bjc280

hello,

Hope everyone is well.

When is the best time to go to amsterdam to see the tulips? (dates please)

Thanks!
Bara

hetismij2

It very much depends on what sort of spring we have I'm afraid. They can be in flower as early as the beginning of April, and all over by the end of that month, but more normally the end of April and first half of May is best. If we have a cold spring it could be later even. There is no guarantee of course, nature will take it's course.

Keukenhof gardens are open from March 21st to May 20th in 2013.

Dave_Ohio

We visited Keukenhof Gardens last spring (2012) on March 31. The grounds were beautiful, but the outdoor tulip varieties were limited. As hetismij2 says, the word then was that the tulips would likely peak in late April.

That did not deter large crowds of people from enjoying the park.

bjc280

thank you. I may go by my self- I am a single 32 year old female. SHould i go by my self or go on a tour?

bardo1

Go by yourself.

The gardens are an easy and quick train or bus ride from Amsterdam. You most definitely do NOT need a tour to look at the flowers - they are pretty self explanatory.

http://www.keukenhof.nl/

sharona

We went on 1 May this year. That was just about right but maybe a few days past prime. We took the Keukenhof bus from Schiphol Airport. It was very easy. No need to take a tour.

indy_dad

Photos from our early/mid-April visit last year:

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04...amsterdam.html

Very easy to do on your own.

John

Was there mid April last year and all was in bloom. Take the bus, no need for tour. Enjoy, it's magnificent.

PalenQ

There are fields and fields of tulips not inside the Keukenhof Gardens but in fields adjoining them - yeh lots of showcase tulips inside but be sure to go out the entrance and poke around fields just to the north where you may see miles of undulating tulips doing a pulchritudinous show.

bjc280

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!
i was thinking last week of march first week of april? thoughts?

quokka

A bit early. You will have the early varieties but not the full assortment. Mid April to second half of April would be better, and probably cheaper because you're away from the Easter holidays which are peak travel season.

bardo1

I agree. Guessing the years peak bloom season is always a roll of the dice but the second half of April is a much safer bet.

bjc280

I am off from school on March 25-march 31 that is why i was thinking the last week of march and first week of april.... what other countries and cities should not be missed on this trip

hetismij2

Keukenhof will be open, and there will be a fine display of other bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths and the like, plus early tulips. Indoor displays will also be good.
The chances of fields of blooming tulips is small, unless we have an early spring. We can but hope.

There is of course a lot more to Amsterdam than just tulips (which aren't that near Amsterdam anyway) so you will still have a great time even if you don't see the flowers.
You are young so you will have plenty of other years to see them.

illnative

In 2009 - we went to Keukenhof on April 17 - almost everything was in full bloom - it was perfect! You can rent bikes in the parking lot to Keukenhof and pedal around the local countryside through the fields - highly recommend doing this.

bjc280

I can't ride a two wheeler do they have other option?

illnative

You could walk around a bit, I guess? Not really sure what the other options are if you don't ride a bike.

spaarne

Here are my photos of Keukenhof http://tinyurl.com/y8hltjl. Go for it even if you can't see it in full bloom.

PAplumber

" last week of march and first week of april.... what other countries and cities should not be missed on this trip"bjc280

Italy is nice in the spring, Paris in April, or stay in the Netherlands (that would be my choice) what do you like, how well can you travel, how much is your budget.

FrameToFrameBJ

Hi there, March 21, to May 20th are the dates this year, good luck with the weather. My wife, Jean, and I spent a couple of days at Keukenhof Gardens, near Lisse(and yes it did rain at times). We always knew that The Netherlands (Holland) was famous for its tulips. As gardeners, seeing the gardens at Keukenhof, just simply took our breath away! It was amazing. Without a doubt, Keukenhof Gardens is the world’s biggest outdoor gardens. For those who might like to see some pictures from our trip, they are at: http://frametoframe.ca/photo-essay-t...ardens-holland

While in Holland, Jean and I also spent a day at the village of Zaanse Schans where we got to see their large collection of windmills. For us, a trip to Holland just wouldn’t have been complete without seeing windmills in action. If anyone would like to check out the variety of windmills that we saw, they are at: http://frametoframe.ca/photo-essay-windmills-holland