Everyone has heard about the uniqueness and the beauty of Netherlands when it comes to the colorful tulip fields that are so popular and admired by visitors. The flowers are the most enchanting in April and May, of course, when a road trip along these wonders would be memorable. So if this inspires you and you really love nature and colors, a trip by car on Flower Route, in Netherlands, is the best choice. Let’s see what is this about.
First of all, Netherlands is very diversified when it comes to flowers, so not only the tulips are the main attraction, but also the hyacinths, irises, gladioli, dahlias, lilies and the narcissi. For all these, the western Netherlands is the proper place to go.
Your road trip could start from Haarlem, where you can spend a day 
or two to visit the city, then to follow the itinerary. Here begins the Bloemen Route, also known as the Flower Route, which leads you in the densest concentrations of flower fields. So once you arrive in Haarlem, take a walk through the historic center, that is sprinkled with canals and beautiful paintings of the main landmarks of the city, made by local artists. Then you can visit the Frans Hals Museum, an art museum where you can figure out how much the flower fields inspired the painters of the Golden Age. Here you can admire popular masterpieces of Jan van Goyen, who enclosed in his paintings the whole scenery you will pass by: small villages with church spires, pearly rivers with sailing boats and beautiful sunsets.
Then it comes Lisse, where you will find maybe the most enchanting attraction of your travel, the Keukenhof Garden, considered the most beautiful spring garden in the world. Spilling across 28 hectares of wooded parkland, the garden attracts more the 700 000 visitors annually. Tourists can walk over the long paths, through the ponds, they can visit the windmill, the greenhouse pavilions and not at least, more than seven millions bulbs planted three layers deep to provide intense colors from March to late May. In Lisse you also can visit the tower-ringed Castle Keukenhof, a grandiose building that features the kitchen where aristocratic feasts where prepared yesteryear.
The next stop is in Leiden, a small calm town where you shouldn’t miss to visit the oldest university of Netherlands and the Botanical Garden. This garden is smaller than the Keukenhof, but the flowers and the arrangements are different. Other landmarks in Leiden would be De Valk Windmill Museum, where you can climb on the windmill to admire the city from above, and the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum. The city is perfect to stay overnight, so you will have more time to enjoy all these attractions.
The trip by car ends in Naaldwijk, where you can find out what a commercial force all these flowers have become. Here it is a multitude of colorful fields, the biggest greenhouse in the world and the Naaldwijk flower auction house, where you can participate to the bid. Here you can see the entire process, from the flowers auction to the final purchases by the retailers from the industry.
The trip may last for 4-5 days or even a week if you want to visit all the highlights in detail. Driving in this part of Netherlands is really amazing, where the nature beauties meet historical landmarks and local curiosities. Rent a car on TripEconomy and enjoy a colorful itinerary this time, on the marvelous Flower Route.