Aalsmeer: Water, Flowers and Culture

The Westeinderplassen and flower culture give Aalsmeer two defining themes for your stay: activities on and around the water, and places where plants, art and history take centre stage. Kudelstaart is also among the destinations featured here. You can tailor your plans to water sports, nature or culture.

Waterways and activities

The Westeinderplassen offer opportunities for activities on, in and around the water. Zeilschool Aalsmeer rents out sailboats, motorboats, sloops, canoes and SUPs. It also offers sailing, windsurfing and wingfoiling courses. Windsurfing courses are also available from Windsurfclub Aalsmeer on Surfeiland, near the Watertoren. Waterskivereniging Aalsmeer offers water skiing, wakeboarding and barefoot water skiing on the Westeinderplassen. This gives you a choice of different types of water sports, from boat rentals to specifically advertised courses and other sporting activities.

The routes on the water also vary. On the Bovenlanden route, you can travel by SUP or canoe through narrow ditches alongside islands. Boats can moor at four public islands on the Westeinderplassen. A boat tour starts from the village and goes across the Kleine Poel; Aalsmeer Rondvaart takes visitors to Aalsmeer-Oost in an original covered wooden praam. For an orientation on foot, a walking path runs along the water from the centre of Aalsmeer towards Leimuiden. The Grote Poel and the Kleine Poel have a combined circumference of about 19 kilometres.

The Aalsmeer windmill route offers another way to explore the area: this approximately 18-kilometre tour passes three windmills and can be done on foot or by bike. One of the windmills on the route is still in operation; the miller grinds grain on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The approximate length of the tour and the combined circumference of the two lakes refer to different things: one figure describes the route, the other the bodies of water.

Nature and swimming spots

Near Aalsmeer is the Oosteinderpoel nature area, with various islands and creeks. It is accessible only by boat and provides a habitat for birds such as goshawks, buzzards and grey herons. This distinction is important for planning: Oosteinderpoel is a nearby nature area accessible by boat, while the routes and water sports available at the Westeinderplassen describe separate visitor opportunities.

Surfeiland Aalsmeer has a sandy beach that slopes gently into the water and is accessible both by water and by land. At the Zwemsteiger in Kudelstaart, designated swimming is possible in the Westeinderplassen; swimming conditions are seasonal. There is a shallow-water area and another area with a depth of two metres. The Zwemsteiger is accessible by bicycle and has a small parking area for cars.

Flower culture and historic sites

The Historische Tuin Aalsmeer has more than 1,200 plant species and varieties and serves as a gene bank for modern ornamental horticulture. From April to October, the garden holds a public auction on the last Saturday of every month, which all visitors can attend. Check the official calendar for possible exceptions. At Royal FloraHolland, visitors can learn about the logistics of the flower trade independently or on a guided tour.

The Flower Art Museum is dedicated to flowers and plants in art and is housed in a former clean-water reservoir opposite the distinctive Watertoren Aalsmeer. A visitor notice from 2026 states that the museum is closed for renovation. Check directly with the museum before your trip to see whether a visit is possible. The water tower, completed around 1928, is about 50 metres tall and designed in the Art Deco style. It is open to the public on the second and fourth Sunday of each month; opening arrangements also depend on the peregrine falcon breeding season. Check the current arrangements before visiting.

The Oude Raadhuis in Aalsmeer was built in 1780 and now serves as an exhibition space with a gallery and sculpture garden. The Huiskamermuseum offers another way to explore local history; its collection includes the Mokum collection assembled by Dieuwke Bakker (1935–1984). Visits to the Huiskamermuseum are possible by prior appointment only. At the Kerkhof van Calslagen, 17th-century gravestones stand within the outlines of the original church; a low wall preserves the foundations of the former church.

Kudelstaart and its memorial sites

In Kudelstaart, the R.K. St.-Johannes de Doperkerk is a three-aisled Neoclassical church built in 1822. Fort bij Kudelstaart is a fort surrounded by a moat and part of the Stelling van Amsterdam. The moat has been used as a marina since 1959. These structures reflect different historical themes: church architecture on the one hand, and the design of the fort and its moat on the other.

The De Propeller monument in Kudelstaart commemorates a Stirling bomber that crashed into the Westeinder in 1942. A remembrance ceremony for those who died in the Second World War is held there every year on 4 May; the details of the ceremony may change. If you include this date in your travel plans, check the latest event details.

Getting to Royal FloraHolland

Royal FloraHolland is accessible by car via the A4, the Aalsmeer/Hoofddorp exit, and the N201 and N231. Free parking is available for visitors. You can combine your visit with an independent or guided look at the logistics of the flower trade. Together with the windmills, museums, historic buildings and water activities, Aalsmeer offers a range of themes to help you plan your stay.

Discover places: Aalsmeer, Kudelstaart.

Discover more destinations: Heemskerk, Graft-De Rijp, Zaanstad, Stede Broec, Hollands Kroon, Purmerend.

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