Best flower fields and gardens to visit near Amsterdam

Keukenhof

An absolute paradise for flower enthusiasts, budding botanists, and everyone in between, Keukenhof is the world's largest spring flower garden. This iconic attraction near Amsterdam bursts into colour each year (mid-March to mid-May) with over seven million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Open only from mid-March to mid-May, it showcases breathtaking floral displays, themed gardens, and artistic flower arrangements. A must-visit for nature lovers, Keukenhof offers a stunning celebration of Dutch horticulture in a serene, picturesque setting.

Muiderslot

The magical Castle Muiderslot is over 700 years old, making it one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in the Netherlands. Adding to its fairy-tale charm is its beautiful gardens, which are still used to grow vegetables and herbs. Between March and November, the garden is tended to by volunteers who are only too happy to teach visitors about forgotten vegetables and herbs that can be used for medicine, dyes and decoration. Behind the castle, you’ll find a plum orchard - a source of inspiration for Pieter Cornelisz Hooft (sometimes referred to as ‘the Dutch Shakespeare’), who was resident in Muiderslot castle in the 17th century.

Castle-Museum Sypesteyn

The final heir to the Van Sypesteyn family, Henri van Sypesteyn (1857-1937), built this magnificent Castle Museum to preserve his family’s 500-year lineage. Located in the middle of the Vecht region, Castle-Museum Sypesteyn houses a fascinating art collection and exhibition on the Van Sypesteyn family, while the beautiful garden is perfect for a walk. Be sure to check opening times as the castle is closed during the winter months.

Theetuin Weesp

You’ll find this romantic tea garden located next to one of Weesp’s former bastions. Built in 1674, the Bakkersschans bastion was once a part of the town's fortifications but has now been transformed into an oasis surrounded by lush greenery. Garden enthusiasts will love the tranquil atmosphere and can enjoy some Dutch delicacies in the adjoining restaurant housed in a building that was once used to store munitions.

The Singer Sculpture Garden

Art fans should take a trip to the Singer Laren Museum sculpture garden. Designed by renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf — a leading figure of the ‘New Perennial’ movement who designed the gardens of New York’s iconic High Line — the free sculpture garden features work by contemporary Dutch artists, including Guido Geelen, Maria Roosen and Famke van Wijk. Based on a theme of connection, the works meld culture and nature and are ideally situated among seasonal fauna, referencing art and time.

Flevoland’s tulip route, Flevoland

The Flevoland region boasts 5,000 hectares of tulip fields, festivals, unique activities and millions of colourful blooms that spring up on land that was once the seafloor of the Zuiderzee. Check out the walking, cycling and driving itineraries through the Tulip Route Flevoland to experience its flower-blanketed landscape. Along the way, you can participate in various activities, including painting workshops and farm tours.

Pinetum Blijdenstein Botanical Gardens

Tucked away in a residential suburb within walking distance from the centre of Hilversum, Pinetum Blijdenstein is a stunning botanical garden. Whilst the greenhouses are packed with various tropical plants, the grounds are home to various tree species, including blooming rhododendrons and one of the world's most important collections of conifers. Pinetum regularly organises exhibitions, tours, lectures and activities for green-fingered little ones.

Hortus Botanicus at Vrije Universiteit, Amstelveen

The neighbourhood of Amstelveen, just south of Amsterdam, is a haven for green spaces. Wander through the Zuidas botanical garden - an oasis of calm with century-old trees and a greenhouse holding a vast collection of cacti and succulents. The entrance is free so that everyone can enjoy all the hidden corners, including a miniature Chinese landscape garden and Bonsai display. And don't miss De Braak - a national monument park designed by Chris Broerse, famous for its natural landscaping using wild native plants that are now rare in the Netherlands and Dr Jac P. Thijssepark, a wilderness sanctuary filled with woodland vegetation, water and rare plants.

FloraHolland Flower Auction, Aalsmeer

Set your alarm because today, you’ll discover the wonderful world of flowers at the FloraHolland flower auction. The earlier you get there, the more you’ll see. Experience the hustle and bustle of the auction floor, watch traders bidding against the clock and be amazed by the number of beautiful blooms traded daily with countries worldwide. If you’re travelling from Amsterdam and looking to explore the region on two wheels, this Flowers cycle route provides an excellent sightseeing itinerary and passes Royal FloraHolland.

Cycle route, Bulb Region

What better way to explore a region than by bike? In the Bulb Region, there are cycling routes ranging from 5 to 50 kilometres. the Bulb Region Flower route leads you past the tulip fields, the beach, and the dunes. This route is 35 kilometres and, of course, is at its most beautiful during the tulip season: March through May. Starting in Amsterdam? Then follow our Cycleseeing route, which starts at the Flower Market in Amsterdam and ends in Aalsmeer.

Annemieke's Picking Garden, Hilegom

When you drive past the flower fields in the Bollenstreek, you would love nothing more than to take a bunch home. But of course, that is not allowed. At Annemieke's Pluktuin in Hillegom, however, it is possible to pick your own tulips and create a colourful bouquet. The picking garden is only open during the tulip season, which starts around the end of March.

Heather fields, Zuiderheide

For a short period in summer, the fields near Hilversum turn purple thanks to the heather in full bloom. A wildflower native to the Dutch landscape, when in bloom, it transforms the gentle flat land it calls home into a royal carpet woven of deep indigo. It’s an evocative sight and a reminder of the country’s diverse tapestry of flowers come the summer, which is often overlooked in favour of the tulip in the spring. Head to Theehuis ‘t Bluk on Zuiderheide for a pitstop of tea and/or coffee before or after being bewitched by the pastel colours.

Olmenhorst, Lisserbroek

Thanks to the fertile polder soil in the region, you’ll find beautiful organic fruit farms such as Landgoed de Olmenhorst (Olmenhorst Estate). This green oasis of apple and pear orchards in the village of Lisserbroek is over 160 years old and is where you can enjoy a stroll through the grounds or high tea on the terrace of De Fruitloods all year round. Autumn is when the fruit is ripe and when you can join one of the pick-your-own events.

Hofjes, Haarlem

Haarlem is a city known for its hofjes (enclosed courtyard gardens), and there are beautiful green spaces tucked away behind many unassuming streets – most dating back to medieval times. The gardens are surrounded by charitable almshouses that housed poor, unmarried, or widowed women. There are 21 main public hofjes in Haarlem, spanning from the ancient (the oldest was founded in 1395) to the very modern. But with the entrances to many hofjes being concealed behind modest doorways or down seemingly simple alleyways, these city oases are not always easy to find.

Flower Parade, Noordwijk

The Flower Parade (Bloemencorso Bollenstreek) is the largest spring festival in the Netherlands. Organised yearly, this fragrant and colourful spectacle is celebrated by more than a million people in one week. In Spring 2027, the world-renowned 42 km parade will drive from Noordwijk through the flower villages of Voorhout, Sassenheim, Lisse (past Keukenhof), Hillegom and Bennebroek, via Heemstede, to Haarlem, where the downtown floats can be admired until 17:00 on Sunday 18 April. On Friday evening, 16 April, the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek will take a festive turn through Noordwijkerhout, totally illuminated.