Heiloo & Alkmaar Polder Cycling Route
Step off the train in Alkmaar and within ten minutes of cycling you are deep in the Noord-Holland polder landscape: an almost surreally flat world of drainage ditches, grazing cattle, working windmills and — from late March to mid-May — tulip and daffodil fields that blaze in strips of red, yellow and purple across the horizon. The circular route south through Heiloo and back via the Alkmaardermee
The route highlights
Heading south from Alkmaar station on the LF2 coastal cycle route, you pass the Ursem polder within 6 kilometres, where the drainage windmill De Nachtegaal (The Nightingale) still operates and can be visited on mill days (typically Saturdays in summer).
The village of Heiloo, 8 kilometres south, has a 12th-century pilgrimage chapel, the Heiloo Shrine (Our Lady of Heiloo), set in peaceful woodland grounds that feel entirely removed from the busy tulip-field roads nearby — a good spot for a quiet break.
Returning north along the Alkmaardermeer, the lake's reed-fringed banks are a feeding ground for spoonbills, marsh harriers and great white egrets, particularly in early morning.
Tulip field season
The bulb fields between Alkmaar and Heiloo are planted by commercial growers and peak between late March and early May, with exact timing varying by year and variety. Daffodils come first, followed by hyacinths, then tulips.
Unlike the Keukenhof gardens (which require tickets and attract enormous crowds), these field roads are public cycling paths where you can stop freely, though picking flowers is strictly prohibited and signposted.
Practical cycling information
Bikes can be rented from NS Fiets at Alkmaar station (book online in advance during tulip season) for approximately €15 per day; the route is well-marked with green ANWB mushroom signposts.
The Alkmaardermeer section has several waterside picnic spots and a lakeside café at the Koedijk end; the full loop takes 3–4 hours at a relaxed pace with stops.
Heiloo & Alkmaar Polder Cycling Route on video
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