Netherlands On the Dutch way

Bike and Barge Netherlands: Best of Holland | Magnifique, Magnifique II and Magnifique III

This tour with the premium ships Magnifique, Magnifique II and Magnifique III combines many highlights and gives you a fantastic impression of characteristic Holland. The cycling cruise starts in Amsterdam, with an enjoyable dinner cruise to Zaandam. Followed by the Zaanse Schans open air museum as a must see highlight the day after.

Boat & Bike Netherlands & Belgium : Amsterdam - Antwerpen - Bruges or vice versa due to high demand there are 5 Boats sailing on this route see further below.

Experience the charm of a bygone era on this exciting 8 day, 7 night tour where you will discover the best of what Holland and Belgium have to offer. During the day you will cycle to world famous destinations such as Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges, while at night you will relax in the comfort of your floating hotel.

Boat and Bike  The Netherlands : Green Heart of Holland | Lena Maria

During this eight day/seven night, tour on board of the charming barge Lena Maria you will discover the ‘Green Heart’ of Holland by bike, a region steeped in history, natural attractions, world famous cities and beautiful scenery.

This tour leads you through a region that’s one of the most beloved among Dutch cyclists. Come and explore it yourself, by bike and barge. Every day while cycling, you’ll get to know more of its numerous historical cities, beautiful river landscapes, and diverse natural areas. Every evening, you’ll return to your floating hotel barge named the Nassau, docked in a picturesque harbor along the route. The Nassau has room for up to sixty guests. You’ll cycle at your own pace, while your well-trained tour leader is only a phone call away for your questions, problems or emergencies. *

Cycle along with an important trading route
The area you’ll be traversing was shaped over millennia by numerous rivers and streams. It thrived during the Middle Ages when the rivers Rhine and IJssel were among the most important trade routes in Europe. Many of the cities along their banks were members of the Hanseatic League. This confederation protected the economic interests of its members in large parts of the Netherlands, Germany and Northern Europe. The affluence of those years is visible everywhere in abundant civil and religious architecture.

Sail and bike tours are something very special. Feel the freedom, the wind and salt on your skin! It’s a little bit like discovering the seas and new areas as a modern-day explorer. Aboard one of the most comfortable sailing ships, the Mare fan Fryslân, the Wapen fan Fryslân, and the Leafde fan Fryslân, you will experience pure nature while enjoying water, sun and a stiff breeze on the big inland lake IJsselmeer and the so-called “Wadden Sea”, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve. During this Sail & Bike tour you can explore the beautiful and unique Frisian Sea and some of its islands. It is a world with two faces, where sand and water dominate during the changeover from low to high tide and where islands of all sizes line up like pearls on a chain. There are tidal channels, seagrass meadows, mussel beds, sandbanks, mudflats, salt marshes, beaches and dunes.

“Thinking of Holland I see broad rivers languidly winding through endless fen, lines of incredibly tenuous poplars like giant plumes on the polder’s rim”.

These lines of a famous poem by the Dutch poet Marsman characterize this wonderful journey between Amsterdam and Maastricht, the southernmost city in the Netherlands. Discover magical flat and green landscapes formed by the rivers Vecht, Lower Rhine, Waal, Linge and Meuse: a tangle of old gullies, cut-off meanders, dikes and flood plains with a typical flora and fauna. Visit historical towns, remarkable villages and some castles and gardens along these rivers. In the hospitable province of Limburg, cycling tours will cross borders regularly: although the Meuse flows through the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium are only a stone’s throw away. You can eat ‘Kuchen’ (cake) in a German ‘Konditorei’ in the morning and have a delicious afternoon beer in a street café in a Belgium village. The journey ends in Maastricht, the capital of the province of Limburg, famous for its lively center and vibrant hospitality.

This is cruise/tour is highly recommended for guest who would like to learn more about the Dutch history or experience the real Dutch Culture and Dutch way of life.

Sail & Bike along the coast of the IJsselmeer. Once a salty sea, now the largest sweet water lake in all of Holland! Discover this unique part of the Netherlands aboard a magnificent and comfortably furnished sailing ship, and while riding excellent cycle paths and tracks. Sailing experience is not necessary. Just a desire to give it a go. Cycling can be done on your own or by joining a tour leader. Whatever you like best. Up until 1932, the IJsselmeer was an inland sea called the Zuiderzee. Since the Middle Ages, the area played a major role in the economic development of the Netherlands but was also often severely flooded. A 32-kilometer long dike, finished in 1932, put an end to the flooding and turned the salty sea into a sweetwater lake. Along with its banks many picturesque, historical harbor and trading towns, centuries-old polders (fields of reclaimed land below sea level) and beautiful inland villages are still witness to a rich seafaring past. The Ijsselmeer’s now sweet water is home to a huge diversity of birds, plants and fish.

It doesn’t get any better than the Southern Tour of Holland on board your home away from home, the ship De Amsterdam or De Nassau. Not only will you get the chance to visit a number of famous Dutch cities, but you will also uncover another side of Holland as you cycle through the countryside – the country’s “Green Heart”. It is here that you will see a landscape of water, meadows, grazing cows, windmills and picturesque farms… it is a landscape that is impossible to feel or look any more Dutch. In short the Southern Tour is the perfect tour for anyone wanting to see as much of “typical” central Holland as is possible in one week. What you will come away with at the end of the tour is a greater appreciation of why this part of the Netherlands attracts so many visitors from all corners of the globe every year. As well as being able to discover the natural beauty of Holland’s Green Heart the beautiful rivers, classic villagers, historic cities and friendly people.

The province of Zeeland is referred to as the “Land in the Sea“ and is located in the west of the Netherlands.

This province mostly consists of islands and peninsulas. The Eastern and Western Scheldt estuaries reach far inland, thus making Zeeland a paradise for flora and fauna. Cycle with us from the energetic city of Rotterdam to the province of Zeeland. Discover the historic towns of Zierikzee and Middelburg, and the Delta Works, Holland’s most impressive storm surge barriers. Make sure you don’t forget to taste delicious fresh mussels, oysters and Eastern Scheldt Lobster in one of the numerous fish restaurants!  This is a amazing tour for flora and fauna lovers and people who love seafood cycling in peace is unspoild nature.  NOTE : DOOR THE NATURE OF THESE AMAZING SENIC CRUISE AND THE SIZE OF THE SHIP THESE DEPARTURES ARE ON REQUEST, WHEN YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THESE DEPARTUES OR YOU HAVE A GROUP OR INCENTIVE REQUEST PLEASE DROP US A MAIL TO OUR  CONCIERGE@ABOVE5STARS.COM