The Tulip Festival in the Netherlands is world famous and last month I was lucky enough to visit. Along with our visit to Keukenhof Gardens where we saw 800 different types of tulips and spent about four hours walking around, we also visited surrounding places. Here are some must-visit (and slightly off the beaten track) places you must check out.
- Amsterdam – Keukenhof (the famous botanical gardens during tulip festival) is located just outside Amsterdam – an easy 50 minute commute. While we drove from London, you could also fly into Amsterdam and make that your base, and then take an organised tour or the local train to the gardens for a day trip. There is also a tulip barometer on the website which tells you how bloomed the tulips are. We went on April 10 and it was 70% – still looked beautiful and I’d imagine a week or two later to be even better!
- try the homemade apple pie at Winkel 43. Delicious!
- the boat cruise didn’t disappoint. Something touristy that I actually enjoyed – I always prefer the in-person tour guides vs. headsets.
- I wrote a blog post a few years ago on Amsterdam so check out my other recos here.
- Giethoorn – this is a (mostly) car-free village in the province of Overijssel. Waterways, footpaths, bridges and thatched roofs is the vibe. Very quaint and it reminded me of Bourton-on-the-Water in England. Half a day is enough time to explore the village, although there were lots of rentals available. I’d check Airbnb as a starting point if this interests you.
- Utrecht – known as ‘little Amsterdam’ for the same charm but less touristy. Utrecht was really nice to walk around. I could happily hop from coffee shop to lunch spot to an alfresco bar all day and people watch. Lots of people sitting by the water enjoying a drink and catch up with friends, or some quietly reading their book. I think that’s the charm of Utrecht – finding the smaller spots and boutique shops to enjoy. We found this handcrafted shoe shop and I don’t think I’ve ever walked into a shop where you’re seeing it all in action, including the various stages of the shoe being made. This is the brand.
- Utrecht isn’t far from Rotterdam (approx 40 min train) so you could also use Rotterdam as a base (I haven’t been yet but on the list) and then day trip to Utrecht.
- Just outside of Utrecht is a really delicious pancake restaurant called Teahouse Rhiknauwen. They serve up so many different types of pancakes (sweet and savoury). I tried the traditional apple and cinnamon and it was tasty and filling. The grounds are beautiful too so siting outside on a sunny day is a must.
All in all, it was a nice five days away and we really got to explore some underrated places and of course eat a few stroopwafels, loads of saucy fries and dutch pancakes all trip long. Totally worth it!
PS – if you’ve come here to read about the Tulips because you’re interested in visiting, I also went to Tulley’s Farm (Crawley, south London) about two weeks before and it was a really nice outing. Rows and rows of colourful tulips and they recreate the feel of the Netherlands. A nice day out for children too as they’ve planned a decent build up before you get to see the actual tulips. Playground, food and drink options, photo opportunities – a fun day out for adults and children. I’m not comparing it to Keukenhof but it’s a good closer-to-home option if you’re based in London and aren’t actively planning a trip to the Netherlands yet.
