Tulip Route Holland: the Best Goeree-Overflakkee Tulip Fields
Last Updated: April 5th 2026.
It’s tulip season in the Netherlands! We drove the tulip route Holland on Easter Sunday in 2022. Not as famous as the Flower Route, which is also in the province of Zuid-Holland. Due to it being less popular, there’re less people to share these famous tulip fields with. This tulip route is on Goeree-Overflakkee, an island in the south of the Netherlands.
Tulip Route Holland
We followed an old route from the ANWB, which they don’t update anymore. You’ll have to make you’re own route here. The following towns and cities are included:
- Stellendam
- Dirksland
- Sommelsdijk
- Middelharnis
- Stad aan ‘t Haringvliet
- Den Bommel
- Ooltgensplaat
- Oude-Tonge
- Nieuwe-Tonge
- Herkingen
- Melissant
- Ouddorp
- Goedereede
Length: +/- 118 kilometers/73 miles.
Duration: 3 to 5 hours.
Town by Town Itinerary
This tulip route Netherlands is a one-day road trip. Lots of tulip fields and cute little towns with harbors. In the route we don’t provide the exact tulip fields in Netherlands location, since that is different each year. But you can’t miss them, since they’re so colorful.
Stellendam
A small town that has a seal care center and a bird observation. The white painted windmill Korenlust can be seen from afar.
Dirksland
This town is surrounded by tulip fields in spring time. So beautiful and colorful, as you can see for yourself on the photo above.
Sommelsdijk
The town has the Streekmuseum Goeree-Overflakkee where you can learn all about the history of the island. It’s situated in a row of 17th century step gabled houses. The most beautiful street on the island.
Middelharnis
Adjacent to Sommelsdijk, the two places look to be one town, but have just grown overtime. Middelharnis is the largest town on Goeree-Overflakkee.
The town has a harbor on the Haringvliet, which has a small beach and walking paths with nice views on the water.
Stad aan ‘t Haringvliet
A small town with a cute, old harbor on the Haringvliet. Perfect if you love to recreate on the water. There’s also a beach.
Den Bommel
This small town has a cute little harbor and of course a windmill (like every town on Goeree-Overflakkee).
Ooltgensplaat
Ooltgensplaat is a beautiful town with a fort. Fort Prins Frederik is being renovated completely. Just outside of the town you’ll find tulip fields.
Oude-Tonge
A town with a cute old harbor on the Volkerak. This town had the most deaths during the watersnoodramp in 1953 (10% of its population), there’s a cemetery that leaves an impression of this disaster. Everyone in the Netherlands knows about the watersnoodramp, it was a national tragedy, you can read more about it in our blog on the Deltawerken.
Nieuwe-Tonge
There’s a small zoo in this town: Faunapark Flakkee, which you’ll pass on the route.
Around Nieuwe-Tonge and Oude-Tonge are lots of tulip fields.
Herkingen
A small town with a harbor and a marina on the Grevelingen lake.
Melissant
The factory of Hertog ijs used to be here, a famous ice cream label in the Netherlands.
Ouddorp
A beach town on the Grevelingen lake and the North Sea. There’s plenty of things to do and see here. Playing on the beach, swimming and water sports can be practiced here. There’s 18 kilometers/11 miles of beaches. Take a boat tour on the Grevelingen lake.
There’s the lighthouse Westhoofd, a beautiful red lighthouse which dominates the sky. Further there’s a goat farm, De Mèkkerstee, with a store, cheese farm, ice cream parlor and playground. Visit the RTM museum, a railway museum. Then there’s also a Bunkerroute to hike, which takes you along bunkers from the Second World War.
Goedereede
This historical city is small, however it gained city rights in 1312. You can climb the tower of Goedereede, it also has a museum inside on the city’s history and the tower. It’s a landmark of the city, dominating the skyline. There’s a small harbor in the city.
Where to Eat
We drove this route on Easter Sunday a few years ago.
We had something to drink and a sundae ice cream at Cafetaria t-Hoad in Middelharnis. The terrace has a view on the beach and on the Haringvliet.
We had something to drink on the terrace of Hotel-Restaurant “Lely” in Oude-Tonge.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Zalm in the middle of Brielle, a fortified city. We can also recommend Carlton Oasis Hotel in Spijkernisse, just like Brielle on the island of Voorne-Putten. Which is above Goeree-Overflakkee.
On the island Schouwen-Duiveland, below Goeree-Overflakkee we’ve stayed at Fletcher Landgoed Hotel Renesse and at Roompot Vakantiepark Aquadelta in Bruinisse. The last one has apartments and holiday rentals.
A bit further away from Goeree-Overflakkee, but still in the province of Zuid-Holland are Landal Beach Villa’s Hoek van Holland. We loved the cabins situated on the beach. A hotel we can recommend is Van der Valk hotel Ridderkerk. When driving around in a camper, than Camper Park Kinderdijk in Alblasserdam is a good idea, one of our recommendations for campsites with kids in the Netherlands.
When to Visit
The route can be driven all year long. When to go to the Netherlands to see tulips? It varies a bit when exactly the tulip fields are in bloom, but say from about the beginning or half way of April till the beginning to half way of May.
