Deluxe Springtime Tour Holland - Bike and Barge Tour
This wonderful bike and barge trip starts and ends in Amsterdam, taking you through the provinces of South and North Holland while spring flowers are in bloom. You will spend time in the historical cities of Haarlem, Leiden, Gouda and Alkmaar, and learn about the water management of these lowlands by the North Sea. You will also visit the famous Keukenhof gardens, known for the hundreds of thousands of blooming tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and other bulb flowers. The world-famous Aalsmeer flower auction is also on the program, where an astonishing volume of beautiful flowers are being traded daily and exported all over the world. You will get to see the open-air museum of the Zaanse Schans with its windmills, cheese farm, and picturesque wooden houses. The beautiful, varied scenery and wonderful bikeways of this tour of Holland will surprise and delight you.
Included in the Tour Price • 7 nights on board the ship (sheets, blankets, and two towels) • 7 breakfasts, 6 packed lunches, and 6 dinners (1 dinner on your own) • Coffee and tea on board • Entrance to the Keukenhof garden • 11-speed bicycle, incl. helmet, pannier bag, water bottle, & bike insurance • One or Two multilingual tour guides • Welcome drink • Route information and road book • Reservation costs
Daily Itinerary
Saturday: Amsterdam-Haarlem- warmup ride When you arrive on board the ship at 1.30 p.m., you can put your luggage away in your cabin and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while becoming acquainted with the guide, crew, and, of course, your fellow passengers. We will then leave Amsterdam cruising on the river Amstel to Spaarndam. From Spaarndam we will cycle our first kilometers to Haarlem. At dinnertime, the program for the next day and the routine for the rest of the week will be explained. After dinner, we will take a walk through the charming and quaint city of Haarlem.
Van Gogh Tours Inc. • (781)-646-0096 • [email protected] Sunday: Haarlem – Keukenhof – Leiden – 23 miles (38 km) Today’s trip will lead us through the oldest tulip fields of Holland to the world-famous Keukenhof gardens. This is considered the most beautiful flower bulb park in the world. The Keukenhof is the place where the spring comes to life. We will see an overwhelming blaze of colors: seven million flowering tulips on a magnificent background of 80 acres of traditional and modern gardening architecture. You will be able to admire various hyacinths, daffodils, and other colorful flowers. After our visit to the garden, in the afternoon we will bike to the city of Leiden where our barge awaits. Tonight there will be a walk through the historical city of Leiden, the oldest university town in the country, also the birthplace of Rembrandt.
Monday: Leiden - Gouda – 19 or 24 miles (31 or 40 km) In the morning, as we enjoy breakfast, the barge will leave Leiden. Our bike tour will start not far outside of Leiden and lead us through the "green heart" of Holland. Near Zoeterwoude, we will visit a cheese farm where you will learn about the cheese-making process and have the opportunity to taste the results! In the afternoon we reach Gouda, famous for the Gouda cheese. The town has an attractive, compact center with a pretty market square and Gothic town hall. The main church of Gouda, devoted to Saint John, is world famous for its stained glass windows. After dinner there is a walk through town.
Tuesday: Gouda - Kudelstaart – 12 or 27 miles (20 or 44 km) In the morning we will stay in Gouda, where you’ll have time to admire the stained glass windows in the St. John's Church or to enjoy one of the sidewalk cafés in Gouda’s famous main square. In the market square you’ll find the beautiful Town Hall, one of the few remaining examples of Gothic architecture in Holland. Every hour you’ll hear the city hall's chimes and can watch the puppet show depicting the moment “city rights” were given to Gouda back in 1272 by Earl Floris V. We will leave by barge around noon and have a light lunch on board. From Alphen aan de Rijn we will have a beautiful bike ride through the green heart of South Holland via the river Drecht and the Amstel channel to Kudelstaart.
Wednesday: Kudelstaart - Amsterdam – Zaanse Schans – 18 miles (31 km) Early this morning (6:30 a.m.) we will have a coffee then begin biking to the flower auction of Aalsmeer, the largest of Europe. Here, huge quantities of flowers are trucked in and sold every day, after which they're distributed all over Europe. After our visit we return on board for a late breakfast. The bike tour then continues through the Amsterdamse Bos, west of Amsterdam, to Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet with original houses and windmills from the river Zaan area and where people live and work. The hamlet is dominated by operating windmills (the oldest built in 1673) which grind mustard, spices, paint, and oil, and also saw wood into planks. As we walk through the village we will see a clock museum, an old- fashioned grocery store, a house with period furniture, a clog maker, and a cheese farm.
Thursday: Zaanse Schans – Alkmaar – 18 or 24 miles (29 or 40 km) This morning you cycle to the Hortus Bulborum, a unique garden museum dedicated to the preservation of rare and historic bulbs. More than 4,000 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other flowers are planted here. Your cycling tour continues to Egmond at the Northsea. The tour goes through the dunes to Alkmaar. This town is known as a Dutch cheese city. As you wander through the streets you’ll be amazed by the beauty of Alkmaar’s Old Town, with its well-preserved 17th century buildings and narrow, winding canals. Today there's no dinner on board, and you can select one of the local restaurants of Alkmaar.
