The Amsterdam Tulip Trail
APRIL 19-24, 2026
TRAVEL TO THE NETHERLANDS
with Travel & Culture Salon
6 DAYS | 6 NIGHTS
Join Travel & Culture Salon for a journey through the Netherlands at the height of tulip season—one that traces the flower’s place in Dutch history, art, and daily life.
Curated and led by historian Heather Bolen, founder of Travel & Culture Salon, this experience moves from blooming fields and historic gardens to canal-side walks, intimate museums, and the grand halls of the Rijksmuseum. Along the way, we consider the tulip as both a botanical marvel and a status symbol in 17th-century Dutch art and daily life, prized for its rarity and novelty. Together, we explore how this iconic flower captured the nation’s cultural imagination and became an enduring symbol of spring.
Thoughtfully paced and limited to just 12 travelers, it’s designed to feel intimate and unhurried, with time to linger, ask questions, and share curiosity with new friends.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
Discover Amsterdam’s 400-year-old canal city and the Dutch Golden Age, with a historian as your guide throughout the week
Take in Amsterdam’s canal architecture from the water on a private boat tour
Experience tulip season at its peak, combining the cultivated gardens at Keukenhof with the surrounding working tulip fields
Explore the Dutch Masters and floral still lifes at the world-renowned Rijksmuseum
Visit the Hortus Bulborum to see rare and historic tulip varieties preserved in a living collection
Indulge in a Michelin-starred dining experience
Bring home an authentic Dutch souvenir of your own making at the Royal Delft Museum
Enjoy traveling in a small group with time for connection, conversation, and reflection
and so much more!
TULIP TRAIL ITINERARY
April 19-24, 2026
DAY 1 - SUNDAY, APRIL 19
Arrival & Welcome
Arrive in Amsterdam and settle into our boutique-style hotel, Park Plaza Vondelpark, located just outside leafy Vondelpark in the elegant Oud-Zuid neighborhood. The area is within easy walking distance of cafés, shops, and Museum Square, with convenient tram access to the historic center. In the early evening, we’ll gather at the hotel for a relaxed wine reception—an informal opportunity to meet one another and begin the week together.
Take the evening to settle in, wander the park, or grab a bite in Oud-Zuid or at Museumplein.
Meals included: wine reception
DAY 2 - MONDAY, APRIL 20
Amsterdam: Canal Life & the Dutch Golden Age
Our first full day begins with a guided walking tour led by Heather through Amsterdam’s historic canal belt. As we move through the city, we’ll explore how the 17th century was a period of extraordinary botanical discovery, shaped by global trade and the arrival of exotic plants previously unseen in Europe. This culture of collecting—driven by rarity, knowledge, and display—helped elevate flowers like the tulip into luxury objects and powerful status symbols.
We’ll pause for lunch at a local café, then continue to Museum Van Loon, a beautifully preserved 17th-century canal house that offers a glimpse into how a prominent Amsterdam family lived. A brief stop in the carriage house includes a taste of their famously beloved apple cake.
The day concludes with a welcome dinner, marking the start of our week together.
Activities: Private walking tour of the historic canal belt; private tour of the Museum Van Loon
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
DAY 3 - TUESDAY, APRIL 21
Aalsmeer: Inside the Flower Trade
Today begins bright and early with a visit to Royal FloraHolland Aalsmeer, when the flower trade is most active. Watching thousands of blooms move through the auction at speed offers a vivid look at how flowers circulate globally today—and how centuries of cultivation and commerce continue to shape the industry.
From there, we’ll visit the Historische Tuin Aalsmeer, where historic growing methods and early horticultural practices provide a quieter counterpoint to the scale of the auction. Together, these visits trace the transformation of flowers from rare luxury items into global commodities.
We’ll return to Amsterdam for lunch at De Kas, a Michelin-starred restaurant recognized for its cuisine and its commitment to sustainability, where ingredients are harvested from the surrounding greenhouse and nearby growers.
The afternoon and evening are then free for you to explore the city at your own pace.
Activities: Private tour of Aalsmeer Flower Auction; private tour of Historische Tuin Aalsmeer, lunch at Michelin-starred restaurant, De Kas
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
DAY 4 - WEDNESDAY, April 22
Delft, Dutch Decorative Arts & High Tea
We begin the day in Delft, a city celebrated for its artistic innovation and fine craftsmanship. Best known as the home of Johannes Vermeer, Delft played an important role in the Dutch Golden Age, while its distinctive pottery evolved into one of the Netherlands’ most enduring decorative traditions.
At the Royal Delft Factory Museum, an audio-guided tour introduces the history of Delftware, followed by a traditional high tea in an elegant setting. The visit concludes with a hands-on tile-painting workshop, where you’ll create an authentic Delft tile of your own—an enduring souvenir inspired by the floral motifs encountered throughout the week.
We’ll then return to Amsterdam for a private sunset canal cruise with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, enjoying a relaxed view of the city from the water as evening settles in.