Hiring a Car and Airports
We drove the route with our own car. When hiring a car, we have excellent experiences with Hertz, Alamo and Stern. So how to get to the tulip fields from Amsterdam? By car, if you’re going for the Goeree-Overflakkee tulip fields. Take the N215, N57, A4 and S112.
When arriving by plane before embarking on this road trip: Rotterdam The Hague Airport, located 48 kilometers/30 miles from the starting point. Antwerp Airport is 99 kilometers/62 miles away and Eindhoven Airport is 143 kilometers/89 miles away. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is 101 kilometers/63 miles driving from the starting point. So if you’re wondering how far are the tulip fields from Amsterdam? Well the ones on Goeree-Overflakkee are 128 kilometers/80 miles away by car.
The Tulip Route Holland is Beautiful
Looking for a less crowded road trip with tulips, but still with plenty of famous tulip fields the Netherlands is known for, than this road trip on Goeree-Overflakkee is perfect for you.
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31 Comments
Sue
I’d love to see the tulips some day. This route looks great.
Alison Watt
What a great idea for an itinerary! I lived in The Netherlands for several years and always loved the flowers. Your post has inspired to make my next trip back in spring instead of summer.
Sanunter With Sanika
i’m making my way here this year and I’m so excited! Definiely a bbubcket list worthy activity😊
Angela Lowe
Beautiful flowers. I would love to visit when they are all in bloom. Thanks for the great blog.
Kiki
Last year I got to see the tulips in Netherlands for the first time and I just loved it. This year we are planning to spend more time biking through the tulip route. Hope to cover some of them from your list.
Terri
We have the most beautiful tulips that bloomed near the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. But I have always dreamed of seeing the tulips in the Netherlands.
Marika
I have always wanted to visit the Netherlands during the tulip season. Hopefully, I can do it soon! Your post will be a great reference for me to look back at when I do visit.
Donna Meyer
Great detail in this post and good to know about one of the lesser-known tulip areas in Holland.
Ella
I’ve been to Holland twice but so far in summer and early fall. I would love to return in spring time and bike from field to field!
Sonia
The tulips in Mellisant look stunning! I’d like to do this tour.
Laureen Lund
I have this on my radar for next year. Your posts have been really helpful!! Thanks.
Anukrati
I so love those fields. You reminded me of my trip to Keukenhof that i visited a few years back.
Angela Allas
The tulips look beautiful. I hope to get there in a few years and see them.
Josy A
So flipping pretty! I LOVE seeing the fields of one colour tulip (like the yellow in Den Bommelor red in Melissant) It looks like an amazing giant carpet of colour. There must be so many bees – the honey in the Netherlands must be incredible!?
Sonia
This looks like a beautiful route. Would this work well for a bike route as well, potentially breaking this into 2-3 days, to leave plenty of time for stopping and enjoying the flowers?
Gabby Leopard
The only tulip fields I knew about was Keukenhof, which I assume is very touristy. Thanks for sharing this amazing list of other tulip places 🙂
kmf
Would love to experience tulip season in the Netherlands! And this Tulip Route Holland looks so beautiful!
Umiko
I like this kind of road trip to add to the famous tulips viewing place. You don’t only see the flowers, but you get to see the small towns along the way. It’s a great experience to add to the Netherlands bucket list!
Kailey
I’d love to take a tulip road-trip! We have tulip fields where I live that I love to visit, but nothing quite like these. Also, that lighthouse caught my eye too, so I’d definitely have to make a stop for that as well!
Barbara
what a great road trip. It looks so picturesque – and so many tulips!!
Eileen Cotter Wright
Gorgeous! I love the idea of road tripping and seeing the spaces. The red and while tulip fields are my favorite.
Cass
Tulip season here looks so special and colourful. I love your photo from Melissant.
Emily
So, so beautiful! Seeing these fields of tulips in Holland has been on my bucket list for ages. Hope to do it one day. Thanks for this great guide!
Alyse
Seeing the tulips in Holland is on my bucket list. Beautiful!
Suzanne
So beautiful! We have our own small tulip farm here in BC, but nothing compares to all of these within a day’s trip. Love it!
Heather
I just bought some cut tulips so it was lovely to read your post and see them joyous in their fields! I bet that was a wonderful trip.
Shweta
These stops and itinerary look amazing. I wonder why the country does not do enough to send tourists to other tulips fields / towns. The crowds at Keukenhof seem crazy when there are so many other options as well. Good to know about these lesser crowds parts.
Marilyn
Visiting and doing a road trip to see the tulips in the Netherlands is something I’ve wanted to do for some time. Your post makes it feel even more inspiring and achievable, such a colourful and beautiful experience to plan for.
Kelly
I’ve always wanted to visit the Netherlands during tulip season. I love this road trip! You get to see the tulip fields, as well as explore some small towns along the way. The perfect road trip!
Caleigh
Seeing tulips in the Netherlands is a bucklist trip for me! I’d love to try this route since it’s a bit less crowded as you said.
Moona
The fact that this island holds around 10% of all Dutch tulips and yet remains far quieter than Keukenhof is remarkable. I love this, and it’s now on my spring radar for the Netherlands.