Lisse is the heart of the Bollenstreek, the bulb region, a belt of sandy land between Leiden and Haarlem where tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are grown by the million. In April the fields stretch away in stripes of red, yellow, pink and white, so strongly coloured that they seem painted. The sandy soil, a little way inland from the dunes, drains well and suits the bulbs, which is why this strip of land has been planted for four centuries. The story is a famous one: the botanist Carolus Clusius planted some of the first tulips in the Netherlands at Leiden in the 1590s, and within a few decades the flower had set off the speculative frenzy now called tulip mania.
The town itself is neat, a little sleepy, with canals, small bridges, a church and a museum devoted to the flower bulb and its history, called De Zwarte Tulp, after the novel by Dumas. The region's flower parade in spring is a great spectacle, floats covered in blooms creeping along the roads, and it can stop traffic on all the main routes for hours. Check the date before you plan a day around it.
The riding is slow by necessity. Narrow dyke roads cut between the fields, cyclists ride three abreast, and tour buses wait where they should not. A sensible rider takes the time, enjoys the colour and keeps off the verges. Do not step into the fields to take photographs: the flowers are a crop, farmers are understandably annoyed by trespassers, and you can be fined. The roads are in good condition, but windblown sand and wet leaves can make them slippery, and the wind coming off the North Sea, only a few kilometres away, is steady.
Everything you need is in Lisse: several fuel stations on the edge of town, supermarkets, cafés, and a bakery or two that are worth a stop for the appeltaart alone. If you come in April and early May, expect crowds, and if you can come on a weekday morning, do. Outside the flowering season the fields are brown or green, and the countryside is empty, with a different, plainer beauty.