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One-Stop Resource for Bike Tours Worldwide
Representing Local Bike Tour Companies
More than 400 Tours in 70 Countries
Get our newsletter | Contact Us
Call (877) 462-2423 or (423) 756-8907
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| Type of tour: | Guided |
| Level: | Leisurely |
| Duration: | 7 Nights |
| Distance: | 25 Miles/day average |
| Dates: | Saturdays: Apr 6; May 18, 25; Jun 22- Sep 21, 2013 |
| Tour price: | €765 |
| Start city: | Amsterdam, Holland |
| End city: | Amsterdam, Holland |
Bulb growing and painting, two subjects in which the Dutch reached mastery. The paintings of Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh, and the spectacular bulb fields in the province Zuid-Holland: two faces of one and the same enjoyable and relaxing tour.
On the Southern Tour Relax you don’t cycle more than 40 km per day. That gives you enough time for other fun things: visiting museums, sipping a drink on an outside café, relaxing by the seaside or wandering through the center of an old town.
In springtime this tour will be centered around the Tulip theme. The route leads through vast fields of tulips. You will of course also visit the world-famous, 32-hectares’ park The Keukenhof, where you can admire the wonderfully colorful fields with flowering bulbs in peace and quiet.
In the rest of the year the tour offers the possibility to visit several museums, where you can admire the unrivaled work of Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh.
In both tours you will ride through the green heart of Holland, with its meadows, ditches and farms. But you will also have plenty of time to stroll through the historic centers of Delft, Leiden, Haarlem and Amsterdam.
Learn more about guided tours.
Bulb growing and painting, two subjects in which the Dutch reached mastery. The paintings of Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh, and the spectacular bulb fields in the province Zuid-Holland: two faces of one and the same enjoyable and relaxing tour.
On the Southern Tour Relax you don’t cycle more than 40 km per day. That gives you enough time for other fun things: visiting museums, sipping a drink on an outside café, relaxing by the seaside or wandering through the center of an old town.
In springtime this tour will be centered around the Tulip theme. The route leads through vast fields of tulips. You will of course also visit the world-famous, 32-hectares’ park The Keukenhof, where you can admire the wonderfully colorful fields with flowering bulbs in peace and quiet.
In the rest of the year the tour offers the possibility to visit several museums, where you can admire the unrivaled work of Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh.
In both tours you will ride through the green heart of Holland, with its meadows, ditches and farms. But you will also have plenty of time to stroll through the historic centers of Delft, Leiden, Haarlem and Amsterdam.
Learn more about guided tours.
Day 1: Amsterdam
Amsterdam, boarding at 2 pm. When you arrive on board the ship, you can place your luggage away in your cabin and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper and crew and of course your fellow passengers. At 14.00 pm (at least) the ship will sail to Nigtevecht, from where you will cycle a short tour to Breukelen. From there the boat will take you to Vianen. At dinnertime the next day’s program and the routine for the rest of the week will be explained.
Day 2: Vianen - Gouda (25 miles/40 km)
From Vianen the cycle route goes along the river Lek to Schoonhoven.
A visit to Schoonhoven means getting to know the rich past of the centuries-old traditional silversmith craft.After visiting Schoonhoven, you cycle along the river " de Vlist" to Gouda.The river 'Vlist' is a small river that flows from Schoonhoven to Haastrecht where she ends in the Hollandsche IJssel. The Vlist is about 10 km and is a so-called peat river. It was formerly used as a basin for the polders surrounding this river. You could find many mills in this area. Today the river more or less has a tourist function. In particular cyclists and hikers use the area for their tours.
Today you end in Gouda, cheese city. Whoever says Gouda not only thinks immediately of cheese, pipes, treacle waffles and earthenware, but also of stained glass windows, a picturesque town hall and romantic canals. Gouda is a real old Dutch town with a virtually intact town centre.
