8 day Tulip Tour

You are welcome to check in between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The crew will welcome you with coffee and tea. At 2.30 p.m. the barge leaves the harbor. While the barge sails to Haarlem, your tour leader will tell you about the tour, the cycling and safety. From Spaarndam you have the option to do a little test ride. After dinner on board, the tour leader will take you on a town walk through the beautiful city center of Haarlem.

Today’s trip leads you through the oldest tulip fields of Holland, including a visit of the Keukenhof gardens. This is the most beautiful bulb park in the world. Keukenhof is the place where the spring breaks. An overwhelming blaze of colors; seven million flowering tulips in a magnificent 80-acres’ background of traditional and modern gardening architecture. You also can admire the various hyacinths, daffodils and many other colorful flowers. In the afternoon you cycle to the city of Leiden. Dinner on board and after that you can join the walk through town.

Breakfast while sailing out of Leiden. Your cycling tour starts just outside Leiden and leads through the ‘green heart’ of Holland. Near Zoeterwoude, you will visit a cheese farm where you will learn about the cheese-making process and you will have the opportunity to taste the results. In the afternoon you reach Gouda, famous for the Gouda cheese. Gouda has an attractive compact center with her 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 you can join the walk through town.

We stay in Gouda this morning. You have the opportunity to do some shopping and to visit the market square with its cheese weigh house or you can visit the St. Johns church. We leave by barge around noon and have a light lunch on board. From Alphen aan den Rijn you cycle through the ‘green heart’ of South Holland via river Drecht and Amstel-Drecht channel to Kudelstaart.

At 6.30 a.m. you can drink an early cup of coffee. After that you cycle 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 are distributed all over Europe. After your visit you return on board (around 9 a.m.) for a late breakfast while the barge sails to Amsterdam. You will enjoy a nice cruise, right through the city.

Today’s cycling tour takes you from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet where people live and work, with original houses and windmills from the river Zaan area. The hamlet is dominated by operating windmills, the oldest built in 1673, for grinding mustard, spices, paint and oil and for sawing wood into planks. As you walk through the village you will see a clock museum, an old-fashioned grocery store, a house with period furniture, a clog maker and a cheese farm.

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. Dinner in town at your own account.

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. In the late afternoon or evening there is time for a canal tour through the famous canals of the city.

End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.

Parts that are printed in italics parts will be covered by the ship.

All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours. The tour details are barring changes, a.o. as a result of nautical, technical or meteorological reasons.

The tours will be accompanied by one knowledgeable and multi-lingual tour leader. During days when two bicycle options are possible, the tour leader will make a choice to guide the longer or the shorter option after consultation of the group.

Not all mentioned highlights will be visited during the short bike option.

• You can also choose to ride individually with the help of a map (available on board). GPS tracks will be sent to you 4 weeks before the start date of the tour.
• In case you prefer a day of rest, you can skip the bike tour and relax on board while cruising to the next town.
• On the arrival day is it possible to bring your luggage on board from 11 a.m.

8 days/7 nights

7 x breakfast

Packed lunches

6 x 3-course dinner

Coffee and tea on board

Welcome drink

Use of bed linen and towels

Daily cleaning of the cabin

Daily briefings

Fully guided cycling tours

Some short walking tours

GPS tracks

Use of a helmet

Use of a waterproof pannier bag

Fees for ferries

Entrance Keukenhof

Wi-Fi

1 x dinner (Alkmaar)

Drinks

Bicycle rental or E-bike rental

Personal insurances

Gratuities (at your discretion)

Entrance fees and excursions (not mentioned under included)

Transfers to/from the docking place

Parking fees

Allure: Rental bicycle (incl. helmet): €80 per week

Sarah: Rental bicycle : €75 per week

Rental E-Bike with pannier bag: €175 per week (only on request, limited number available)

You can find a description of the bicycles when you click on ship.

Helmets: In the Netherlands bikers are not obligated by law to wear a bike helmet.

Canal cruise Amsterdam: Ticket for a 1-hour canal cruise through Amsterdam – special price for our guests: € 12,50 (at the ticket desk approx.: € 18). Please book your ticket in advance and you can collect it on board of your ship on the first day of the tour.

Parking in Amsterdam (valet parking): prices and pre-booking on request.

About this ship: Allure

About the ship
The Allure started cruising in 1998. Jossie Verkerk, the former owner, redesigned the barge with its sleek lines herself and turned it into a comfortable and friendly passenger barge. From that moment on, the Allure has been successfully hosting boat and bike tours in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Since 2011 the Allure has a new owner: Martien van de Velde. He operates the Allure with new élan. Under his management, the Allure still is a very popular small river barge for boat and bike tours.

Description of the cabins
The Allure has ten comfortable cabins. One double cabin (8 m² – 68 sq.ft.) with a double bed and nine twin cabins (8 m² – 86 sq.ft.) with two single beds which can be set together in most cabins. In two cabins there is the possibility to place a bunk bed for children. Each cabin has a private shower, toilet and basin. Windows can be opened and the cabins have central heating. Furthermore, you will find a mini safe and hair dryer in each cabin. The corridor is air-conditioned, thus also cooling the cabins.

Description of the ship
The Allure has a cozy lounge (air-conditioned) with wide screen TV, a small sitting area and a bar. Wi-Fi is available. The barge also has a beautiful large sundeck, where the meals of excellent quality can be served if the weather is fine. On nice evenings or while cruising you can enjoy the scenery from here. The whole barge has central heating.

Facts about the ship:
Length:            42 m – 138 ft.
Width:             6 m – 20 ft.
Crew:              3
Cabins:            10
Pass.:               22 (max.)

About this ship: Sarah

The Sarah is a comfortable and cozy passenger barge. During the conversion of the barge from cargo vessel to passenger barge, the owners of the Sarah decided to choose quality instead of quantity. The Sarah is spaciously built for a small group of passengers and offers an attractive, “feels-like-to-be-at-home” atmosphere. The Sarah sails under Dutch flag and management and is a very popular small river barge on several tours in the Netherlands.

Description of the cabins
The Sarah has ten comfortable cabins (10 m² – 108 sq.ft.). There are six twin cabins with two single beds, two twin/triple cabins with two single beds and a bunk bed and two double cabins with one double bed. In one of the twin cabins, on prior request the beds can be set together. Each cabin has a private shower, toilet and basin. The cabins all have a ventilation system, central heating and windows that can be opened. Furthermore, you will find a mini safe and hair dryer in each cabin. The corridor is air-conditioned, thus also cooling the cabins.

Description of the ship
On the upper deck of the Sarah you will find the cozy air conditioned open lounge with large windows, a TV, a dining area and a bar. Wi-Fi is available. Please note that due to the mobile network connection, the quality is not always stable. The barge also has a beautiful sundeck, partially with awning. On nice evenings you can have diner over here and while cruising, you can enjoy the scenery.

Facts about the ship
Length:            45 m (148 ft.)
Width:              6.5 m (22 ft.)
Crew:               4
Cabins:            10
Pass.:               22 (max.)

As this is one of the Boat and Bike tours what cover most of the famous sights around Amsterdam and popular places is always in high demand.

March 30 departure still open for booking

April 6 departure still open for booking

April 13 fully booked ,  Sorry

April 20  fully booked ,  Sorry

April 27 fully booked ,  Sorry

May 4 fully booked ,  Sorry

May 11 fully booked ,  Sorry