8 days Tulip Tour 2024

Tour details
Tulip Tour 2
Fleur
boat bike tour 2024

Bike and Barge Holland: 8 days Tulip Tour

This wonderful bike and barge trip that starts and ends in Amsterdam, takes you through the provinces of South- and North Holland while spring flowers are in bloom.

Tulips, cheese and Dutch history

You will spend time in the historical cities of Haarlem, Leiden, Gouda and Alkmaar and learn about the water management of these lowlands at the North Sea. You will also visit the famous Keukenhof gardens, known by the hundreds of thousands of blooming tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and other bulb flowers. The world-famous Aalsmeer flower auction is on the program where an astonishing volume of beautiful flowers are being traded daily and exported all over the world the World. One night the barge mooring is at the open air museum ‘the Zaanse Schans’ with its windmills, cheese farm and picturesque wooden houses. You will be surprised by the beautiful, varied scenery and the wonderful bikeways of Holland.

On April 23rd 2024 you can book this tour on ship Magnifique 3

Tour Details Holland: 8-day Tulip Tour | Amsterdam – Amsterdam

Day 1 (Sat): Amsterdam – Spaarndam | Spaarndam – Haarlem (6 km/3 mi. or 14 km/8 mi.)

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 centre of Haarlem.

Day 2 (Sun): Haarlem – Keukenhof – Leiden. (38 km / 23 mi.)
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, narcisses and many other colorful flowers. In the afternoon you bike to the city of Leiden. Dinner on board and after that you can join the walk through town.

Day 3 (Mon): Leiden – Zoeterwoude | Zoeterwoude – Gouda (31 km/19 mi. or 40 km/24 mi.)

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 centre 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.

Day 4 (Tue): Gouda – Alphen a/d Rijn | Alphen a/d Rijn – Kudelstaart (27 km/16 mi. or 44 km/27 mi.)

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.

Day 5 (Wed): Kudelstaart – Flower auction | Aalsmeer – Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Zaanse Schans (32 km/19 mi. or 41 km/25 mi.)

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.

Day 6 (Thu): Zaanse Schans – Alkmaar (29 km/18 mi. or 40 km/24 mi.)

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.

Day 7 (Fri): Alkmaar – Amsterdam (37 km/22 mi. or 51 km/31 mi.)

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.

Day 8 (Sat): Amsterdam

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

Good to know

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.

With 18 guests or more, the daily cycling tours will be accompanied by two knowledgeable and multi-lingual tour leaders. On most days, the tour leaders will offer a long and a short (or a quicker and a more relaxed) cycling option. The option for a long tour is also depending on weather conditions and wishes of the group.

  • When there are less than 18 guests aboard, 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 can be visited during the short cycling option.
  • 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..

Included in the price

  • 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
  • Climate-controlled cabin
  • Daily briefings
  • Fully guided cycling tours (from 18 guests: 2 tour leaders, 2 groups)
  • Some short walking tours
  • GPS tracks
  • Use of a helmet
  • Use of a waterproof pannier bag
  • Water bottle
  • Fees for ferries
  • Entrance Keukenhof
  • Visit original Dutch cheese farm
  • Entrance North-Holland Dune reserve
  • Entrance flower auction Aalsmeer
  • Wi-Fi

Not included

  • 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
  • Dietary requirements on request/surcharges may be calculated (pre-booking is necessary).

2024:

  • Rental bicycle Premium: € 100 per week (optional)
  • Rental E-Bike Premium: € 220 (only a limited number of electrical bikes available: pref. reservation by booking)
  • Parking own bicycle/E-Bike: it is not possible to bring your own bicycle/E-Bike on these ships, due to a lack of space on deck.
  • Canal cruise Amsterdam: Ticket for a 1-hour canal cruise through Amsterdam – special price for our guests: € 14 (at the ticket desk approx.: € 19). 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.
Cabins 2024 Prices p.p. EUR March 31 April 7, 14, 21 and 28 Magnifique 3 April 23
Twin cabin € 1499,- € 1599,- € 1699
Twin cabin single (max. 1) € 2248.50 € 2398.50 € 2548.50
Junior suite -- -- € 2099
Upper deck suite -- -- € 2299
Single cabin -- -- € 2189
Bike € 100,-
E-bike € 250,-