The 123-metre long St. Janskerk (St. John's Church) with its world- famous stained-glass windows (closed on Sunday), the fabulous Gothic Town Hall and the Waag (Weigh House) are well worth a visit. The Gouda museums are the Catharina Gasthuis, formerly the municipal hospital, the pipe and earthenware museum the Moriaan and the Verzetsmuseum Zuid-Holland (Resistance Museum).
Also visit the Cultural and Harbour Quarter with Weeshuisplein (Orphanage Square), the Catharinatuin (Catherina Garden, various hofjes (almshouses) and Museumhaven Gouda (Gouda Harbour Museum).
Overnight in Gouda.
Day 3: Gouda - Rotterdam - Delft (25 miles/40 km)
From Gouda you cycle past scenic polders via Kinderdijk to Rotterdam. Kinderdijk has the largest group of windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills at Kinderdijk were still actively used until 1950. These days, a large pumping station is responsible for controlling the water level in the polder. Here you can visit a windmill.In Rotterdam you embark and from there the ship takes you to Delft.
Delft is famous for its pottery, the 'Delft blue'. The painter Johannes Vermeer has made the town famous, but it is also known as the town of William of Orange. William of Orange lies buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the church where members of the House of Orange are still buried.
Some attractions in Delft are the Botanical Gardens, the Prinsenhof (Prince’s Residence) and the Tabaks Historic Museum (Tobacco Historical Museum). The Botanical Gardens are an oasis of peace, colour, scent and silence, with various walking routes showing you various aspects of plant life in the garden.
The Prinsenhof Museum is housed in the former St Agatha's monastery. In 1572 William of Orange chose the convent as one of his residences. It was from here that he led the revolt against the Spanish tyranny of Holland. He was murdered on the steps of the Prinsenhof on July 10, 1584, by Balthazar Gerards, a Spanish sympathiser. Two bullet holes in the wall of the stairs bear witness to this event.
Overnight in Delft.
Day 4: Delft – via Katwijk – Leiden (25 miles/40 km)
From Delft we cycle in the direction of The Hague, through the Haagse Bosch, a large park, and past the Royal “Huis ten Bosch” Palace. A tranquil cycle path through the dunes leads you to Wassenaarse Slag. Here some remains of the Atlantikwall can still be seen. Five bunkers are connected by nearly 3,000-feet-long brick tunnels. Now the underground network serves as a bat reserve. Continue through the dunes, to Katwijk aan Zee, an old fishing village. Following the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) we cycle to Leiden.
Leiden originated around 800 AD as a market place at the confluence of the Old and New Rhine rivers, the Vliet and the Mare (‘Leyten’ means ‘at the waters’). For a long time it was considered to be the second city after Amsterdam. It was the centre of the textile industry in Medieval times and is also the birthplace of Rembrandt (van Rijn!), boasting 14 museums, including the Rijksmuseum for Anthropology with many priceless foreign objects, the Municipal Museum (Lakenhal, 1640) including works by Dou, Steen, Rembrandt and Van Goyen.
Day 5: Leiden, round trip Kagerplassen (19 miles/30 km)
The Dutch lakes have not always existed. As a result of dying down of a virgin forest fenland came into being. Much later the inhabitants dug out the peat and thus created open water. For cyclists, hikers and sunbathers there are various possibilities in this lake district. Your cycling takes you along windmills, meadows, farms, picturesque villages and, of course, a lot of water.
Little ferries take you across to the next village or island. When the weather is warm and sunny many locals try and find some cooling off on or near the water. There are several beaches and lawns for sunbathing close to the water. You can also choose to visit Leiden by yourself; you can do a circular tour in Leiden, with a visit to Lakenhal.
Day 6: Leiden – Haarlem (23 miles/37 km)
Through the dunes you will cycle to the beach and then to Haarlem. You may want to visit the 'Cruquiusgemaal', Cruquius Pumping Station, one of the three steam-powered pumping stations that drained the Haarlemmermeer between 1849 and 1852. Today it is a museum, giving a clear idea of the Dutch 'battle against the sea'. Once in the city of Haarlem you make a short tour through the city to see some typical 'hofjes' (almshouses), old houses around a central courtyard, now usually housing elderly people. These 'hofjes' are definitely worth a visit.
