5-07 Cycling from Rotterdam
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Cycling from Rotterdam - 5 dagen DUTCH BIKETOURS - EMAIL: [email protected] - TELEPHONE +31 (0)24 3244712 - WWW.DUTCH-BIKETOURS.COM Cycling from Rotterdam 5 days, € 349 Introduction Rotterdam is a great base for a bike holiday. The port city is lively and exciting with a modern skyline. In contrast, the peaceful towns and villages that you will visit have retained much of the quaint charm and Olde Dutch building styles our cyclists love so well. Architecture aficionados may particularly enjoy this holiday as Rotterdam is a potpourri of architectural endeavours and work is underway on even higher and more spectacular skyscrapers. If you want to cycle on the arrival and / or departure day, please request extra days of bicycle rental through the remarks field in the booking form. Day to Day Day 1 Arrival Rotterdam We will provide you with a total of four bicycle routes to choose from: Round tour to Delft, Vlaardingen and Schiedam Round tour to Gouda and Rotte Meren lakes Round tour to Kinderdijk and Dordrecht (opt to catch a water taxi for part of the route) Round tour to Brielle, Maassluis, Maasvlakte/ships Day 2 Round tour to Delft 53 km Most of Rotterdam was flattened by WWII bombings therefore much of what you see here is post-1945. The city never looked back, always striving for newer, bigger, better. The borough of Delfshaven escaped destruction as you will see when you pass through: The harbour area shows respectable age and is a picture of industrious small-town charm. Follow the River Schie out of the city and cycle through a rural landscape to the town of Delft. The university town has a beautiful historical centre with picturesque canals, squares and quaint houses. Tourists love traditional “Delft Blue” ceramics and here is where you can find out how it is manufactured. Continuing on an artistic note: Johannes Vermeer fans will want to visit the Vermeer Centre to brush up on their knowledge of the artist’s life (1632-1675, Delft) and painting techniques. Reproductions of all his works complete the picture. Finally, if you’re not claustrophobic or scared of heights, climb the steps of the Nieuwe Kerk church tower and enjoy the view from the top. Inside the church is a mausoleum for William the Silent, founding father of the House of Orange, our royal family. Your journey back to Rotterdam takes you through jenever-town Schiedam, known for its five “tallest traditional windmills in the world”. Cycling from Rotterdam - 5 dagen Day 3 Round tour to Kinderdijk and Dordrecht 22 km What better way to see the city from a boat! Today you take the water bus to Dordrecht. Your bike can of course be taken on board. Wonderfully quiet right through Rotterdam and then disembark at Krimpen aan de IJssel. Through the meadows to the next ferry that you take over the Lek to the 17-gang windmill of Kinderdijk. Then further south where again a ferry will take you to our former capital Dordrecht. You can also choose a 18 km longer route via National Park de Hollandse Biesbosch. This nature reserve, rich in rivers, streams, lakes and islands, is not just an area. Indeed, it is one of Europe's few freshwater tidal areas with ebb and flow. From Dordrecht you have the option: back by water bus, by train or by bike (22 km extra). Depending on the extent to which you use the water bus, you can cycle between 22 km and 67 km. Day 4 Round tour to Gouda or Brielle 60 km From the hotel, cross the Erasmus Bridge and follow the rivers Maas and Hollandsche IJssel inland. Enter the peatland polders of the Green Heart of the Randstad conurbation. We call the Green Heart a cultural landscape because it is manmade countryside, stilled in time, testifying to many centuries of farmers working in wet and difficult conditions. The highlight of the day is cheese- town Gouda and what an enchanting place this is! Yes, this is where farmers took their cheeses on market day to be weighed and sold at the cheese market in front of the Weighing Hall. To witness all the action, plan your trip so you go to Gouda on a Thursday, market day (April thru August, in the morning!). Furthermore, don’t miss the 15th-century fairy-tale Town Hall with red shutters; and the 16th -century stained-glass windows in the Great Church of St. John. On your return to Rotterdam, enjoy more relaxing countryside as well as the lakes at Rottemeren recreational area, great for easy canoeing. Or you can head sounth-west to Brielle. You cycle through the port area to the old fortified town of Brielle. The route takes you back to Rotterdam via Maassluis / Vlaardingen. Day 5 Departure After breakfast this package holiday comes to an end. If you have some hours left in Rotterdam before you head off home, the delectable market hall (2014) is not to be missed! Equally pleasing to the eye is the City Hall, built exactly 100 years previously in 1914. The new railway station is quite striking and also opened in 2014. Rotterdam boast dozens of excellent museums. Prices, Data, Booking Starting dates: Daily from April 1 till September 25. Price pp € Double room, breakfast 349.00 Single room, breakfast 549.00 Dinner 160.00 season surcharge € 01/04/2022 - 30/06/2022 60.00 01/09/2022 - 25/09/2022 60.00 Rental bike € Child bike 40.00 Hybrid 48.00 E-bike 100.00 Extra services € Bike Breakdown pass € 3.75 x 4 15.00 Child seat € 5.00 x 4 20.00 Bike theft insurance € 3.00 x 4 12.00 E-bike theft insurance € 6.00 x 4 24.00 Theft insurance premium bike € 6.00 x 4 24.00 Tag-along bike € 6.00 x 4 24.00 Child trailer € 17.50 x 4 70.00 Bike helmet per piece 10.00 SGR per piece 5.00 Starting point: Rotterdam Cycling from Rotterdam - 5 dagen Practical Info 4 nights included 4 Star Hotel Breakfast included, Halfboard optional Detailed roadbooks with maps and tourist information The possibility of renting our bikes 7-days a week service-hotline Rotterdam Centraal Parking possibilities at the hotel GPS-tracks available Any ferry crossings are not included Arrival info Nearest Airport are Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) or Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) From Rotterdam The Hague Airport you should take the bus and metro to reach the hotel. For timetables and tickets: www.9292.nl/en. The train from Schiphol to Rotterdam departs 4 times per hour. Travel time is about 2 hours. A single ticket costs approx €15,- per person excl. bicycle. For timetables and tickets, go to www.ns.nl/en. From Rotterdam trainstation you should take a metro and bus to reach the hotel. For metro and bus details, how to reach the hotel, check: www.9292ov.nl/en..