My husband and I wish to plan a week's vacation to see the tulips in full bloom in the Netherlands. When and where should we go?
- Worcester
Planning a trip solely around seeing the tulips at their peak is a gamble. But, after years of charting the flowers' cycle, it has been determined that the last two weeks of April and the first two weeks of May are usually a safe bet.
While the brilliant blooms can be seen along almost any road northwest or southwest of Amsterdam, the tulip epicenter is Keukenhof Gardens (011-31-252-465-555, keukenhof.nl/ nm/english.html), an 80-acre garden in Lisse, about 40 minutes south of Amsterdam. Here, some 7 million bulbs, tulips and others, are planted each year. If you want a specific date to center the trip around, April 26 marks the 2008 Flower Parade, where a procession of flower-laden floats and cars makes a 25-mile drive from the town of Noordwijk to Haarlem.
While Amsterdam provides a convenient base for tulip sightseeing, keep in mind that this time of year also brings with it Queen's Day, a Mardi Gras-esque party that makes it nearly impossible to navigate the city (the 2008 festivities take place April 30). You might also want to consider signing up for the Windmills & Waterways tour from Vermont-based Country Walkers (800-464-9255, countrywalkers.com), departing either April 20 or April 27. For seven days, you'll perambulate past windmills, through Dutch villages, and around several different tulip fields, including Keukenhof.
Got a travel-related question? Send it to Hillary Geronemus, travel editor at Body + Soul magazine, at hillarygeronemus@yahoo.com.
