Part 2: Your Complete Guide to Spring Tulip Time River Cruises in The Netherlands & Belgium

We take a closer look at Keukenhof gardens—one of the most famous gardens in the world and the most world-renowned tulip garden. We discuss the range of destinations often included on tulip river cruise itineraries, from medieval towns like Bruges and Ghent to the charm of Delft to modern cities like Rotterdam. 

We also discuss how far in advance to book, starting prices and inclusions. 

We share our insider knowledge about the annual Flower Parade and where and how to see it, essential packing tips for spring weather in the area, and what kinds of souvenirs you can bring home.

Some additional helpful links & info we mention in Parts 1 & 2: 

• Willet-Holthuysen Museum 
• Annemieke's Pluktuin
• Tulip Experience
• Extensive information about visiting Keukenhof

Don't miss our incredible Netherlands articles on our websites, SometimesHome.com and SometimesSailing.com, which can be found in the direct link to the category here. We include information about Dutch foods to try, the best train and bus trips from Amsterdam, and details on visiting De Beemster, a fantastic city near the Bollenstreek area.

🌷 Interested in a tulips river cruise for 2026? Our preferred travel agents are hosting a Tulip Time Cruise starting April 3, 2026. Contact Mikkel to learn more: mikkel@sometimessailing.com 

Remember to shop our Amazon list for your Netherlands packing items when you continue planning

Chapters

• 0:35 Overview of What info is Shared in Parts 1 & 2
• 2:43 All About the World-Famous Keukenhof Gardens
• 6:57 Exploring The Netherlands & Belgium: Bruges & Beyond
• 7:40 Experiencing Easter in Bruges
• 9:19 The Charm of Rotterdam, Delft & Other Dutch Port Cities
• 12:05 Unexpected Yet Wonderful Ports
• 12:49 When to Book Your Spring River Cruise & Itinerary Considerations
• 14:47 What to Look for When Pricing Your Cruise
• 16:14 How to Experience the Annual Flower Parade
• 19:20 Extending Your Vacation to Experience More Dutch Culture
• 21:25 Packing Essentials for Your Springtime Cruise in The Netherlands & Belgium
• 24:24 Souvenirs & Lasting Memories

Transcript

00:01
Welcome to Small Ship Cruise Talk, a show where we share insider tips and first-hand experiences  about this outstanding,  yet lesser-known form of travel.  We are passionate about sharing our knowledge about river cruises,  expedition,  yacht, and barge cruises,  so you are informed when it comes to choosing your own vacation experiences.  We're your co-hosts, Dan and Mikkel, and we are your cruise experts and the co-founders of Sometimes Sailing.

00:29
a website that focuses on small ship cruising.

00:35
Welcome back to Small Ship Cruise Talk.  This is part two of a two-parter that we discuss tulip time river cruises in the Netherlands and Belgium.  If you haven't already listened to part one, we recommend that you do that. It is right before this and about 25 minutes and chock full of information that you're gonna wanna hear and valuable insights.

00:59
to begin planning your river cruise during this incredible time of vibrancy and life in the Netherlands.  In this episode, we are gonna elaborate on that and answer all your questions about Kuchenhof Gardens, which is arguably  the number one reason to visit the Netherlands, if not all of Europe,  in springtime during late March through early May.

01:25
In part one, we dove into Amsterdam and why it was the ideal starting point, the best time to see peak blooms and when the ideal time to go is, and we're gonna talk about that in this episode a little more too. Also in part one, we talked about where to actually find the tulips beyond the city because they're not in the city center necessarily. And we gave you some tips for navigating Amsterdam and its surrounding areas and making the most of your time.

01:54
on and off the ship. To expand on what we're going to talk about during part two, this episode  we will discover charming ports from Bruges to Delft, for example, even Volendam, Arnhem, why we liked Arnhem. We will let you know that in this episode from our firsthand experience.  We're also telling you about the Flower Parade, which is incredible,  and how you see the Flower Parade and when you can and if you can see it during your cruise or not.

