Tulips are the most famous flowers of Holland. Renowned for their rainbow of colours and bountiful blooms, no trip to the Netherlands is complete without a view of their spectacular beauty.
Now, winter visitors to Amsterdam don't have to miss out on the magic. There is a special tour that takes you behind the scenes of a tulip green house, along with a guided tour of the horticulture and history of the plant.
Indeed, the love of tulips didn't start recently. In fact, Tulip Mania has gripped the country since the Golden Ages when the flower was first introduced to the country.
Originally found in the Ottoman Empire, Holland's first tulips were a gift from the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I's ambassador to the Sultan in 1593.
The spring blooms quickly became luxury items. Grown at first in fields of red, yellow and white, the flowers fame blossomed to the point where a single bulb sold for nearly 10 times the annual income of a single craftsman.
Today, the value of the tulip has lowered to a more affordable price, but the adoration has remained unchanged.
The latest hybrids now offer unimaginable colour combinations, with some of the most famous tulips being honoured with namesakes like SpongeBob or Hillary Clinton.
While the most famous of all tulip fields is the Keukenhof, their gardens are not on full view until late March when the bulbs begin their bloom.
Thanks to this tour, you don't have to make that window to be part of tulip mania!
The tour has another historical bonus - a stop at the windmill village Zaanse Schans. Home to a number of working windmills, the area takes you back in time where tall majestic mills stand among small streams and old houses. It is a photo opportunity every traveller must have!
This winter tour is on offer from 8 January until 19 March and in English, French, German and Spanish with pick-up right in Amsterdam's centre.
No one coming to Holland should miss this chance to go behind the scenes and learn about why tulips and windmills are such a beautiful and important part of the country's history.
© 2011, Amsterdam City Tours Blog. All rights reserved. On republishing any part of this post, you must provide a link back to this original post
