8- days Tulip Tour 2024

Boat and bike 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.

Fully Guided
Accompanied by a competent, professional and multilingual tour leader, you and the group will visit interesting sights and places on the daily cycling tours. During the bike tour, they will explain the local history and culture behind the things you encounter along the way. You can also choose to ride individually with the help of the Ride with GPS app and our BBT cycling map (available on board).

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

Day 1 (Sat): Amsterdam – Haarlem, Bike tour: about 15 km 14.00 h Arrival 14.30 h The barge leaves the harbor. The crew will welcome you aboard the barge with coffee and tea. 15.00 h Safety lecture 16.00 h Test-ride from the lock of Spaarndam. 18.30 h Dinner 20.00 h Walk through the city of Haarlem

Day 2 (Sun): Haarlem – Keukenhof – Leiden, Biking: about 50 km 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 – Gouda, Bike tour: about 40 km Breakfast while sailing out of Leiden. Your bike tour starts just outside Leiden and leads through the ‘green heart’ of Holland. Near Zoeterwoude, you will visit the 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.

Day 4 (Tue): Gouda – Kudelstaart, Bike tour: about 35 km 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 bike through the ‘green heart’ of South Holland via river Drecht and Amstel-Drecht channel to Kudelstaart.

Day 5 (Wed): Kudelstaart – Amsterdam – Zaanse Schans, Bike tour: about 45 km At 7 am you can drink an early cup of coffee. After that you go by bike 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 am) for a late breakfast while the barge sails to Amsterdam. You will enjoy a nice cruise, right through the city. Today's bike 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, Bike tour: about 40 km After breakfast your bike tour leads you to 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 across the Beemster Polder, an almost untouched open polder landscape. Your next stop is at the former windmill complex of the Schermer Polder. Here we visit the Schermerhorn Windmill Museum. After that you bike to Alkmaar. The 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, Bike tour: about 45 km This morning you bike 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. After that your bike tours leads through the unique Waterland 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 Disembarkation after breakfast until 9 AM: End of your trip.

*All distances are approximate. The planned itinerary is subject to change due to changing wind and weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances having to do with mooring requirements, etc

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
• 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

Not included

• 1 x dinner
• 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: € 90 per week
• Rental E-Bike with pannier bag: € 225 per week (only on request, limited number available)
• Limitation of liability (damage) rental bicycle € 10/week

• Limitation of liability (damage) rental e-bike € 25/week

• Parking own bicycle: € 10 per week (only a limited number of parking places available: pref. reservation by booking)
• Parking own E-Bike: € 25 per week (only a limited number of parking places available: pref. reservation by booking)
• Canal cruise Amsterdam: Ticket for a 1-hour canal cruise through Amsterdam – special price for our guests: € 18 (at the ticket desk approx.: € 20). Please book your ticket in advance and you can collect it on board of your ship on the first day of the tour.