02:23
And we also tell you some packing tips  and souvenirs to bring home. And you are going to want to hear our info about the souvenirs because it is important. So  let's start with the cliffhanger where we left off in episode one and dive into the world famous Kuchenhof Gardens. Speaking of Kuchenhof,  I was  shocked by how much there is  to do there.

02:50
What were your first impressions the first time we went to Kuchenhof?  I was also shocked  the amount  of  tulips that were there,  the varieties that were there,  and  just how big the gardens were. The first time we went,  I know we didn't see it all, but we just, there wasn't time.  True. So the first time we went was with Emerald Cruises and we were given the option for a couple hours there or an extended amount of time there. So I believe it was like two hours versus four hours.

03:20
At the time we opted for four hours, which I'm so glad we did because we thought it was going to be like, I don't know, maybe walking through what's a famous garden that people would know, not Central Park, because that's huge. I guess I thought it would be the size of like kind of like a pumpkin patch, right?  Like a pick your own pumpkin patch.  Wrong.  It is huge. You've never seen.

03:45
You would never even know so many thousands of varieties of tulips exist. The way that they plant these is so innovative. They call it lasagna style planting because it's layers. So they layer it according to what is going to bloom first. So those daffodils might be on top and then under that are tulips. So  in the limited amount of time that Kuchenhof is open every year, which is usually from the third week of March to the second week of May,  there's always something in bloom.

04:16
Let's say your cruise is the first week of April, but you want to extend beforehand in March. This year, example, Kuchenhof opens March  20th and it's open until May  11th. So if you want to go March 25th, you can go. It's very easy to take a bus that goes directly from Amsterdam City Center to Kuchenhof. You can buy a ticket that includes entry into Kuchenhof. You cannot buy tickets to Kuchenhof on site.

04:41
It's all digital and it's all online. So you need to get those tickets in advance. Some days at Kuchenhof sell  out if you're going on your own. you're going, if you're just going with the cruise line, you're going to be covered. They have your tickets included and they know how to get in and your guide will go with you. If you go to Kuchenhof beforehand, you can walk around by yourself. We've never had a guide there except for on the river cruise. I mean, there are

05:08
food trucks. There is a windmill there that was actually donated by Holland America Line. Really interesting. There is a canal ride through their own tulip fields. That was phenomenal. That was about an hour, right? Or 45 minutes. It was about 45 minutes. That was amazing. There are restaurants. There are displays. We have cute pictures with a

05:34
piano that was decorated, a drum set that was decorated. There was even a tropical section when we were there last year that kind of reminded us of Florida, actually. That was really creative. And there are some other flowers. They have orchid displays that are really amazing. They had different lilies that were planted, different varieties. So the majority of it is tulips, but, and as Dan said, there are hyacinths. There was this absolutely spectacular

06:03
hyacinth kind of alley that we could look at last time. There's a bit of art, there's sculptures.  One of the museums there has the history of Kuchenhof. And by the way, little fun fact, Kuchenhof means kitchen garden. It used to be  an  herb garden, a medicinal garden  for some royalty in the past, and that's how it got its start.  So millions of bulbs are planted every year at Kuchenhof in stunning patterns.

06:33
and  designs  and it's really a sight to see. It's like all coming back to me. I remember one tulip that looks just like peonies. Couldn't believe it. My sister loves peonies. So I immediately sent a picture  to her of that. Tours typically only spend a few hours there, but we cannot recommend enough to extend your trip. Go back to Kukenoff. It is spectacular. When you're on your cruise, Amsterdam is

06:59
obviously one of the places that you're going to go to, but you're going to go to a bunch of other places.  So we went to, how do you pronounce that?  Zanshans.  Zanshans.  Zanshans.  So there was some windmills there.  There was  some nice,  what was it like?  So like a clog making demonstration from the wood, which was really cool.  And we also went to Antwerp  in Belgium.

