Netherlands & Easter

Dutch people who want to go on a holiday during the Easter holidays won’t wait until Sunday or Monday to fly out. They will depart as soon as possible on Saturday or even Friday. So flying back home on Saturday doesn’t make sense if you want to avoid the worst crowds.

In terms of the general impact that Easter has in the Netherlands, I would say it’s close to zero. The Netherlands is not at all like some other European countries where pretty much everything closes or shuts down. Everything you mind want or need as a tourist, from public transportation to museums to restaurants to shops, will be open and up and running.
Please bear in mind though that due to the very late Easter, the blooming of the tulips now coincides with Easter. The crowds in Amsterdam and the bulb region will be even more insane than usual.

The airport will be busy anytime in the spring. We were there in April this year, and everything is busy. Not sure if you are aware, but Keukenhof opens it's 2025 season on March 20, so you'll see the tulips anytime in April.

@Dutch_traveler, thank you! That makes me feel better. We already visited Keukenhof last time (despite the storm) but what we really missed out on was the biking we'd planned. So my plan was to do that earlier in our visit anyway. By the end of the trip I think all we'll be wanting to do is walk around and eat/drink. Sounds like that would be the best thing to do Easter weekend anyway!

@KD, thank you! I know Keukenhof is open those days but last year at least the tulips weren't in full bloom until the second week of April or so, and that's what the flower guides seem to recommend as well. We did get to experience Keukenhof and it was lovely, but what I really want to do is the 35km or so bike ride past all of the fields out to the sea. My grandparents are from South Holland so I really want to explore the area like my Oma would have back in the 30's. The crazy storm off the sea ruined that for us last time - we only biked about 5km and the wind/icy rain was wild!

The gardeners of the Keukenhof use all kind of tricks and techniques to make sure that there are flowers in bloom for as long as the Keukenhof is open to the public. The farmers that grow the tulips for the bulbs let Mother Nature decide when the flowers bloom. The peak of the blooming of the tulips in the vast fields is usually in the second half of April. March and early April are therefore too early to see the tulips in the fields.

today4ulove, that's an entirely different tulip sightseeing adventure you have planned! We so lucked out for 95% of our trip with warm spring sunny weather. Yet one day we took a day tour and it was so icy/windy/freezing, that nobody on the tour could concentrate. The tour guide, who I would surmise was on Oma herself; never flinched; stayed focused and we were in awe of her grit and stamina! Hope the weather holds up for you this trip!