Many thanks to Bell of Wanderlust Marriage for being my first guest blogger! Here is an informative (almost fragrant!) post she wrote about the tulip fields in Netherlands. I have never visited Europe, and this gives me even more inspiration to do so!

 

“The Dutch Tulip Fields”

The Dutch tulip fields are one of the things that Alex and I miss most about living in Amsterdam, and if you happen to be visiting the Netherlands in April, it is the perfect time to catch a glimpse of this beautiful sight.

It was our first spring in Amsterdam and we had heard about these “tulip fields” and how amazing they are. So Alex and I did a bit of research and decided that the town of Hillegom was a great place to catch the train to and wander around to see the tulips.

We had already gotten into the picnicking scene in the Netherlands, so we packed some sandwiches, treats and our blanket and jumped on the train. The trip takes between 35 and 45 minutes and you change trains in the lovely town of Haarlem.

As you begin to approach Hillegom you will see the fields from the train, spectacular rows of red, yellow, bright pink and many other coloured tulips. It is simply amazing to see these straight rows of thousands of the same color tulips. As an aside, if you fly into the Netherlands at this time of the year you can often see the gorgeous colorful patchwork of tulips from the plane.

After arriving, I was really excited, I mean I knew it would be beautiful, but I didn’t realise just how stunning it would be. I just wanted to go and run among all the flowers! But self-restraint prevailed and Alex and I headed towards the fields.

We picked a lovely spot to eat our lunch and enjoyed being surrounded by beauty. We then wandered around the fields for the next few hours taking pictures and enjoying all the color. It was lovely to see all red tulips in one row and a couple lonely yellow tulips nested in there as well.

We have friends who went into the fields and lied in the tulips. That’s very tempting and you will get an awesome picture… but if you do this, it will be considered trespassing. Obviously, the farmers get very annoyed with tourists getting in their fields, so you wouldn’t want to get caught, and anyway why ruin the flowers just so you can get your picture. Ok rant over!

After we were done walking around the fields we went into the village of Hillegom for a coffee and ice cream. There isn’t a whole lot to see in the town, but there are shops, and a few cafes and pubs. If you are there on a sunny day, enjoy a terrace and sip on a beer or if the weather is less than lovely, grab a coffee and slice of warm apple pie somewhere gezellig (cosy)!

On our way home on this particular trip to tulip fields Alex and I stopped in Haarlem, just to see what was there. Haarlem looks a lot like Amsterdam, but is smaller and has less canals, but the architecture is similar. If you’re in Amsterdam for just a few days, this is a great day trip to get out of the city and see a little more of what the Netherlands has to offer.

This wasn’t the last time Alex and I visited the fields, we went every year and enjoyed the colorful sight that neither of us would get to experience in our own home countries. I also had the pleasure of visiting the official tulip gardens, the Keukenhof Tulip Garden, where the tulips are beautifully arranged and many strange varieties are on display. If you’re in the Netherlands in Spring, we highly recommend enjoying these beautiful flowers!

-Bell is one half of Wanderlust Marriage where she and Alex write about their travel experiences and provide offbeat advice on traveling. 

 

To plan your own train trip in the Netherlands to visit the tulip fields near the village of Hillegom, 9292, Your Travel Partner will help you find the train times and list prices for you.