AbbyAdams

BDKR

"Our preferred travel times are mid-May to late June, or in September."

Both periods are good times to travel. Warm enough, but usually not too hot and not peak season.

"Spring is nice for flowers, but fall is nice for fresh fruit"

The Netherlands is much better known for the flowers than for the fresh fruit. I don't think much fruit is grown in The Netherlands, most of it is imported.

For the tulips you need to arrive a bit earlier than May. I guess you may avoid the worst crowds if you choose not so well known tulip fileds.

Tulips

Mid may is too late for tulips anyway. If you were to go in April, consider going to the Betuwe to see the fruit trees in bloom; yes, they do grow fruit in The Netherlands.
They are one of the largest exporters of fruit and vegetables in the world.

Google the "Betuwe" area in the Netherlands; and the very small city of Buren.

starrs

I chose April so I could see the tulips. Avoid Kings Day or be in a smaller town than Amsterdam on King's Day.

HappyTrvlr

We have had good experiences there in April, May and August.

menachem

We're a big fruit exporter.

menachem

Do you really mean the entire country or will it boil down to "Amsterdam and day trips"?
There's great kayaking (sea) to be had on the island of Texel, not too far from Amsterdam

Cowboy1968

That would be interesting to know, indeed.
I guess you'd have to pick the really miserable times (weatherwise) of the year to not experience crowds in Amsterdam.
OTOH, if you like the arts, you probably want to visit the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
Otherwise, there are many more options beyond the usual A'dam+Day Trips scheme.

With the possible exception of the Hoge Veluwe national park and its Kröller-Müller museum and Het Loo palace in Apeldoorn, I cannot remember having experienced any major waves of tourism in the Eastern parts of the Netherlands. I doubt that you hear of many tourists from overseas going to Zwolle or Zutphen, even though the old hansa towns are as beautiful as the famous tourist spots in North Holland province. Aside from the odd tour bus with daytripping senior citizens from nearby Germany, I think one can say that most tourism in those places is more local/national than international.
But even when you travel "off the beaten path" in the Netherlands, you won't have any problems to get around with English.

To get around you could also consider to rent bicycles - with or without electric "support" - wherever you are. Especially in the smaller towns or to explore what is in the vicinity.

joduhl

We were in Amsterdam a few years ago late April and it was lovely. The tulips were in bloom; it was light jacket weather and sunny. We were there on King's Day - had no idea about it beforehand - and actually it was a lot of fun. The entire city closes down and parties. Our hotel was on a canal with lots of action so we basically watched the people partying on the boats in the canals and walked around all day. Since Amsterdam is a great walking city, it did not really make much difference that no cars are allowed in the city that day. And we were amazed that the next morning the city was totally back to normal; all the trash gone.

We made a reservation ahead of time for the Van Gogh museum, which is a lovely museum. Otherwise, our time was unplanned and we just took in the sights and tastes of the beautiful city.

WeisserTee

Our favorite times to visit have always been late September through late October. We like to see the fall colors and we just like the general vibe at that time of year in places like Middelburg, Delft, Leiden, Utrecht and the small towns/villages. These were usually driving trips, so on a few times we veered over Muensterland (and once to Detmold, which we loved). The NL/Muensterland combo is beautiful in autumn.

bilboburgler

Just to be clear the Netherlands is a net exporter of fruit and vegetables and has a massive industry for both. It also acts as a European hub for these materials as they arrive in Europe.

Southam

Please note, for your planning, that May 4 is the national day of remembrance followed on May 5 by the liberation celebration. This is the 75th anniversary and will be a very big deal. Everyone knows that the WW2 veterans are dying off and there will be fewer in attendance than five years ago. I went to the Apeldoorn parade, a stately procession of old jeeps carrying old men being greeted and thanked by little children and their grown-up families. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. There are other events but you would need to plan well in advance to gain access to some of the ceremonies and to find accommodation. Taking your trip a little earlier to share the history is worth considering.

JessicaBr

I would definitely be considering going in springtime! April would be better to see the tulips. King's day is fun. In any city or village, they will organize thrift markets, games for kids, parades. It is fun to experience it once in a lifetime. There is a school holiday from April 25 to May 3 in 2020. So if the weather is nice in that period, you can expect more local crowds.
And I have only 1 additional tip if you like to visit the Anne Frank house, buy a ticket online. They have assigned slots and fill up very fast.
Have fun and enjoy!

starrs

[QUOTE=JessicaBr;16983401]... King's day is fun. In any city or village, they will organize thrift markets, games for kids, parades....
And I have only 1 additional tip if you like to visit the Anne Frank house, buy a ticket online. They have assigned slots and fill up very fast.
/QUOTE]

I wasn't a fan of King's Day in Amsterdam. I was ready for it, but wasn't ready for what it was actually like. Spend it in a smaller city or town.
2 months ahead of time. Very strict timeframe. I put a calendar event on my phone so I would not miss the window of opportunity -
https://www.annefrank.org/en/museum/tickets/

JessicaBr

[QUOTE=starrs;16983566] Any city in Holland will celebrate and if you like to experience it, you can check the activities of some cities online. I was in Utrecht and I had lots of fun looking at everything and everybody.

menachem

[QUOTE=JessicaBr;16984196] Amsterdam usually is crazy, but in smaller towns, King's Day is a lovely day off.