Van Gogh Tours Inc. • (781)-646-0096 • [email protected] Friday: Alkmaar – Amsterdam – 22 or 33 miles (37 or 54 km) After breakfast your cycling tour leads you to the former windmill complex of the Schermer Polder. Here we visit the Schermerhorn Windmill Museum. Your next stop is the beautiful town of De Rijp. Centuries of history are still evident here in De Rijp’s wooden facades, beautiful church, lock and town hall. From here, your ride continues back to Amsterdam. During the afternoon and evening you will have time to visit the city. Amsterdam began as a simple village at the mouth of the River Amstel but expanded rapidly with its famous rings of canals during its Golden Age. The palace on the Dam Square is sometimes called the 8th Wonder of the World because it's built on 13,659 wooden piles. Amsterdam today is a cosmopolitan city with 40 museums, close to one million inhabitants, and a thriving economy.
Saturday: Tour Ends Our tour concludes after breakfast, with departure around 9 a.m.
Departure Point Amsterdam The barge embarks from the Oosterdok (next to the science center Nemo) near the Central Railway Station in Amsterdam. You're expected on board at 1.30 p.m.. If you want you can bring your luggage in advance, from 10 a.m. onwards. A map, detailed instructions, and the name of your boat will be provided after your final payment is received.
Difficulty and Daily Mileage This tour is rated “easy” for its flat terrain and low mileage. All distances are approximate. The above planned itinerary is subject to change due to changing wind, weather conditions, and other unforeseen circumstances (such as mooring requirements).
Travel Guidance On the Fleur and Zwaantje barge, there will be two guides accompanying the group when there are more than 18 participants. With less than 18 participants, and also on the barges Allure and Sarah, one guide will be with the group. For days when there are longer and shorter cycling options and only one guide, the guide will use their best judgment as to which route would be best for the group. When there are two guides one will do the longer route and one will do the shorter group. The experienced, multilingual guide will indicate points of interest along the way, accompanies the group when biking, and can assist in case of flat tires or breakdowns. The guide has the tough job of keeping the group moving while also not exhausting the slower riders. If riding in a big group doesn’t sound appealing to you, you could take the route directions and bike on your own. Also keep in mind that this tour covers a lot of great sites! While this means you get to see a lot, it also means that during the daily bike ride you won’t have lots of extra time to shop or stop to take a picture of every lamb or field. Your guide will generally keep you moving so you're back to the barge around 5 p.m., giving you some time before dinner to relax or walk around the town where your barge is moored. Note that in the Netherlands and Belgium, many shops close at 5 or 6 p.m.
The Bicycles A well maintained, comfortable 7-speed (Sarah and Allure) 11-speed (Fleur) or 21-speed (Zwaantje) hybrid bicycle is available free of charge for each participant. Men and
Van Gogh Tours Inc. • (781)-646-0096 • [email protected] women’s models are available in sizes appropriate to your height. The bikes come with helmets, grip shifters, hand brakes, carrier bag, water bottle, and bike insurance! If you prefer to bring your own bike you're welcome to do so at a discount of $85 per person. Electric bikes can be rented for this tour ($115 per person). We advise you only to rent an electric bike if you have first tried one at home. They're heavier than regular bikes and therefore can be difficult to maneuver.
Meals The cook prepares all meals: a substantial breakfast and a three-course dinner of very high quality. A packed lunch may be prepared after breakfast. Tea and coffee will be ready when you arrive on board in the afternoon. There's a bar on board with reasonably-priced beer, wine, and soft drinks. If you have special meal requirements, we ask you to mention this when booking. In the case of a gluten-free or lactose-free diet there's an additional charge of €50 per week. You'll need to pay this in cash on board. If you want to drink a bottle of wine that you didn't purchase from the ship's bar, the barge will charge a corkage fee of €5 per bottle.
The Barge Our motorized passenger vessels, about 35 - 45 meters in length, are former river vessels especially converted for this kind of holiday. On board you'll find a cozy dining room, a sun deck/a deck for the bicycles. All cabins are provided with running water (hot and cold), private shower and toilet, 220 voltage, central heating, and air conditioning. There's limited storage space in the cabin so we recommend 1 suitcase per person. You can slide the suitcase under your bed. Bike & barge vacations are for people who really enjoy the physical activity of cycling and who value sociability more than wholesale luxury.
WiFi WiFi is available on a limited basis on board, only in the lounge and on deck. Up to 50 MB is free. For more than 50 MB there’s a surcharge.
King's Day, April 27 If your trip coincides with King's Day, one of the largest public holidays in the Netherlands, you will get to view a sea of orange-clad Dutch people, loud festivities, and a giant children’s yard sale! The biggest celebration is in Amsterdam, but you'll find celebrations in any Dutch town you're in. Bring something orange and plan accordingly, as local transportation may be delayed or rerouted, and many museums and shops are closed.
Insurance The bicycle insurance included with this tour covers damage and theft but NOT deliberate negligence such as riding over curbstones, or theft due to negligence. We highly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance.
Not Included in the Tour Price • Airfare • Drinks from bar on board or when cycling • One dinner • Admission fees to the various museums or places of interest • Trip cancellation insurance
Van Gogh Tours Inc. • (781)-646-0096 • [email protected]