Standing within the Dutch tulip fields and taking photos is not allowed. It causes the production fields to get damaged or get viruses. However, at the Tulip Garden of Tulip Experience Amsterdam, you are allowed to take photos among 4 million tulips!
Sylvia Pennings, director of Tulip Experience Amsterdam, is sharing her tips to get the most beautiful photos among the tulips. How do you capture such a radiant, colorful tulip photo that's instantly Instagram-worthy? The good news: you don't need a special time slot or golden hour. With these tips, you can take beautiful tulip photos all day long. Every color, the natural light, and every perspective has its own magic.
Photographing tulip fields is more than just taking a snapshot. It's about playing with light, color, and perspective. The golden rule: light is everything. Morning or late afternoon is the best time. Then the light is soft and warm, and the tulips take on an almost magical glow. But you can also capture beautiful photos in the middle of the day.
Starting this year, our tulip garden will be open longer on select days in April and May, especially for the beautiful evening light. You can recognize these days in the Ticket Shop by a sun icon or photo icon. On days with the photo icon, you can stay until 9:00 PM and enjoy the golden hour. Perfect for taking breathtaking photos among the tulips.
The Bulb Region is a paradise for photographers, but most tulip fields are production areas. Sylvia explains, “The tulip fields are production fields of growers. As soon as people walk between the rows of tulips, the tulips get damaged. The stems break, the bulbs get less nutrition, and sometimes visitors even transmit diseases through their shoes.” To prevent this, a number of flower fields are fenced off with purple tape as part of the campaign "Don't cross the flower line' against walking between the fields..
Image source: https://enjoyourflowers.nl/en/
Walking in the flower fields is prohibited, as the crops can get damaged or become diseased. Yet, every year, Sylvia sees countless visitors with cameras and phones in hand wandering through the region's tulip fields. "The rise of social media and the selfie culture has made taking photos in the Dutch tulip fields incredibly popular. Influencers from all over the world also come here to create their Instagram posts. Unfortunately, many people also go where you're not supposed to."
Sylvia explains, "To give people the chance to enjoy our tulip fields, we started Tulip Experience Amsterdam. With our Tulip Garden and Tulip Museum, we inform visitors about the hard work of bulb growers and offer the opportunity to take fantastic photos without damaging the precious production fields in the Bulb Region.
Luckily, there's a place where you can safely walk among the tulip fields: Tulip Experience Amsterdam. "We have our own 40,000-square-meter show garden," says Sylvia. "Here you can stand right among the flowers. We have special photo spots with props like a windmill, a cargo bike, a tractor, and so on. These change every year. Perfect for that colorful Instagram shot."
With a little preparation, you'll quickly capture stunning photos. Here are Sylvia's tips & tricks for taking the best photos in the Tulip Experience show garden:
Aerial photos of the tulip fields are popular. Unfortunately, it's not possible to fly a drone during opening hours. "This isn't possible due to safety regulations and the proximity of visitors," says Sylvia
Feeling inspired to take your own tulip photos? Come visit! Tulip Experience Amsterdam is open from March 19 to May 10, 2026. With us, you get three experiences in one visit! With a unique combination of a Tulip Museum, a magical show garden with 4 million tulips (in 700 varieties!), and an indoor picking garden (included in the ticket!). You'll immerse yourself in the world of tulips.
You can book tickets via our website. If you want to practice taking photos at home, you can order the most beautiful tulip bulbs via the Tulip Experience Shop.
This article was written in collaboration with Sylvia Pennings, director of Tulip Experience Amsterdam. Since she was nine, she has helped out at her father's tulip nursery, and in 2019, they founded Tulip Experience Amsterdam. Together with her family, she lets visitors experience the magic of the tulip and shares the story of the bulb grower.
