Tulip time in the Netherlands

I visited Keukenhof from Delft, and I reserved the hotel a few days before. This is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe, you should be able to find lodging easily enough within a reasonable distance.

Last two weeks in April for tulips. We've always stayed in Amsterdam and used a tour company to get back and forth to Keukenkof. The third Saturday in April is the flower parade in Haarlem. Go to www.flickr.com and search Haarlem flower parade. All the floats are made from flowers.

2 questions Is Haarlem a good base for tulip siteseeing, good access to the fields by rented bike? My wife and I have stayed in Haarlem several times and have ridden bikes down through the countryside and I have the photos, including some with the parked bikes on the edge of the field, for proof. Riding down past the pumping house and through the rural area (past a most excellent pancake restaurant) is very scenic but you don't to get to any tulip fields for a fair distance. We hitched rides back (paying bike fares too) on the train. We are not long distance cyclists. If you are in better shape than us that may not be a factor. A greater factor may be when you are making your trip. The Tulip (and daffs and hyacinths) fields are there for the growth of the bulb. They are not there for the blooms which are a byproduct. Neat to see, but when the process is complete they are mown down, the bulbs lifted, and the blooms chopped for mulch and left on the sand. My concern is that by the time you go, especially if there is another warm spell like the one just finished before the great freeze up, many if not most of the fields will have gone over. Something will still be going on at Keukenhof - always a great place to go - but I do worry about the bulb fields in May.

Francis,
If you don't already know, the once-a-decade Floriade (HUGE international botanical show) is happening in the Netherlands this year, so that will mean even more tourists this spring. A month or so ago, CNN listed the Netherlands as one of the top trip destinations this year because of the Floriade. You can check out the Floriade web site; will have a green/environment twist to it this year. It opens the first week of April, and while it continues through the summer, I'd guess most serious gardeners will want to get a two-for.........seeing Floriade (in Venlo) and the spring flowers in Holland. I'd suggest not waiting until too late to book your preferred hotel choices. Re: airlines..... Continental (which will be United by early March) is offering some April dates for $864 roundtrip from our area, and I'd guess rates would be even better for you since you are probably close enough to DC to catch a direct flight from there. Same rates on United web site (since they are the exact same flights). Just like here at home, dates of flowering can vary by a couple of weeks, depending on weather. I'm told at Keukenhof workers refresh/replace display flowers as needed (new ones in pots), with the goal of having that venue look picture perfect throughout its schedule for public visits, although I would guess the type flowers evolve with the growing season(begin with crocus/snowdrops through tulips).

"I'm told at Keukenhof workers refresh/replace display flowers as needed" You heard correctly. Even at the height of the tulip season, you can see the flower beds being changed out. Agree with Nigel... although it's kind of neat to see the color of the bulb fields, it's nothing compared to seeing the tulips in full bloom at a garden display. And I wouldn't call the Dutch countryside exactly ugly but... for the most part, it doesn't resemble the stereotypical image. Yes, the polders, canals, dikes and the rare windmill are there, but so are the modern factories, industrial infrastructure, housing estates, shopping centers and other things that go along with being a prosperous, well organized modern country.

Thanks everybody. We're going to base ourselves in Delft (at Hotel Emmauspoort, we've stayed there previously, I highly recommend it) and we'll be concentrating on Keukenhof rather than the fields for our tulip tourism. Thanks again for all of the responses, this community has been a great help
Francis