Ah, springtime in The Netherlands. People and plants emerge from a long winter hibernation and everything goes from black and white to color almost overnight. I love seeing the trees turn green again and the flowers popping up in Vondelpark. While the city does a nice job of embracing tulip season with specially placed pots of colorful bulbs and flower boxes on bridges, if you’re coming to Amsterdam to really see the tulips you’ll need to venture beyond the city limits. A walk through Keukenhof Gardens is a must or you can board a historic steam tram like we did this year and ride your way through the fields!
We booked tickets for the Museumstoomtram (it’s included on your Museumkaart) from Hoorn to Medemblik and back. From Amsterdam Centraal it is roughly a 30 minute journey to Hoorn. Once in Hoorn you can explore the museum before boarding the historic steam tram. The stations are right next to each other. We made time to grab a sandwich in Hoorn from De La Casa (highly recommend) and walk around town a bit.
Once on board the steam tram you can just relax and enjoy the clickity-clack of a slow tram ride through the beautiful Dutch countryside. I loved it when the conductor blew the horn – so nostalgic!
Along the way you’ll stop at a few original steam tram stations that have been restored and staged with period artifacts like old suitcases, ticket stamps, and delivery bicycles. It really does feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The station in Medemblik has novelty ice creams and a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for sale.
Out your window are miles of Dutch farmland. Cows, sheep, horses, and even swans dot the landscape. The tulip fields are of course the main attraction, but I enjoyed the entire journey – very relaxing! You will not be able to exit the tram and go into the tulip fields but you’re moving slowly enough to get some really great photos and videos. Rows and rows of tulips pass by in gorgeous colors. We booked this tour at the end of April, so there were definitely still some tulips to see but not the plethora I was expecting. Even still, it was completely worth it. Note: Tulip season runs from late March to mid-May, however the BEST time to see the tulips is mid-April!
Riding the historic steam tram through Holland’s tulip fields is a great activity for kids of all ages. We thought it was really fun! There are LOADS of photo opportunities with the train and at each station. Kids can even get a little suitcase that they “fill” with things they see along the way, kind of like a scavenger hunt.
Have you seen Holland’s tulips?
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xo – Erin
All Aboard for Blooms: Riding the Historic Steam Tram Through Holland’s Tulip Fields appeared first on CathedralsandCafes.com. If you see this content published anywhere else, please email cathedralsandcafes@gmail.com.
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