Hello! 45 days till we leave on a bucket list trip! Amsterdam tulip season! Looking for advice and suggestion of tour companies. One day, my famoly of 3 (myself, husband, and daughter age 11), will take the bus to Keukenhoff. I know that Keukenhoff is not tulip fields. So we are looking to also do a bike tour around the area before/after we sepnd time at Keukenhofff. Have some questions related to that. First, is this a good location to even do a bike tour? And second, can you suggest a company. I know you can rent bikes on your own. However, I really want a guide to give us the best fields and pictures and experience. And I dont want to have to think or plan that day! Any advice for me? Thank you in advance!
Hope T
Posted by
The Netherlands
1743 posts
The answers to your questions largely depend on when you plan to go to the Keukenhof. If you arrive too late, the tulips in the fields might be cut off already.
In general, the tulip fields are pretty easy to find. The Keukenhof is literally surrounded by them. If you want to get up close to the tulips, you need to go to a place like the Tulip Barn or another pick-your-own tulip garden. The tulip fields are the private property of the tulip farmers and they are strictly off limits!!!
Posted by
111 posts
Looks like you will be there around early May which is in the last bit of the tulip season. It may be over its prime by then but some fields would still have flowers (not just tulips). There are free biking tours like this one available: https://bollenstreek.nl/things-to-do/cycling/cycling-routes/flower-bulb-beach-dunes-cycle-route/?lang=en. It also lists some rental companies in the region.
There are some other posts on this forum around the same topic (search for Keukenhof) where the quality of rental bikes are being discussed, e.g., https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/keukenhof-gardens-bike-route-suggestions.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
34687 posts
if the post above from Barney_NL is correct that you will be there in early May, that is when the Keuenhof is winding down (it closes on the 11th of May) and you really need to lower your expectations about seeing acres and acres of colourful tulip stripes in the bulb fields. The bulb fields are not for flower harvesting, despite how beautiful they are, they are for harvesting the bulbs for sale. Once the tulips have reached their peak they are cut down to the ground preparatory to harvesting the bulbs. By the time it is May, most of that cutting will have happened and you will see grey sand fields with some dead flower petals between the rows which the machine missed.
You may find a field or two not cut, but if you want fields of bulbs as far as you can see you need to be mid April.
Weather may be different this year, but that's generally the case.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Thank you. My math was off. We will actually be there 3rd and 4th week of April. Will look into these reccomendations.
Posted by
1165 posts
If it were me, I'd be at Keukenhoff when it opens; enjoy the spectacular blooms with fewer crowds. Eat a quick lunch around 11am (food prices were reasonable and lines weren't crazy busy as it was a bit early for lunch.) Then go on an afternoon bike tour. The negative I see for this is if you do the gardens first, your time there is predicated on the bike tour time. We found the gardens were really, really crowded midday/early afternoon. Maybe someone can speak to how late afternoon/early evening is. And of course there is the biggest unknown..."day of" weather. Lots to consider. We only did the gardens, not a bike ride; was just trying to think about how it could work doing both on the same day. Enjoy!