Day 7:Haarlem -Amsterdam (25 miles/40 km)
From Haarlem you sail to Spaarndam, a picturesque village on the edge of Haarlem, in the direction of Amsterdam. Here you can find the statue of Hansje Brinker on the IJdijk. Hansje is a character from an American novel, who saved the country from flooding by putting his finger in the dike. The Buitenhuizen ferry takes you across the North Sea Canal and from there you cycle to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans, with its traditional weatherboard houses, warehouses and windmills may give you the feeling of stepping back into the 17th or 18th century. Yet this is no open air museum, but a lively neighbourhood where people live and work. Among other things a cheese farm, a clog maker and an old bakery can be visited here.
Day 8: Amsterdam
Debarkation after breakfast.
Saturdays: Apr 6; May 18, 25; Jun 22- Sep 21, 2013
Wending
Apr 6
June 22, 29
July 6, 13, 20, 27
Aug 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Sep 7, 14, 21
Eva Josiena
May 18, 25
Zwaan
May 18
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| Comfort plus. Departures May 18, 2013. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wending | |
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| Comfort (cabins with private shower/toilet; twin beds) Departures: Apr 6; Jul 6-Sep 21, 2013. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Eva Josiena | |
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| Standard plus (cabins with private shower/toilet; bunk beds) Departures May 18, 25, 2013. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Zwann
(May 18, 2013)
The Zwaan boat can hold 14-28 people, and has 7 cabins all with a private shower and toilet. The boat has wifi, and 220 voltage.
Details about the 7 cabins:
- 2 family-style cabins, 2- 3 people with double bed + single bed
- 2 friends-style cabins, 2- 3 people with 3 single beds (one bunk)
- 2 twins-style cabins, 2 people with two separate beds
- 1 cabin, for 2 people with double bed
Wending
(Apr 6; Jun 22 - Sep 21, 2013)
This boat is a former freight barge that started a new life in the early nineties as a luxury passenger motor barge. Since then The Wending is a familiar fixture on several routes in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the winter of 2001/2002 The Wending was completely redecorated to accommodate 24/28 overnight passengers.
The "comfort" barge has 8 double and 4 triple cabins, and the beds in the cabins are side by side. In the triple cabin one bed is placed over the other two. All cabins with private bathroom and central heating. The boat has a roomy and cosy salon, equipped with a complete music installation and TV. After a strenuous bike ride it is a great place to relax.
Eva Josiena
(May 18 and 25, 2013)
The Eva Josiena was built in 1929 as a freighter of type 'luxury motor', under the name Anjoma. In 1993 the ship was converted into a passenger ship. At that time, they also renamed and given the name Sylvia. In 1999 the previous owner named the ship after his two daughters; Eva Josiena. The ship has been completely renovated and rebuilt on the inside, and is a great place to relax after a cycle ride.
It can hold 19 people abd has 8 double and 1 triple cabins. All cabins have a private bathroom, central heating, split-level beds and 220 voltage
Zwann
(May 18, 2013)
The Zwaan boat can hold 14-28 people, and has 7 cabins all with a private shower and toilet. The boat has wifi, and 220 voltage.
Details about the 7 cabins:
- 2 family-style cabins, 2- 3 people with double bed + single bed
- 2 friends-style cabins, 2- 3 people with 3 single beds (one bunk)
- 2 twins-style cabins, 2 people with two separate beds
- 1 cabin, for 2 people with double bed
Wending
(Apr 6; Jun 22 - Sep 21, 2013)
This boat is a former freight barge that started a new life in the early nineties as a luxury passenger motor barge. Since then The Wending is a familiar fixture on several routes in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the winter of 2001/2002 The Wending was completely redecorated to accommodate 24/28 overnight passengers.
