Bike and Boat Holland — Amsterdam to Belgium!

$1,275 per person

May 19-26, 2012

Meander through the Springtime landscapes from Amsterdam to the celebrated town of Brugge, Belgium.

Our unique adventure will visit famous towns of South Holland, Keukenhof Gardens, Royal Delft Pottery, Kinderdijk windmills, a working cheese farm and more! Depending on weather, we choose to continue into the bucolic region of Zeeland or through Holland's Brabant and on into Flanders to explore Holland's Flemish neighbors, Belge chocolate and beer- not to mention the quaint villages boasting lovely city centers from the 13th century.

Trip Itinerary

Haarlem and the Holland Dunes

Our trip starts Saturday at 1 p.m. when we board our barge/hotel, settle into our cabins, and get our bikes fitted and ready to go. Soon thereafter we head off sailing out of Amsterdam by way of the North Sea Canal.

We exit our ship at the village of Spaarndam and pedal toward the beautiful Holland Dunes. Just a few miles into our journey we stop for a visit to the Molen De Zaandhaas where we'll see a true working windmill in action.

A little more pedaling and we reach the 14th century ruins of the fascinating 1282 Brederode castle. We'll take time to learn the interesting history and walk through the relics of this well-preserved artifact.

Time permitting, we'll pedal to the North Sea in the lovely Kennermerland National Park through rolling dunes, small forests, past Highland cows and Shetland ponies. Otherwise, we head for the lovely town and woods of nearby Bloemendaal.

We arrive in Haarlem- known for one of the most beautiful Market Squares and famous Hofjes (courtyards) in Holland. After a special Welcome Dinner, we'll spend the evening sightseeing Haarlem's historical treasures.

Visit to Leiden

We depart our boat quickly after breakfast as today is a full day of sightseeing and cycling for us.

We leave Haarlem and venture to the beautiful dunes skirting the coast into the town of Lisse.

This is the final day for 2012 of the famous Keukenhof - the world's largest flower garden- and we plan on several hours to meander the magnificent acreage and enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds.

Passing the old town of Sassenheim and Warmond - we reach the city of Leiden.

Leiden is an unusually beautiful city, famous for being not only the birthplace of Rembrandt but Clusius who brought the first Dutch tulips into flower.

Then there are 12 museums, whose priceless and unique collections have gained international fame.

Of significant importance is that Leiden is the home of the first university in Holland (1575), which has developed into a world-famous centre of science.

I can't believe how many things we were able to see in one short week! The Keukenhof was breathtaking ! We definitely will be back for another trip!!

~ Bill and Mary Scott, Illinois

Delft

We leave Leiden heading south for a visit to the Cheesefarm De Vierhuizen - a small organic milk farm run by the Leuwen family. Here we'll meet the owners who tell us about their history and show us how they make their famous Gouda Cheese from grass fed cows.

We continue south through green nature areas and horse farms and following narrow canals until we reach the city of Delft.

Dating back to 1075, Delft is known as the birthplace of Golden Age artist Johannes Vermeer and the fine hand-crafting of Delftware porcelains.

Cyclists will visit the Royal Blue Delft Factory to see firsthand the artwork and production of fine porcelain in the world-famous Delft tradition.

During dinner, we are scheduled to sail to Rotterdam for the evening.

Dordrecht and National Park Biesbosch

Today we sail to explore the wonderful village of Kinderdijk — honored as a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO in 1997. Built in 1740 and preserved to this day, 19 sturdy mills were built in Kinderdijk — a concentration of this number found nowhere else in the world.

Depending on the energy of the group, we can decide to cycle to a traditional Dutch shoemaker or to the famous silver town of Schoonhoven.

Either option affords us travel through the Biesbosch National Park — a green maze of several rivers, islands and a vast network of narrow and wide creeks.

Known as one of the largest, valuable natural areas in the Netherlands, it's also one of the few remaining fresh-water tidal areas in Europe.

