The Noordoostpolder is one of the largest tulip‑growing regions in the Netherlands. Every year in April and May, the colourful fields burst into bloom and the annual Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder takes place. The tulip is a remarkable product, and on this page we are delighted to tell you more about it. Will you be coming to admire our tulips this year?
Every autumn, countless tulip bulbs are planted in fields across the Noordoostpolder. And then… it’s a matter of waiting to see what the weather does and when the tulips will bloom in spring. By February or March, a good estimate can usually be made, and the start and end dates of the annual Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder are set. This year, the festival runs from Friday 17 April to Sunday 3 May. We’re already looking forward to it.
The heart of the Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder is formed by the (free) car and cycling routes along the blooming tulip fields. By following the signposted routes, you’ll see the greatest number of tulips along the way. The car route is 102 kilometres long — the longest continuous tulip route in the Netherlands. The cycling route is 33 kilometres this year.
You can download the routes to take with you on your phone, or as a printable PDF if you prefer. A fun addition to the car route is the Tulip Festival app, which provides video and audio clips during your drive, offering information about the region, tulip cultivation and the history of the Noordoostpolder.
Fancy picking tulips? That’s not allowed anywhere — except at the Tulip Picking Garden in Marknesse. Choose your favourite tulips and create your own bouquet. It’s a lovely and unique souvenir from your visit to the Noordoostpolder tulip fields.
The Tulip Picking Garden is open from 8 April to 6 May. Entry costs €2.50 per person. A bucket with up to 30 self‑picked tulips costs €12.50.
Finished picking? Climb the viewing tower for the best panorama over the tulip fields, or enjoy a cup of coffee on the terrace. If you’re cycling, this is the perfect place for a well‑deserved break with a drink and a colourful view.
The Tulip Experience Field in Creil is a wonderful spot to stretch your legs, enjoy a cup of coffee and take photos right among the tulips. Yes, really — while you are expected to admire the tulips from a distance elsewhere along the route, here you may stand right in the middle of them.
The Experience Field features a sea of 200 mixed tulip varieties, through which you can stroll freely. There is also a show garden with 300 tulip varieties, and a special selfie field for romantic photos. You can also take pictures from the footbridge. Entry to the Tulip Experience Field is free.
A stop no tulip lover should miss: the Tulip Variety Garden, where volunteers plant hundreds of tulip varieties every year. This garden is a unique collection of historical and special tulip types — the perfect place to discover the richness of tulip shapes, colours and stories.
You may enter the tulip field and take photos among the flowers. There is an information board by the road, and at weekends guides are present to tell you everything about the tulips. Guided tours for groups can also be arranged by appointment.
Besides the Tulip Picking Garden, the Tulip Variety Garden and the Tulip Experience Field, there are two more festival locations along the (car) route. Here you can stretch your legs and buy something to eat or drink. Bollie the Bear has also organised fun children’s activities at these locations.
At the Renne Local Products farm shop, you can find fresh vegetables, delicious fruit and other locally produced foods all year round. With a cosy terrace, food trucks and a lovely hospitality area, this is the ideal stop during the Tulip Festival Noordoostpolder. Children can enjoy the bouncy castle and discover different soil types by feeling them — barefoot.
Restaurant Bij Ons in de Wellerwaard is located in the Wellerwaard nature and recreation area. It lies directly along the tulip car route and is only a short detour from the cycling route. You can enjoy a variety of small dishes both indoors and on the terrace (on the beach, overlooking the lake). Bij Ons in de Wellerwaard is also a Bollie the Bear activity location, where children learn about the different crops grown in the Noordoostpolder.