The "comfort" barge has 8 double and 4 triple cabins, and the beds in the cabins are side by side. In the triple cabin one bed is placed over the other two. All cabins with private bathroom and central heating. The boat has a roomy and cosy salon, equipped with a complete music installation and TV. After a strenuous bike ride it is a great place to relax.
Eva Josiena
(May 18 and 25, 2013)
The Eva Josiena was built in 1929 as a freighter of type 'luxury motor', under the name Anjoma. In 1993 the ship was converted into a passenger ship. At that time, they also renamed and given the name Sylvia. In 1999 the previous owner named the ship after his two daughters; Eva Josiena. The ship has been completely renovated and rebuilt on the inside, and is a great place to relax after a cycle ride.
It can hold 19 people abd has 8 double and 1 triple cabins. All cabins have a private bathroom, central heating, split-level beds and 220 voltage
The tour follows a flat terrain route. This tour is rated leisurely meaning it has relaxed cycling with occasional hills.
The tour follows a flat terrain route. This tour is rated leisurely meaning it has relaxed cycling with occasional hills.
Tour start and end:
Nearest airport:
Nearest train station:
Tips on getting to and from your tour
Tour start and end:
Nearest airport:
Nearest train station:
Tips on getting to and from your tour
From the famed canals and impressive art collections of Amsterdam and attractions of Rotterdam to the tulip fields carpeting the lush countryside, Holland packs a considerable punch for such a small country. Outside of the large cities, visitors can revisit the Middle Ages through its remaining castles and grand estates. Other highlights of the Dutch countryside include the marshlands, wetlands, and beaches. The walled towns of Holland’s trade and commerce routes are delightful to explore, and the maritime tradition of this coastal land is still seen in its quaint harbor towns.
Dutch tulips are iconic – a symbol of Holland. Mid-March through mid-May transforms the already beautiful countryside into a sea of reds, pinks, purples, and yellows. Another charming symbol of the country, Holland's many windmills are scattered across the landscape and make for postcard-perfect scenery.
From the famed canals and impressive art collections of Amsterdam and attractions of Rotterdam to the tulip fields carpeting the lush countryside, Holland packs a considerable punch for such a small country. Outside of the large cities, visitors can revisit the Middle Ages through its remaining castles and grand estates. Other highlights of the Dutch countryside include the marshlands, wetlands, and beaches. The walled towns of Holland’s trade and commerce routes are delightful to explore, and the maritime tradition of this coastal land is still seen in its quaint harbor towns.
Dutch tulips are iconic – a symbol of Holland. Mid-March through mid-May transforms the already beautiful countryside into a sea of reds, pinks, purples, and yellows. Another charming symbol of the country, Holland's many windmills are scattered across the landscape and make for postcard-perfect scenery.
Weather Underground offers information on average and record temperatures at many destinations throughout the globe. Type a destination in the search box and enter a travel date range to learn about seasonal weather patterns.
Get weather information.
Weather Underground offers information on average and record temperatures at many destinations throughout the globe. Type a destination in the search box and enter a travel date range to learn about seasonal weather patterns.
Get weather information.
Cycletours Holidays originated in 1987 as a seperate division, specializing in Bike & Barge Holidays, especially designed for the overseas tourist wanting to discover Holland. Cycletours Holidays was the first company to offer trips such as these, combining regular cycling tours with overnight stays on a ship, serving as hotel and luggage transport all-in-one!
Cycletours Holiday's strengths are excellent service, we have staff with more then 15 year's experience with Bike and Barge Holidays, good quality for a reasonable price
We hope to welcome you soon on one of our Bike & Barge or Bed & Bike Holidays!
Cycletours Holidays originated in 1987 as a seperate division, specializing in Bike & Barge Holidays, especially designed for the overseas tourist wanting to discover Holland. Cycletours Holidays was the first company to offer trips such as these, combining regular cycling tours with overnight stays on a ship, serving as hotel and luggage transport all-in-one!