Activities: Orientation walk in Delft, tour of Royal Delft Factory Museum + tile painting workshop + high tea; private sunset canal cruise
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, plus drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
DAY 5 - THURSDAY, APRIL 23
Keukenhof & the Bollenstreek
Today is devoted to the tulip landscape that defines spring in the Netherlands. We’ll visit Keukenhof, a celebrated spring garden located within the Bollenstreek—the historic bulb-growing region stretching between Haarlem and Leiden. Replanted each year with more than seven million bulbs, Keukenhof offers a carefully designed display often known as the Garden of Europe.
Time is also set aside to explore the surrounding Bollenstreek countryside, including working farms and tulip fields, offering a revealing contrast between Keukenhof’s cultivated artistry and the agricultural landscape that sustains the global bulb trade.
The evening is left open for independent exploration or rest, with dinner on your own.
Activities: Visit Keukenhof; tour working tulip farms
Meals included: breakfast and lunch
DAY 6 - FRIDAY, April 24
From Still Life to Living Tulips
Our final full day begins at the Rijksmuseum with a deep dive into the world of the Dutch Masters. We explore 17th-century painting and the culture of collecting, with special attention to floral still lifes—where artists elevated flowers, especially tulips, into independent works of art.
After the museum, we gather for lunch and a private lecture with Heather, expanding the story beyond the Netherlands to trace the tulip’s wider history, from Ottoman court culture and early botanical exchange to the English Florists’ tulip and the modern flower industry.
In the afternoon, we travel north to Hortus Bulborum, a living archive of centuries-old tulip varieties, where flowers seen earlier in paintings can be encountered growing in the ground.
We return to Amsterdam for a farewell dinner at our hotel’s Venetian-inspired restaurant, Tozi, a relaxed setting to reflect on the week and bring the journey to a close.
Activities: Private art history tour at Rijksmuseum; private lecture by Heather on the history of tulip; private tour of Hortus Bulborum
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
TRIP DETAILS
DATES: April 19–24, 2026
DURATION: 6 days, 6 nights
GROUP SIZE: Up to 12 travelers
PRICING (PER PERSON)
$6,950 — Queen Room (Private, Single Occupancy)
$7,650 — King Room (Private, Single or Double Occupancy)
$5,850 — Twin Room (Shared)
Shared rooms must be booked for two travelers and are ideal for friends traveling together. King and Twin rooms are available in limited numbers.
TOUR PACKAGE
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Six nights of accommodations
All breakfasts and lunches
Welcome and farewell dinners
Transportation to and from scheduled activities, by private chauffeur*
All activities listed in the itinerary**
Travel & Culture Salon x Signature Tulip Tote Bag
Autographed copy of Dutch Tulipmania by Heather Bolen, your host and guide
Lifetime access to Heather’s online course, The Cultivated Tulip: The Cultural History of a Magical Flower.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Travel to and from the Netherlands
Mandatory travel insurance (Travel & Culture Salon can arrange this for you)
Dinners, except for the welcome and farewell dinners (a curated restaurant list will be provided)
Airport transfers to and from Amsterdam Schiphol (Travel & Culture Salon can arrange this for you)
Trip extensions, including pre- and post-trip hotel stays (Travel & Culture Salon can arrange these)
Incidental and personal expenses
*Most group transportation is provided by private chauffeur. However, this week-long trip includes a variety of activities such as walking tours, garden and farm visits, museum explorations, and a canal cruise, covering diverse terrain and busy city areas. While the pace is comfortable and Amsterdam is mostly flat, some streets and bridges may pose challenges for those with mobility concerns. Guests should be able to walk several hours a day with breaks. The canal cruise boats are not fully wheelchair accessible; however, guests who use folding wheelchairs and can walk with assistance to sit on the boat’s couch may be accommodated. If you have any specific accessibility needs or questions, please notify us at the time of booking by contacting hello@travelandculturesalon.com.
**Itinerary details may change as we finalize the Amsterdam Tulip Trail Trip 2026.
Meet your Guide
Your host, Heather Bolen, is the founder of Travel & Culture Salon and holds an M.A. in Early Modern European History from Emory University. She lived in the Netherlands with her young family for several years, where she fell in love with Amsterdam—its 400-year-old history, quiet canals, and the tulip landscapes beyond the city. It was a time that sparked a lasting curiosity about how the tulip became such a powerful cultural symbol, and a deep appreciation for the Dutch concept of gezelligheid, the culture of shared comfort woven into everyday life.
Heather tells stories through place. Her approach to travel brings together history, art, gardens, and lived experience to create journeys that are thoughtful, unhurried, and deeply connected to their settings. She delights in helping travelers see familiar places in new ways, uncovering the layers of meaning that make each experience richer and more memorable.
When it's spring again, I'll bring again
Tulips from Amsterdam
With a heart that's true, I'll give to you
Tulips from Amsterdam
“TULIPS FROM AMSTERDAM”
Song by Max Bygraves, 1958