Our destination town, Dordrecht, is over a thousand years old and historically prominent as a result of its strategic location at the confluence of three mighty rivers. We'll explore the city's beauty and treasured history as we walk along its cozy harbor, past old merchant houses and many beautifully preserved monuments.

Province of Zeeland

Today we sail in the morning to the town of Willemstad.

Once a fortress town created by Willem of Orange-father of the Netherlands-when struggling for independence against the Spanish rulers-these days Willemstad still boasts the preserved fortifications of its past witin a lovely town setting.

From here we cross the water called the Haringvliet into the Province of Zeeland- a large river delta claimed by its inhabitants over many hundreds of years.

For the next two days we will explore Zeeland-vistas of beautiful countryside, nature reserve areas, coastal beaches and miles of lovely cycling and walking routes where vacationers flock for natural beauty and solitude. We'll explore Zeeland's rich past through some of its lovely medieval towns and harbors such as Zierikzee, Goes, and remarkable capital city- Middelburg.

And all along our travels we'll learn about the great flood of 1953 when Zeeland lost a crucial fight again the power of the North Sea. It was this flood that gave birth to the famous Delta Works- a huge construction project building dams, sluices, locks, dikes, and storm surge barriers to shorten the Dutch coastline- and declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Brugge

We depart the town of Vlissingen this morning crossing the large water called th Westerschelde into a region called Flanders bordering Belgium.

Only a few miles following a windmill adorned meander, we cycle a picturesque canal into Brugge.

Referred to as the Venice of the North, Brugge is a gorgeous, medieval city, with cobblestone streets, serene canals, historic buidlings and beautiful squares. The perfect Belgium destination to end our trip.

Good Bye to a Wonderland Trip!

Saturday morning we will have a farewell breakfast, say our goodbyes to cycling friends and disembark at 9 a.m. for home.

Trip Difficulty

The Netherlands and Northern Belgium terrain is mostly flat, but we can experience wind and rain which are weather factors that impact cycling experience and ability.

So, we recommend this trip for an athletic/active person who has been training or experienced cyclist who can complete the daily miles under some adverse weather- if it should be present- and likes to average 10-12 mph on easy/flat terrain while enjoying a leisurely trip.

We will average 30 miles on most days with Suzie as ride leader and Roger as route "sweep" and mechanic. We advocate a "stop and smell the roses" philosophy to cycling and our group cycles together as a shared experience. Of course, you can always take a break from cycling and enjoy sailing from the sundeck of our barge — quite a delightful experience!

We do not use the assistance of a support vehicle on our Bike and Barge tours.

Transportation

Our arrival town is Amsterdam which is serviced by Schiphol Airport, located just a few miles from the city center. There is both excellent/easy public transportation and reasonably priced shuttle service available from the airport to the Oosterdock where our ship is docked.

Post-trip transportation- there is excellent train service from Brugge to either Brussels-Zaventem Airport or back to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. We will have more detailed information about transportation in the Welcome Letter confirmation we send you upon registration.

As with all European trips, we advise our cyclists to arrive a few days before the trip start to acclimate to the time change, get acquainted with the new culture and sightsee beautiful Amsterdam. We also suggest you stay a few days after your trip and explore more of Belgium.

Additional Information

For the past 7 years we have hosted our tours on the Feniks, a cheery boat with cozy bedrooms featuring a few rooms with 2-lower beds (assigned on a first-come, first served basis) and other rooms with upper and lower berths- all with private bathroom.

It also features a relaxing dining-common area and large sundeck where we enjoy afternoon snacks and dinner several evenings.

Information about this, what to pack, pre-trip lodging in Amsterdam, traveling abroad, tips on airfare, and other important pre-trip details will be provided in our detailed WELCOME LETTER sent to you when we receive your registration for the trip.

Please visit the Trip Information page for more general trip information and registration. Also feel free to e-mail us with any questions.