Petal to the Metal: Tulip Chasing Around the World (and Close to Home)

If there's one thing I’m willing to hop on a 13-hour flight and sleep in a neck-breaking position for, it’s tulips. That’s right, tulips. These gorg lil blooms pop off for just a few weeks each year, and yet manage to steal the show like a diva at a drag brunch.

So buckle your seatbelts, we're about to embark on a petal-packed journey to the best tulip-viewing spots around the world and a few closer to home (for when you can’t quite justify the international jet-setting… or you already blew your budget on a St. Patty’s party and lavender lattes.)

Around the World in 80,000 Petals

Keukenhof, Netherlands – The OG Tulip Kingdom

Picture Source: Context Travel

Let’s start with the Beyoncé of tulip destinations: Keukenhof, located in Lisse, a short hop from Amsterdam. Known as the Garden of Europe, Keukenhof shows off 7 million tulip bulbs across 79 acres. Yes, seven million. That’s not a garden, that’s a full-blown tulip metropolis.

📅 Best time to visit: Mid-March to mid-May, with peak bloom in mid-April
🎟️ Tickets: Around €19 – small price to pay for Mother Nature’s runway show
✨ Fun fact: The Dutch export over 4.3 billion tulip bulbs annually. That’s not just a flower, it’s an economy.

Istanbul, Turkey – Where Tulips Were Born to Be Wild

Picture Source: Lets Travel to Turkiey

Surprise! The Netherlands didn’t invent tulips—they just branded them better. Tulips actually originated in Central Asia and were thriving in Turkey long before clog-wearing became a thing.

Every April, Istanbul’s Tulip Festival (aka Lale Festivali) transforms public parks and traffic circles into petal wonderlands. Head to Emirgan Park for the main event.

🌷 Over 30 million tulips are planted across the city
📷 Bonus: Ottoman architecture + spring blooms = peak Instagram material
🧿 Fun fact: Tulips were so beloved by the Ottoman Empire that the 18th century is literally called the Tulip Era

Tonami, Japan – Cherry Blossoms Who?

Picture Source: Trip Advisor

While sakura steal the spotlight, tulips are secretly having a moment in Japan too. Tonami Tulip Park in Toyama Prefecture hosts the annual Tonami Tulip Fair, with over 3 million tulips in 600+ varieties.

🎌 Held every late April to early May
🎨 This fair features elaborate flower sculptures, like tulip castles and tulip Ferris wheels.
🍙 Vibe check: Wholesome, colorful, and aggressively photogenic

Zhongyuan Tulip Garden, China – Color Explosion

Picture Source: Albert Dros

Don’t sleep on China’s tulip game. Located in Luoyang, the Zhongyuan Tulip Garden stretches across a jaw-dropping 80 hectares and features 1 million+ tulips each season. Think: massive color-blocking fields that would make a Pantone executive weep with joy.

🌈 Peak bloom: March to April
📸 Bring your drone. This place was made for aerial shots.
🎤 Stat attack: China’s tulip industry has grown over 15% annually since 2010. Bloom boom, anyone?

Tulip Fever, Stateside Style

If your passport is gathering dust or you’re trying to save your miles for European Summer, here are some domestic spots that absolutely slay the tulip game:

Skagit Valley, Washington

Picture Source: Travel & Leisure

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is the U.S. equivalent of Keukenhof’s cool Gen Z cousin. Located just 60 miles north of Seattle, this April-long celebration features vibrant fields you can frolic through with a latte in hand.

📍 Over 300 acres of tulip fields
💐 Estimated 1 million visitors per year
🌧️ Pro tip: It’s the PNW, so pack a raincoat and your best brooding gaze

Holland, Michigan

Picture Source: Holland, Michiagn

Yes, Michigan. No, not ironic. Holland’s Tulip Time Festival goes all-in with Dutch culture—windmills, wooden shoes, and more tulips than a Bridgerton garden party.

📅 First week of May
👯 Parades, Dutch dancing, and yes—tulip walking tours
🌷Named Best Flower Festival in America by USA Today in 2023

Albany, New York

Picture Source: Festivals.com

The Albany Tulip Festival brings the party to Washington Park every May, with over 100,000 tulips, food trucks, and enough live music to shake a petal to.

🎶 Great for flower-lovers and festival-goers
👑 Includes the crowning of the Tulip Queen (I volunteer as tribute)
🌷 This fest has been blooming since 1949—flower power runs deep

Burnside Farms, Virginia

Picture Source: Burnside Farms

A D.C.-area gem, Burnside Farms' Holland in Haymarket is a pick-your-own tulip bonanza. Rows upon rows of 150+ varieties—like walking through a living Pantone catalog.

📸 Book a golden hour session. Trust me.
🌷 You can pick up to 30 tulips for around $20—florist who?

Final Petal Thoughts

Tulips are a global obsession that brings out the inner romantic in all of us. Whether you’re wandering through a sea of blooms in Amsterdam or trying not to spill your iced coffee while posing with petals in Washington, tulip tourism is a fabulous excuse to travel, twirl, and treat yourself to beauty that’s fleeting and fabulous.

Remember: tulip season waits for no one. So plan early, hydrate often, and let your floral freak flag fly.