Belgium and Holland Tour: Flower Market? And other questions

When exactly in April will you be in the tulip area? Thanks to all the special techniques the gardeners of the Keukenhof use, the flowers in the Keukenhof are in bloom well before the flowers in the fields. The flowers in the fields tend to be in bloom in the second half of April. If you’re here during that time frame , you can rent bikes at the Keukenhof and cycle along the fields yourself. No need for a guide, you really can’t miss the brightly colored fields!

I can’t tell you if the flower auction is something you can’t miss. I personally wouldn’t want to get up very early to see flowers being moved around on carts and racks, but most people seem to genuinely enjoy their visit. If it’s something that you think is interesting, your RS guide should be able to help you find out how to get there.

Brussels may be worth a full day before the start of your tour, especially if you fly into that airport, spend a day seeing the sights and then take the train elsewhere. I found it interesting, and the Grand Place square is gorgeous at night when it's all lit up.

We took this fantastic tour two years ago. It started on April 18, so by the time we were in the Netherlands the fields had been cleared. So it depends on when you are there. Keukenhof was spectacular. We had amazing weather and still can't believe our good fortune!

Any chance you mean "Heart of Belgium and Holland"?

I would guess that the bulb and cut flower "manufacturing" fields were cut later this year, because it was such a cold spring. We went to Keukenhof on April 2, 2026. You can see quite a few flower fields from the perimeter fence of Keukenhof, and Keukenhof sells a 45 minute electric boat run around some of the nearest fields (for those who don't want to bike, I guess.)

We liked the "Aalsmeer auction", especially since some people believe it will move entirely online in the near future. (Speculation, not statement of fact.) It's a well-constructed "factory tour", with a modest restaurant, and elevated catwalks to keep tourists safe while massive carts of flowers roll around the floor. There are windows overlooking the auction auditorium, with automated carts pulling samples of the current auction item through. We had a car, so the travel was easy for us. We may even have returned it that day, to end our vacation in Amsterdam.

I personally prefer Antwerp to Brussels; It's a larger city than Gent or Bruges, so it is more spread out. But there's more than you can see in a few days. It is less crowded than Brussels, if still very busy. (There is a short "flower carpet" event in Brussels, maybe every three years?)

While the bike paths in Amsterdam provide more protection from autos than some other places, there is considerable speeding, moped traffic, wrong direction biking, and danger of collision with pedestrians. I don't see it as a paradise. (New York City native writing.)

FWIW, we flew into Brussels on March 19, 2026, 8AM Bus Gate, and immigration took 1.5 hours in line for us, with a very long line behind us. They handed out water and speculoos cookies to the line. (There are so many trains per hour to Gent that getting a train is the least of your problems. Gent has two stations, so pay attention to which is better for your hotel.)

The flowers in the flower fields are usually cut off around the first week of May. So if your RS tour of Belgium and the Netherlands starts on April 18, like KD’s tour did, you’ll reach the bulb region at the end of April and the cutting off can already be in full swing.

Maybe the reason Brussels isn't on your tour is that I'm not the only person who questions the value of seeing a city where one of the tourist attractions is a little boy peeing. Yes I've been to Brussels and the Grand Place did not wow me. I would choose another day in Amsterdam at the end of your tour.