07:28
art, there was history and chocolate. mean, come on. Everybody loves Belgium chocolate. Yeah. We also went speaking of chocolate, we went to the medieval town of Bruges, which is very popular. And I also want to note because the first time I was in Bruges, it was much calmer, but I went by lands kind of an off day. The second time was during this river cruise that Dan and I keep referencing and it was Easter. Yes.  Eastern Europe is no joke.

07:58
There was,  and I think that the church, they had a reliquary that they only bring out for Easter. So there was a, there was a lot of very  devoted Europeans going to church that day. was overcrowded with tourists. I will say  on Easter Sunday being in Bruges, it felt like a little bit of a tourism issue. So I remember the group we were with, we were like, we're just going to sit at a restaurant  and get moulay frites, mussels and fries, very traditional in Belgium.

08:27
and get some beer, go to a brewery, get some Belgian beer and kind of enjoy each other's company. And this was after the walking tour, but it was so overrun with tourists and buses from river cruises. if it's possible in your schedule, you might want to avoid Easter week, which obviously changes every year.  Or at least know that wherever you are  may be  insanely busy that weekend.  Right. But

08:57
just a nod to small ship cruising in general. We ended up in Italy for Easter after a Mediterranean cruise on Emerald at Zora. And that was kind of a really special experience. So don't avoid places  because of Easter, just kind of like, you know, Dan, you're right, manage your expectation if you are traveling on a Tulips River cruise during Easter.  Another great stop is Rotterdam. Yeah, it's a it's such a great modern city, the architecture and the design.

09:26
really a highlight for me.  And  back to walkable cities, as you said, a lot of Dutch cities are very walkable. Rotterdam is incredibly walkable. They have great public transportation  and they have those cube houses that are amazing to go to. So Rotterdam, if you kind of want to do your own thing one day is a great place to do that. Or you can maybe join the walking tour in the morning and then do your own thing in the afternoon.

09:52
Rotterdam has a very famous food hall that's a little touristy, but kind of fun to see the building. It looks like a big upside down  U.  It's right by the cube houses actually. So those are two good things to do together.  And then another great thing in Rotterdam is to actually skip Rotterdam, but it goes from Rotterdam. If you're going to do an excursion to Delft, D-E-L-F-T,  one of my all time favorite excursions on any cruise was to Delft.

10:22
to see how the Delft blue pottery is made and painted. It was really phenomenal. It's a historic town. It has the cutest little city center. We got to tour that pottery factory. then afterwards we were able to do a little shopping in the gift center, which is really great. And then we had time to walk around the town square, is where city hall is. And you can sit outside and have a beer if the weather is nice. So that was really an all time favorite highlight of river cruising for me and our

10:51
river cruising memories. definitely when we've said it in past episodes and we say it all the time, the real highlight of river cruising or small ship cruising is you go to those ports that you're probably not going to go to on a land trip. like Horn, what was that other one? Volnerdam? Volendam. Yeah, Volendam. Just cute little towns that you just wouldn't go to. But were...

11:19
so memorable and  just really highlights in and of themselves.  and a lot of these are easy to get to, but it's just like  if a river cruise is going to take you there, why not  use the river cruise transportation to take you there?

11:34
With Delft, I just had a feeling we would be back one day and it would be easy to see Rotterdam on our own. And that's actually exactly what happened. We did Delft. We kind of skipped seeing Rotterdam. And then the next time we were in the Netherlands, we thought, you know, let's take a train to Rotterdam. This was when we were there last year and explore Rotterdam on our own, because we didn't get to do that with the river cruise, because the train goes right there. And you can get to Delft again. The buses are really easy to take, but it was just more direct to go to Rotterdam.  So that was fun to do last year.

12:05
And then other places that you can expect.  Ghent is a really popular one. We've never been there, but it is popping up on a lot of river cruise itineraries for these tulip cruises. So that is fun. It's a historic university town. And then also Harlem might pop up on your itinerary. I haven't seen it on itineraries this year, but it doesn't mean it won't show up in the future because I haven't seen Ghent until recently too. And The Hague is really, really cool as well.

