Tulip Time in Holland!

Fly into Amsterdam airport (AMS). If you’re traveling overnight to get to Holland, you may want to consider arriving a day or two early to rest, relax, and get acclimated to the local time zone. (You can purchase an Arrive Early option in the Add-Ons section of this page). 

Once you collect your luggage and clear customers, grab a taxi or an Uber - they are clean safe and plentiful at the airport - and head to our home base in Amsterdam, the Hotel Estherea. This boutique hotel, situated in a beautiful seventeenth-century building along Amsterdam’s oldest canal, has been run by a family for more than 80 years.

We’ll meet in the lobby at 1:30 p.m. for a private boat tour of the Amsterdam Historical Canal with a glass of bubbly in hand. It's a wonderful way to explore the city via its iconic waterways.

Later in the afternoon, we'll visit the Anne Frank House - always a profoundly moving experience. The preserved rooms and Anne's poignant diary entries vividly convey the fear, hope, and humanity that she embodied. 

Tonight, we’ll head to one of the historic, traditional brown bars in town, such as The Pantry to sample some typical Dutch cheese and sausages washed down by a local beer or two.

After breakfast at the hotel, we'll head over to the famous Rijksmuseum with a knowledgeable guide view their collection of Dutch masterpieces that illustrate 800 years of Dutch history.

Lunch will be on your own before we visit the illustrious Van Gogh Museum. Here, we’ll wander through the refurbished museum and pick out our favorite Van Gogh masterpiece.  

After a rest at the hotel, we’ll meet in the lobby to walk to Restaurant Ambassade for a lovely 3-course dinner specializing in French Bistro cuisine.  

After breakfast, we'll walk over to the Bloom Market . This market is the world's only floating flower market. Founded in 1862, the market is on the Singel Canal between Muntplein and Koningsplein in the city's southern canal belt. It has 15 souvenir and gift shops, with only a few still selling fresh flowers, but it's a great place to pick up some bulbs for your own garden. 

Next we’ll head to the town of Lisse to view the "Flower Parade" of 2026! Lunch will happen before the parade starts at a local restaurant. Then we'll head to our grandstand seats to watch the parade. Prepare to be amazed at the band, the floats and more importantly, the flowers!

After an exciting day, dinner will be on your own. Don't worry, we have plenty of suggestions.

Today is our BIG tulip day! We’ll explore the Tulip Bulb Fields and meet with tulip growers. Our first stop will be a tulip greenhouse where we will learn how tulips are grown indoors. We’ll have lunch at a country cafe and then stop to pick our very own tulip bouquet. 

After a small break back at our hotel, we’ll dine this evening on classic  rijsttaffel, a medley of small plates accompanied by rice from Indonesia. This is something every self-respecting Dutchman or woman adores. 

Why Indonesian food in the Netherlands, you ask? The Dutch colonized Indonesia in the 17th century. Among mostly horrible things, the one good thing to come of this colonial era is this elaborate meal, as interpreted by the Dutch, a never-ending parade of small Indonesian plates laid out to form a proper feast.  

Bon Appétite!  

Today, we leave Amsterdam and head for Delft, a small city famous for its porcelain and its small but beautiful canals. 

On route to Delft, we’ll stop the visit the largest formal display of bulbs in Holland at the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, established back in the 15th century. You'll have time to wander the gardens and admire the beauty and variety of the humble yet magnificent tulip species. 

Next fill up on lekker broodjes (tasty sandwiches) at lunch in Leiden at Lot En De Walvis on the main canal.   

Then, we’ll arrive at Delft proper, we’ll check in to the stylish, minimalist Hotel Arsenaal. The hotel is a short 10-minute walk from the center of darling Delft.  

This afternoon, we’ll take a guided historical tour of this charming city and learn about one of Delft’s most famous residents, Johannes Vermeer.  

Dinner tonight will be at a local Dutch favorite, restaurant Huszar. The menu presents classic Dutch cuisine with a modern twist. 

Today we’re off to a UNESCO World Heritage site about 40 minutes away. The village of Kinderdijk near Rotterdam is home to some of the Netherlands’ most famous windmills. Twenty windmills were built here in the 1700's and have kept this waterside town dry for hundreds of years. We’ll tour the mills and museum, ride a boat, and learn about life here via a guided tour. After the tour, we'll savour a healthy lunch with a riverside view.  

This afternoon, back in Delft, you’ll have time to explore and shop on your own.  

We’ll convene for evening meal at a modern, lively cafe, the T' Postkantoor or The Post Office in English. The colorful decor and delicious food will be the perfect way to celebrate our time in Delft. 

Today,we'll spend our last day in the capital of the Netherlands, the Hague, where we’ll tour the town’s parliamentary buildings, the Binnenhof, originally built for the counts of Holland in the 13th century. These buildings are some of the world's oldest parliamentary buildings still in use and a top Netherlands historic site. We’ll lunch at a charming bistro.

Later, we’ll pop in to see the unspeakably famous painting, the Girl with Pearl Earring by Vermeer, as well as works by Rembrandt, housed in the small but lovely Mauritshuis Museum.

After some shopping, we'll make our way to an airport hotel to spend the night. Dinner will be a group event to celebrate our time amongst the tulips.

After a leisurely breakfast, we'll walk across the street to the airport to catch your flight home. 

All good things must come to an end, but we will always cherish the memories that we have made.