at the Explore Europe subforum to give you some ideas. https://www.ricksteves.com/europe

As for tulips- the Keukenhof gardens are world renowned for their spring floral displays. Many, if not most, of the commercial tulip fields are clustered between the Hague and Amsterdam, with many near Lisse and the Keukenhof. It is easy enough to stay in a nearby town and drive by them. No need to stay in Amsterdam if you don't want to; although you might want to fly home from there. Otherwise you won't see any more tulip displays than you would at home.

In Brussels at that time of year you might be interested in the Royal Greenhouses at Laeken. This area is off limits during the rest of the year but they open to the public in April for a short time while the gardens are interesting. You need to get tickets - I think it's a ballot(??). There is also the carpet of wild bluebells in the woods at Hallerbos (near Brussels) around the same time. Free, but you have to make your own way there. There is a website, you just have to google it.

Lavandula

Thank you all for your responses. Certainly gives us a lot of possibilities and ideas.