In April, Holland is covered with flowers. To admire the vast multicolored fields of tulips, you have to go about 20 kilometers south-west of Amsterdam, between Haarlem and Leiden. Jewel of the region, the Keukenhof park displays millions of bulbs on 32 hectares. As for the cities of Haarlem and Leiden, they bear witness to the Dutch golden age. Enchanting.

The Netherlands, the land of tulips

A French botanist is at the origin of the love story between the Netherlands and the tulip. In 1594, a certain Charles de Lécluse, installed in Leiden, introduced in Holland, via Vienna, this flower from Turkey. Love at first sight is immediate: the Dutch, captivated by the bright colors of the tulip, are seized with “tulipomania”. The trade in bulbs is the subject of delusional speculation: at the beginning of the 17th century, the rarest tulips can cost as much as a house! In 1637, the bubble of bubbles bursts and the market collapses. But the Dutch passion for the tulip remains intact: the flower becomes the emblem of the country.

In spring, the spectacle of fields of tulips, in flamboyant colors, releases an irresistible poetry. The plain takes on the appearance of a gigantic multicolored carpet, with infinite nuances. In short, an authentic work of art! To admire it, you have to go to the triangle of the “Bollenstreek” (bulb region), between Haarlem and Leiden, barely twenty kilometers south-west of Amsterdam. Why here? Quite simply because the flower bulbs thrive on the sand and clay soil of these maritime lands.

Good to know: the time of tulips – like that of cherries – does not last. It’s in Aprilthat they reach their peak, especially after the 15th. Not before or after. Mid-May is already too late. At the end of March, the crocuses opened the ball, followed by the daffodils, then the hyacinths in mid-April.

The Keukenhof, an enchanting garden

In the heart of the Bollenstreek, the Keukenhof park in Lisse, the largest flower exhibition park in the world, is the Mecca of contemporary Tulipania. For around sixty years, the Keukenhof has served as a showcase for the flowers of 90 Dutch producers. No less than 7 million bulbs are exposed on 32 hectares to the amazed looks of some 800,000 visitors who go there every year between the end of March and mid-May. There are not only tulips at the Keukenhof: hyacinths, daffodils, roses, orchids and lilies (magnificent exhibition in May) complete, among other things, this picture of an idyllic nature.

In the park, floral shows are presented in several exhibition pavilions where the public admires compositions made by horticulturalists. This year, the Keukenhof exhibition has for theme Dutch design. Inspirational gardens, created by renowned landscapers, give ideas for your own garden. In the garden, a hundred works of art are placed among the flowers.

Areas are specially reserved for children: go with your family! Finally, be aware that if you fall for a type of flowers, you can order them from exhibitors at the Keukenhof.

Want to visit the surroundings of the park? From the Keukenhof, boat trips allow you to cross the canals crossing the tulip fields (€ 8 for 50 minutes). Those who prefer dry land will rent a bicycle to venture around.

The charms of Leiden (Leiden)

To go back to the origins of the tulip, you have to go to Leiden, and more particularly to the Hortus Botanicus. Indeed, the first bulb was planted in 1594 in the botanical garden of the University, still open to visitors. The original garden was even reconstructed identically (or almost) in 2009.

With its beautiful 17th and 18th century mansions by the canals, Leiden (Leiden) has everything of a mini Amsterdam. Difficult to resist the charm of this provincial and student city of 120,000 inhabitants which shelters the first university of the country, founded in 1575. From the mansions lined up along the Rapenburg canal to the low houses of the old weaver’s district, Leiden testifies to the golden age of the Netherlands.

Rembrandt was born there, René Descartes and Jan Steen lived there. There is the oldest library in the country still in operation, the Biblioteca Thysiana, which dates from the 17th century. Finally, in such a setting, museums could only flourish: among the most interesting, the Lakenhal museum houses paintings by Rembrandt, the National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) exhibits mummies and tombs from ancient Egypt.

Haarlem or the golden age

At the other end of the land of tulips, at the gates of Amsterdam, the lovely city of Haarlem also recalls the Dutch golden age. In the 18th century, the cloth industry and the brewery made the prosperity of this bourgeois city. But Haarlem, a free city since the 14th century, did not wait for the independence of the Netherlands to develop.

Around the Grote Markt (Grand Place), you can admire beautiful facades of the Dutch Renaissance (Vleeshal) at the foot of the imposing Saint Bavo church (Grote Kerk), built between the 14th and 16th centuries in Gothic style. Inside, the 18th century organs, among the largest in Europe, had the honor of being operated by the young Mozart.

The center of Haarlem is an open-air history book. We walk there with pleasure, pushing here the heavy door of a beguinage, there the portal concealing an adorable courtyard. Long the headquarters of many printers and publishers, Haarlem is still popular with intellectuals and artists today. Two museums are worth a visit: Frans Hals Museum, where you can admire the work of this great Haarlem-born portrait painter, and the Teylers Museum, an amazing museum of Science, Technology and the Arts full of curiosities.

Finally, to recover, go to a brown cafe or a tavern. You have to taste Jopen, beer brewed according to the Haarlem tradition (750 years old) exhumed by a band of enthusiasts of the city. A delight!

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