12:33
We also went to  Arnhem, which was really great because we like World War II history and the tour took us to a really beautiful historic cemetery from World War II in Arnhem. We were able to walk around ourselves a little bit. So speaking of these itineraries, let's talk a little bit about when to book. How far in advance do you need to book? Right now.  Whenever you're listening to this,  you need to book it right now.

13:03
Yeah, I mean, there's never a bad time to book a river cruise, right? Whenever you book it, I say go with it. So if you want your preferred dates, especially the mid April dates, you're going to want to book a year in advance. We see some of these are already sold out, even though we're so close to them.  But if you do decide to book last minute, there will be availability, but your options of the cabin category and where your cabin is, even though if you listen to past episodes, we speak a little bit about river cruising and the top things to know about river cruising, part one, I believe it is we talk about everybody's going to have a good view of the river. There's actually not that much to see on these rivers. It's not like cruising down a river with a lot of castles, although it was really cool to see the wind turbines as we pass them by.  it's not a cruise that you're going to see a lot of amazing scenery on the river. Although I will say in terms of itineraries, I did see emerald hat.

13:58
a tulip itinerary that goes on the Rhine after. So it starts in Amsterdam to hit up the tulips and then it goes south to Cologne and Koblenz and some other areas and it ends in Switzerland. So it kind of goes back and forth from the Netherlands over to Germany, then west to France, then ends south in Switzerland. But most of these tulip itineraries are going to stay in the Netherlands and Belgium.

14:23
So there is pretty things to see in the ports that are really special, but it's not one of these cruises that you're going to be blown away by the scenery  during cruising. So when to book,  getting back to that. We recommend a year in advance for your preferred dates. However, there is usually availability if you want to book within months.  you know, when to book and that's right now.  And then also how much is this going to cost you? So rates usually are about 3000.

14:52
per person with a cruise like Emerald or Viking, and then maybe 3,800 with Alma waterways. Prices range and what is typically included also varies. So make sure you do your homework and compare cruise line to cruise line to make sure you are seeing the places that you want to see and visiting the highlights.

15:13
And with that, I would also say, you mentioned that it's around $3,000 starting prices per person with Emerald or Viking and Amawaterways has a higher starting price, but Amawaterways includes more options for a lot of their excursions, whereas Viking, it might be an additional cost for some of them, even though they include at least one excursion in every port. Emerald is a great value. They're continuously voted as a great cruise line for the value of money. We love Emerald and

15:40
They also have bikes. So another thing to look for with what's included, if you're a more active person and you're going to want to go biking through the tulip fields or past the tulip fields, you can't bike through them, but you can go past them. Is you want to make sure that the river cruise line you're choosing has biking as an option and has those bikes on board that you can take off and either go with a tour that's a little more active as these biking tours always are rated as more active or that you can rent on your own. Don't be disappointed.

16:10
because you didn't do your homework that you get on the ship and there's no bicycles. And then also what Dan was saying with mid April selling out is because of the annual flower parade. So a really fun thing to do  with extending your trip before and after is the annual flower parade that is a land-based experience and happens very close to Kuchenhof in a nearby city. They know the dates for this annual flower parade at least a year in advance. So this year it is

16:38
April 12th weekend and there  is a parade that goes 42 kilometers. It happens all day. It's incredible. And I can't encourage you enough to extend your trip on your own and either stay in Amsterdam or better yet do as we did and stay  in Lise. It's spelled L I S S E but it's pronounced Lise  and go to the events. You feel like so much a part of their community.

17:07
They decorate the floats Wednesday night and Thursday night. You can pay about 10 euros to go see this. It's almost like seeing them decorate homecoming floats a la high school years, but on steroids. They all volunteer their time, all these Dutch people, to decorate these  insane floats. Think Rose Bowl Parade in California on January  1st, that level.  They are spending all their time to build these floats  and

17:37
put these  bulbs, they use bulbs for the brown colors on the floats. They obviously use all the colors of the rainbow that they can get in the tulips. And it's just like fascinating to walk around and see them. Then the parade starts on Friday night. There's a lot of, you know, community leaders that go and they sit in a very small area with stadium seating.  And all people are on the parade route that night. Then the same parade happens.

