Tulip Ways — slow routes through Dutch fields, polders and canals

We started Tulip Ways to remember the good days on the bike: early mornings in the bulb fields, windy dikes, and little towns where the canal is the main street. Here are the routes we keep coming back to, with notes and photos from each ride.

Favourite routes

Bulb Field Loop

34 kmLisse – Noordwijkerhout – Hillegom

Flat lanes between the flower fields; busiest on weekends.

Best time: Mid-April

Polder & Windmills

27 kmKinderdijk – Alblasserdam – Nieuw-Lekkerland

Dike roads with wide views; strong headwind on the way back.

Best time: All year

Canal Towns

41 kmHaarlem – Spaarndam – Zaanse Schans

Quiet towpaths, two ferry crossings, good bakeries.

Best time: May–September

Dune Edge

29 kmNoordwijk – Katwijk – Wassenaar

Shaded forest paths behind the dunes; sandy in places.

Best time: June–August

Lakes of the Green Heart

36 kmGouda – Reeuwijk – Bodegraven

Narrow strips of land between lakes; bring a jacket.

Best time: April–October

River Vecht

38 kmUtrecht – Breukelen – Weesp

Country houses along the river; mostly car-free.

Best time: All year

Photo journal

New photo sets go up after each ride. Spring is all about the flower fields around Lisse; summer is for the dunes and the coast; autumn brings mist over the polders and the best light of the year along the rivers.

Before you go

Most routes follow the national junction network. Rent a bike at the station with an OV-fiets card, keep right on shared paths, and check the ferry times in winter — some small ferries only run from April.