Tulip Route

The Tulip Route in Lelystad is a seasonal network of cycling, walking and driving routes that leads through the tulip fields of Flevoland, the youngest province of the Netherlands. In April and early May, when the bulbs are in bloom, the flat landscape of the polder is striped with colour, and the routes are marked so that visitors can follow them without getting lost. It is a different experience from the famous Bollenstreek near Keukenhof, with more space, fewer people and a distinctive feel.

Flevoland was created in the twentieth century by draining parts of the former Zuiderzee. The land of the Flevopolder emerged from the water in the late 1950s and 1960s, and Lelystad, founded in 1967 and named after the engineer Cornelis Lely, grew up as its capital. The soil of the new polders was fertile and the plots were large and regular, ideal for modern farming, and tulip growers took advantage of this. The fields here are larger than those in the traditional bulb region, so a bloom covers enormous areas, and the straight roads between them lead the eye to the horizon.

The route includes a special section called the Tulpen Art Route, centred on Lelystad, where creative installations and sculptures are combined with the flowers. The idea is to bring art and nature together, and the displays change from year to year. Cyclists can make a day of it, with refreshment stops at farm shops and cafes, and some growers open their gardens or sell bulbs and bouquets. Wind can be strong in this open landscape, so it helps to bring windproof clothing.

Like all bulb fields, these are working farmland. The plants are grown for their bulbs, the flowers are cut off after they open, and the fields are private, so visitors must stay on the roads and paths and not walk among the flowers. The timing of the bloom depends on the weather, and it is best to check bloom reports before travelling.

Other sights in Lelystad make it easy to combine the route with a day out. Batavialand, with its replica ship, the Aviodrome aviation museum, the Batavia Stad outlet shopping village and the nature park are all close, and the land art called Exposure and Observatorium is a short ride away. The route suits cyclists, photographers and families.