I am planning on going to Holland for the Flower parade. I would like to see the illuminated parade Friday evening and the parade on Saturday.
Where is a good place to stay? Lisse?, Noordwijk? Haalem? other?
Is it difficult to park in Noordwijkerhout or Noordwijk ? (beginning and end of illuminated parade - I think. Is it better to take the train and then rent a bike or walk? Will the trains run late? Or better to rent a car?
Does anyone have information on the parade.
I think it might be fun to get to Noordwijk early & see the floats before they start the parade but don't know if that is possible.
Any information is appreciated.

Here is the official info, http://tinyurl.com/5bzzws.

I like to see the floats and festivities after the parade, on Sunday in Haarlem.

Hope you have good weather. Last year it was beautiful.

Hope you have good weather. Last year it was beautiful.


I'm out of the country again this year, as I was last -so there is a good chance of great weather

I do not know much about the parade route, but public transportation in holland is beter than a car. IMO. Only once was I out later than the trams ran, I was also not fit to drive, Amsterdam is a walkable city day and night, I walked.

I know the official website but it does not give any information on transportation.
So are you suggesting Haarlem is the best place to see the floats

ttt

I wish I could help, but I have never been to it. We tend to be away when it takes place.
If you stay in Noordwijk, which is a lovely place, you could see the evening parade then bike along the route of the parade the following day or drive to a spot along the way, or maybe to Haarlem where you can see the floats on display at the end of the parade.
Alternatively stay in Haarlem. There is no train between Haarlem and Noordwijk and the buses don't run late.

I do not know anything about the parade route.

We saw the floats on Sunday in Haarlem. We arrived in the early morning by car and parked in a city lot without problems. We enjoyed being able to see the floats up close and even smell the flowers. Many of the shops and cafes were also decorated with flowers.

Enjoy!

The parade route is posted, by the minute, on the website. Click on the link "route." I recommend that you have a map, but the route to Heemstede and Hillegom is well posted anyway. Ask at the VVV tourist office at the Haarlem train station for detailed information.

I suggest that you stay in Haarlem. Rent a bike and pedal backward along the route. When you see the parade coming, stop, lock your bikes, and get in a good position.

Don't be bashful about asking locals for help and advice. Everybody speaks English and will be only too happy to help you.

I also recommend that you go on Sunday for close-up views of the floats and the little festival around them.

thank you for the advice
I gather there is no transportation so I either skip the Friday evening event (has anyone ever been to this?) or stay in one of the two towns.
Haalem is the most well known city but does anyone have experience of the other cities?

Noordwijk is a nice, small seaside town. Lovely beaches and a pleasant enough place. I've never stayed there, but have been to the beach there. It is home to the European Space Agency's Estec centre. There is a Space Expo you can visit there.
www.hollandrijnland.nl is the tourist information site for Noordwijk.
I would choose Noordwijk over Lisse for instance. Haarlem (with an r) is much bigger, closer to Amsterdam and with better public transport links.

We will be staying in Zandvoort 14-28 April. Have never been there before, but the apartment looks great on the website. We decided on this beach town because of the ease of traveling to the sites we want to see and the the price, 1090 Euros for the two weeks. Appreciate the parade info, the apt. owner can fill us in with the rest.

We have planned a trip to Amsterdam and a Rhine River Cruise, arriving Amsterdam 23 May. Could change trip departing Amsterdam 29 April. Question would it be too late to arrange hotel etc so as to see Flower Boat Parade as well as other rtulip/flower events. Understand that the flower gardens close 21 May and by then tulips / other flowers are no longer in bloom. Any suggetsions re hotel in appropriate places for parade would be appreciated. Note we are bothe late 70s Thanks?

The Carlton Square hotel on the south edge of Haarlem is probably the most convenient for being near the end of the parade. It is also close to the Frans Hals museum and not far from the center of the city.

Thank you all for posting.
I am staying in Noordwijk and will hopefully be able to rent a bike to see the parade and Keukenhof. I would still like to garner ideas for Friday evening. Can one watch people put the floats together? Is there a program where the floats are "unveiled"? How close can one approach? What happens to the flowers Sunday evening? Should one get in a spot early for parade viewing (i.e. is the road packed the length of the parade?) So if the person with experience is out there please post.
thanks

Maybe you could try e-mailing the tourist office with your questions. Their address is: [email protected]

I asked many questions of the tourist office but have never received a reply.

I'm sorry to hear that. As I said it is not something I have ever been to, and it is not in my area so I'm running out of ideas to help you.
The floats will be put together at different locations and are often kept top secret until the parade, so I doubt you would be able to see one being assembled.
I suspect that the flowers are just thrown away after Sunday. I doubt they will be up to much after that, and they have really short stems I believe. They are a by-product anyway, as it is the bulbs that are the harvest. The flowers are just a nice extra.