Cycletours Holiday's strengths are excellent service, we have staff with more then 15 year's experience with Bike and Barge Holidays, good quality for a reasonable price
We hope to welcome you soon on one of our Bike & Barge or Bed & Bike Holidays!
Charge for Changes
If after booking a trip, you wish to make changes, bear in mind that you can be billed a surcharge to cover the costs of changes, This amounts to € 14,-. According to the ANVR terms and conditions, changes can generally be made up to 28 days prior to the departure date.
Cancellation conditions according to BikeToursDirect
The conditions of all tours act on the Dutch jurisdiction. Any liability of the tour operator (the transporter) is limited to the amounts of the concerned insurance-company(s) of the tour operator / the transporter is (are) willing to pay, taken into account the maximum overages. The parties agree that the Dutch law applies to this agreement. Any conflicts arising out of this contract will be brought solely before a competent judge in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Cycle Tours Holland Travel Agreement
A travel agreement is reached with the traveler's acceptance of our offer. Acceptance can take place either directly through us or via the intermediary service of a booking office. As soon as you make a reservation, your accommodations will be arranged. When these arrangements have been settled, you'll receive word from us and thereupon, the invoice will be sent.
A confirmation of your booking together with the invoice will be sent within 72 hours. Travel documents will be sent via e-mail 3 weeks prior to departure. When booking more than 2 months before departure, payment in terms is possible. Deposit is 15% of the total amount. Second payment needs to be done at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
Travel Conditions
Cycletours is a member of the General Dutch Association of Tour operators (ANVR). This association publishes the ANVR-travel condition that includes the rights and duties of both the tour operator and the participant. These conditions are available upon request.
Travel Conditions
Cycletours is a member of the General Dutch Association of Tour operators (ANVR). This association publishes the ANVR-travel condition that includes the rights and duties of both the tour operator and the participant. These conditions are available upon request.
Cancellation of the tour
Cycletours Holland reserves the right to cancel tours with fewer than 12 participants up to 21 days prior to the date of departure. Cycletours Holidays will offer an adequate alternative in case of such cancellation.
Charge for Changes
If after booking a trip, you wish to make changes, bear in mind that you can be billed a surcharge to cover the costs of changes, This amounts to € 14,-. According to the ANVR terms and conditions, changes can generally be made up to 28 days prior to the departure date.
Cancellation conditions according to BikeToursDirect
The conditions of all tours act on the Dutch jurisdiction. Any liability of the tour operator (the transporter) is limited to the amounts of the concerned insurance-company(s) of the tour operator / the transporter is (are) willing to pay, taken into account the maximum overages. The parties agree that the Dutch law applies to this agreement. Any conflicts arising out of this contract will be brought solely before a competent judge in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Cycle Tours Holland Travel Agreement
A travel agreement is reached with the traveler's acceptance of our offer. Acceptance can take place either directly through us or via the intermediary service of a booking office. As soon as you make a reservation, your accommodations will be arranged. When these arrangements have been settled, you'll receive word from us and thereupon, the invoice will be sent.
A confirmation of your booking together with the invoice will be sent within 72 hours. Travel documents will be sent via e-mail 3 weeks prior to departure. When booking more than 2 months before departure, payment in terms is possible. Deposit is 15% of the total amount. Second payment needs to be done at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
Travel Conditions
Cycletours is a member of the General Dutch Association of Tour operators (ANVR). This association publishes the ANVR-travel condition that includes the rights and duties of both the tour operator and the participant. These conditions are available upon request.
Travel Conditions
Cycletours is a member of the General Dutch Association of Tour operators (ANVR). This association publishes the ANVR-travel condition that includes the rights and duties of both the tour operator and the participant. These conditions are available upon request.
Cancellation of the tour
Cycletours Holland reserves the right to cancel tours with fewer than 12 participants up to 21 days prior to the date of departure. Cycletours Holidays will offer an adequate alternative in case of such cancellation.
