Tag: Netherlands

When and Where to see Tulips in the Netherlands

Seeing tulips in the Netherlands is a draw for many travelers. These colorful flowers symbolize a change in seasons, are synonymous with the history of the Netherlands, and are a current global export. They are a must see!  

One question we hear year after year: 

When is the best time to see the tulips in the Netherlands?  

Mid-April is the textbook answer. However, many people don’t realize that tulip time actually spans from late March through mid-May. You will see tulips in varying amounts through these 8 or so weeks. This means that spring break travelers, cruise travelers, and even early May vacationers will all have an opportunity to see tulips.  

Why? The tulip season in my local area doesn’t last that long.  

The secret to this unusually long tulip season is the more than 3,000 varieties of tulips spanning 150 species. Over the years, a spectrum of growing periods has evolved.  A savvy gardener anywhere can have tulips from March to May. The Dutch have perfected this tulip cultivation strategy in the Netherlands, so you can be sure to see tulips at a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens anytime over the spring—in fact, they guarantee it! This Park has over 7 million tulip bulbs and is the best place to see the many different varieties of tulips.   

If you’re heading to the bulb fields in Noord Holland, you’ll still see flowers, but early travelers may see blanketed fields of crocus, hyacinths, or other early spring flowers.  The optimum time for seeing tulips in the fields is mid-April. 

Red and orange tulip fields in the Netherlands

Not coming to the Netherlands in the Spring?  

Even if you plan to visit sometime other than spring, you’ll still be able to see tulips in the Netherlands if you know where to look. The tulip is a commodity that is bought and sold daily.  Head to the Royal FloraHolland flower auction in Aalsmeer to see the international flower market as buyers and sellers vie to stock floral shops all over Europe.  The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is worth a visit if you want to learn about the history of the flower.  They also have a bunch of growing guides if you feel inspired to cultivate this iconic flower in your own garden.  If you want to mix tulips and souvenirs, the Floating Flower Market or Bloemenmarkt in Amsterdam has tulips and bulbs for sale year-round.   

If you visit the Netherlands in September, you’ll have the pick of flower parades. While they may not showcase tulips, they certainly highlight the Dutch history and love for flowers.  The Flower Parade in Zundert is held on the first Sunday in September, and the Flower Parade in Lichtenvoorde is held on the second Sunday in September. The Flower Parade in Winkel is the fourth Sunday of the month. All have giant themed floats colored by flowers, are quite the site to see, and advanced tickets are needed.  

Are you ready to book your Spring travel to the Netherlands?

We offer a variety of group tours and vacation packages to choose from, so contact us today to start planning! 

Bike and Barge Tours: The Best of Both Worlds

Bike and Barge Tours

As more travelers seek out experience-based vacations and stray further away from traditional “tourist traps”, bike and barge tours have emerged as a booming trend—particularly among people over the age of 50.  With adventure travel and river cruising also rising in popularity, bike and barge tours offer the best of both worlds: the excitement of an active, culturally immersive, off-the-beaten-path experience, combined with the all-inclusive comforts and amenities of a river cruise!

So, with nice weather just around the corner and Witte’s Bike & Barge Tour from Amsterdam to Bruges coming up this September, I’ve answered some FAQ’s about bike and barge tours. Continue reading “Bike and Barge Tours: The Best of Both Worlds”

Tot ziens means “So long for now”

Time to roll out of bed and enjoy one last breakfast. In a couple of hours we will be back in the skies and headed for home.

I will come away with many fond memories of this wonderful week in the Netherlands:

  • The crew, their quick response to our needs and wants, their patience with us, their sense of humor, how quickly they got a sense of our different personalities. They all came out to wave at us as we pulled away in the motorcoach, bound for the airport. Tot ziens, all of you! Hope to see you again!
  • The variety of food and the fun of figuring out what we would be served tomorrow judging by today’s menu. For instance, fresh red and yellow peppers in our salad one day; roasted pepper soup the next. And all of it delicious.
  • The early morning hours up in the lounge or out on the deck, drinking that marvelous coffee and enjoying the spring sunshine.
  • The colors of the tulip fields. The unending varieties of the tulips at Keukenhof. Are you sure that’s a tulip?
  • The ubiquitous bikes and bike trails. The Dutch really have the right idea about staying fit and enjoying life!
  • All the many people on board from all different parts of the country. I will long remember my friends from the state of Washington, the duck-hunting guys and their wives from Iowa, the lovely 83-year-old woman and her daughter who were so much fun, and many more.
  • The beautiful towns and villages we passed through, many with their unique architecture and designs on their doors and windows.
  • Windmills everywhere, old and new. Many times the newer wind turbines lined up along the canal while the more traditional windmills could be seen out in the fields.

 

Excursion into Friesland

Today is Easter Monday in the Netherlands. Traditionally, this is a holiday to get together with friends and family to celebrate springtime. On our excursion through the countryside, we saw many people out on bicycles or picnicking alongside the canals. Once again, the weather was ideal!

Two villages in particular seemed to pull out all the stops for this day. Rouveen and Staphorst have a number of citizens who still dress in the traditional style of years past, and it was fun to see so many of them on their way to church service in their Easter Monday finery.

We also stopped to see the hunebeds—huge granite burial chambers older than the Egyptian pyramids. I did some research online and discovered that there are over 50 of these megalithic monuments scattered over the provinces of Drenthe and Groningen, but not much is known about the people who built them.

In Giethoorn we boarded special “touring boats” and cruised the small canals into this very unique establishment where, in most cases, each house is on its own island surrounded by water. Many of us wondered what it would be like to live a life where one would grab oars instead of car keys to “run to the store for a few things.” It’s certainly a peaceful and beautiful place to visit.

The Orchid Farm in Luttelgeest was a treat for the senses. It’s a lovely place to stroll around, with thousands of orchids in all directions. We walked through the beautiful “Butterfly Room,” home to dozens of species of butterflies, ponds filled with koi, and we even met the resident iguana. Must be iguanas don’t eat butterflies. . .

Cameras were busy all through the day as we drove through or stopped at the many villages, each with its own special history and charm.

My day in images.