18:05
all day Saturday during the day on this 42 kilometer route from Nordvik. I'm sure I'm saying that incorrectly, but I do my best and it ends in Harlem. And then on Sunday, and we did this as well, we went to every day of this parade to see these floats from different angles and in different weather, which was not on purpose. And it ends in Harlem and then the floats stay in Harlem on Sunday. And they're stationary and you can go and walk around.

18:33
and see them. So we went to Harlem, we took the train so easy and we got to take pictures with the floats and we had a coffee and we kind of people watched. It was such a beautiful day,  which is so funny because the day before it was hailing and raining and really freaking cold and windy and then it was a gorgeous day in the next day.  So if you extend your trip, we very much encourage you to coordinate your river cruise.

19:01
with the annual flower parade. So you can end your cruise when the flower parade starts or vice versa. Maybe the flower parade starts and then you go on the cruise the following week. The flower parade is rain or shine. So don't worry about the weather. Just worry about what you are bringing to pack. We're going to touch on that in a minute.  And  the other things that you can do in the Netherlands are really endless. We went to Beemster and we stayed there for a night. That is such a great town.

19:29
I'm going to link in the show notes some things we recommend to do there. We have a whole article written up about that. You can go to The Hague where the girl in the pearl earring is. Dan, correct me if I'm wrong.  So we met her, I could say.  We met her at the museum.  The museum was really beautiful. It is an old aristocratic home. What else do we do?  Get your puffer jays, your mini pancakes. You get your shroopwafels on your own. You can do a food tour.

19:58
And again, it is so easy to take trains around the Netherlands that you're going to have no problem doing this on your own. There are bathrooms on board. I am infamous for wanting to know where a bathroom is at all times, just in case.  And the bus travel is really easy. You can go to a Dom and get cheese. Bame's store is actually also famous for cheese. You can taste all the cheeses in the Netherlands. We even like going to the Albert Heint, the grocery store,  to explore some.

20:28
other cheeses that we can get and kind of having a picnic. Oh, and also back to Kuchenhof, I don't think I mentioned there's a castle at Kuchenhof and we can hook you up with the email address for the tour guide there. She did mention that we can share that with our audience. So she gave us a tour. You're going to want to email her and do that tour.

20:49
And you can't do that. You're not going to have time during your river cruise. So if you extend and go to Kuchenhof another day, be sure to book your ticket online in advance. And you can do that with a package to have the bus transportation from Amsterdam. If you're not going to stay in Lise. Now I will say this about Lise. They don't have a lot of hotels. So if you are planning on doing this, not only should you book your river cruise in advance, but you need to book your hotel accommodations ASAP there because I was shocked by how quickly they sold out.

21:17
again because there aren't a lot of options there. I'm so glad we stayed there. I'm so glad we booked over a year out. something to keep in mind as you're packing for your river cruise.  It's spring in the Netherlands. The weather is unpredictable. The first time I went to Kukenovo, I had shorts on.  The last time I went,  I think I had five jackets on.  I all my clothes on.  All the hand warmers, gloves, hats,  rain gear.  So there's

21:46
probably a great chance it's going to be rainy. You're also going to be walking a lot. Like I said, Amsterdam is a great city for walking, but also  if you're going to the gardens, you're going to want comfortable shoes and watch out for cobblestones and all of the other tripping hazards.  thought you were going to say watch out for dachshunds.  We did see people bring their small dogs to Kuchenhof and I love a small dog and we did see some dachshunds. So anyway, that's just a side note, just a side note.  Sure.

