The daffodils are beginning to turn, the hyacinths are out in force and the tulips are starting to burst free – yes, bulb season in the Netherlands is in full swing. Here’s our guide to enjoying the spring flowers in all their glory, and how to get away from the crowds to do so. Our tip: go north.

Keukenhof
The Keukenhof in Lisse is the classic place in the Netherlands to go and see tulips and it is packed out most of the time. The displays are stunning, but aim to be there early in the morning or as late as you can to avoid the endless coach parties. The gardens are open until May 11 and tickets cost €20 for an adult, €9 for children over the age of four.

Nearby Keukenhof castle is a country estate which also has charming gardens – with bulbs in spring – and there’s a nice café for lunch if you can’t face the crowds.

Bollenstreek
The Bollenstreek, or bulb region, around Lisse is traditionally the place to see the multicoloured bulb fields in the spring, but becomes one big traffic jam on sunny days, particularly at weekends. Walk or cycle to get the best views around De Zilk. You’ll also get a spectacular view on any train between Haarlem and The Hague.

Worth knowing: few of the blooms in the fields are going to end up in a vase on your sideboard because they are being grown for their bulbs and most of the cut tulips which you buy in shops have been grown in greenhouses. That is why as the season progresses, you will see big piles of flower heads next to the fields.

Museum De Zwarte Tulp is in Lisse where much of the bulb action takes place and is housed in an old bollenschuur, the sheds where tulip bulbs were processed and stored.

A flowery procession
The 78th edition of the Bollenstreek Bloemencorso, or flower parade, takes place on April 12. All sorts of companies and organisations – even the European Space Agency – take part in building spectacular floats, using seasonal flowers.

Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus
April is tulip month in the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam with lots of varieties in stunning displays, including their tiny but beautiful formed forebears from the mountains of Kazachstan. Until April 30. Website. 

Hortus Bulborum
The Hortus Bulborum in Limmen, about 40 minutes north of Amsterdam, has hundreds of varieties from its collection on display, planted in neat  rows on the edge of this Noord Holland village.

If you are a tulip fan, it is well worth a visit and there are plenty of volunteers on hand to answer you questions. The collection is made up of 2,650 different varieties of tulip, as well as daffodils and hyacinths.  Entry is €5.50 and children are free – and it is much less busy than the over-exploited attractions south of Amsterdam.

Kop van Noord-Holland
Tourism officials in the Kop van Noord-Holland, about an hour’s drive from Amsterdam, have woken up to the potential of the region’s own bulb-based tourist industry and are now doing their best to attract visitors to check out their spring displays.

You can take part in a tulip trail run, cycle or walk past the fields on special routes – or even go up in a glider.  Or if you want to go back in time, take the steam train past the tulip fields between Hoorn and Medemblik.

Amsterdam tulip festival
The Amsterdam tulip festival is now in its 11^th year. Hundreds of thousands of tulips, planted in open ground or in pots, are now blooming all over the city – at some 80 different locations ranging from street corners to parks.  You can also pick up a guidebook, complete with map showing where they are and what varieties you will find.

Pick your own
There are several locations where you can go and pick your own tulips to take home. Annemieke’s Pluktuin is in Hillegom, so a good place to stop off if you have braved the crowds and gone to the Keukenhof.

If you’ve headed north for your tulip fix, Bloemfontein Bergen opens on April 12 while Floratuin in Julianadorp also has a pick-your-own garden with bulbs in the spring and dahlias in the autumn.

Don’t forget: the bulb season is short and by the first week of May, the fields and displays are definitely past their best.