22:15
There are dogs.  Also bring, like I said, bring your rain gear just in case,  maybe an umbrella, something like that. And then you are going to want to take  thousands of pictures.  How many pictures of tulips are too many? I don't know.  The amount I took probably.  make sure you have your camera gear,  any lenses or anything special that you want for  capturing those tulips.

22:41
Yeah. And I also want to add that your mobile phone is usually ample these days, but you do want to make sure that there's enough space on your phone for this. And also if you aren't a photography as I am, you either want a macro lens.  I have a 105 millimeter that I own. However, I rarely travel with it because it's very heavy.  So I actually travel with my 50 millimeter and have these awesome filters that were $10 on Amazon. can link you up to the Amazon shop in the show notes.

23:10
that attach to the 50 millimeter and make it a macro lens, which is amazing. It's really incredible. I can get right up on the pollen of these tulips  and take photos or kind of like the frilly edges of the parrot tulips. It's so cool. So great. I'm not going to get too much into that. Let's leave that thought there because if you're listening and you're not into photography,  this is pretty boring for you. But if you are, I hope that was helpful. In terms of the rain gear, I recently had a friend

23:38
tell us she was going to the Netherlands and she was shopping for rain boots. I don't think it's a bad idea to have that as an option, but if you're packing carry-on only, you're probably not going to have the room. And you can tell me what you thought, but I didn't really think it was necessary to have dedicated rain boots, even though it was raining quite a bit. I had leather kind of sorrel, like ankle boots that were fine that were waterproof or water resistant.

24:06
But can also, if you have sneakers, and I'm going to also put this in our Amazon shop list for a Tulips River Cruise, there are these kind of rubber sneaker covers that you can put on. It gives your sneakers a raincoat of its own.  And those are great. And I did have those. And then let's just briefly touch on souvenirs. If you are going to the Netherlands, as soon as you land in the airport, you see  two kinds of souvenirs. Tulips.

24:36
wooden tulips, fake tulips  and cheese. Cheese. Yes, you can bring cheese back. Yes, it will keep any cheese shop is going to be able to educate you about that. When you ask them questions, they're happy to share their information, especially if you're going to buy something you can even ask to taste things. But the other thing, if you're going on a tulips cruise, the ultimate souvenir besides your photos and memories  is bulbs. Very often they will mail these bulbs

25:04
home for you. Of course, they want you to purchase them and you can pay either an additional fee or they might even include it depending on where you are. That is the safest option because you're not really supposed to travel internationally with plants,  livestock, all the fruits and vegetables. You know when you go through customs, that's always something they ask you because they don't want any diseases to come in and everything.  So this stuff is regulated, but you can ship the tulip bulbs home. I'm not saying it's impossible to bring them with you on a plane, but

25:33
You do need to talk to the representatives there or the cashier to make sure that there is something on the label that says that you can bring this through an airport. They know that international visitors are coming and they want to buy these. So this would not be out of the ordinary for them to have a conversation about this. But if you can get them home, what an incredible souvenir that's going to remind you of your time during your river cruise in spring in the Netherlands, in Europe, in Belgium.

26:01
Every year those tulips pop up for their lifetime. Woo, that was a great conversation about tulips. I am ready to hop on a plane and go back right now. Andrew's stroopwafel, which is the  sugary treat Dan loves from the Netherlands. Get some flowers in my view and relish in the beauty of spring in Europe. Thanks for listening. Make sure you subscribe or follow the podcast to be notified of Small Ship Cruise Talk. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

26:31
We're not going want to miss next week's episode. Episode eight, we're going to be talking about Alaska and what's like cruising on a small ship in Alaska. Finally, if you have a question for us, don't hesitate to reach out. It's very easy to find a way to reach us, especially via social media.  We are at Sometimes Sailing. Check that out in the show notes wherever you are listening and click the link. We want this podcast to be the best resource for your trip planning and trip.

27:00
brainstorming and we love hearing from you. Don't forget to give us a five star rating if you feel so inclined and we will read that on the air until next week. I am so excited to talk about Alaska.