Tulips and cheese Route - Clair de Lune 2025

Holland by bike and boat on the Clair de lune

Do you enjoy the beauty of flowers in spring? Come and discover 32 hectares of beautiful colored fields in Holland by bike on the tulip and cheese route aboard the Clair de lune! Discover Zaanse Schans, north of Amsterdam with its traditional wooden houses, warehouses and windmills. Even further north, around Alkmaar, you can admire the most beautiful dunes of the Netherlands. At the end of this bike and boat trip, you will reach the polders of Beemster and Purmer.
 
Main points of interest:

• Keukenhof, the most beautiful flower park
• The polders, land conquered on the water
• Aalsmeer, the largest flower market
• The windmills at Zaanse Schans

Day 1 : Amsterdam - Haarlem - 15 km

Embarkation between 12:30 and 1:30 pm and luggage storage in your cabin on board the Clair de Lune. You will then get to know the guide, the skipper, his crew and of course the other passengers. You will cast off to Spaarndam, the village of Hansje Brinker. 
We will pick up the bikes in Spaarndam and continue to Haarlem where the Clair de lune will welcome you for the night.
The program of the next day and the stay will be given to you during the dinner.

Day 2 : Haarlem - Leiden - 40 km

This is the day to visit the Keukenhof gardens, an impressive and colorful collection of millions and millions of flowering bulbs, scattered in beautiful traditional and modern gardens. And among these colors, you will be able to admire amazing works of art.
Keukenhof is the showcase of the Dutch horticultural sector, especially bulbiculture. More than 20 flower shows allow 500 flower growers to present all their flowers and plants.
Overnight in Leiden, a historic city with many 'hofjes' (houses built around a small courtyard) and buildings from the 15th to 18th century. It is also the birthplace of the painter Rembrandt.

Day 3 : Leiden - Kudelstaart - 45km

Visit the Haarlemmermeer polder which is four meters below sea level. It was the largest lake in the Netherlands! The route guides you through the green heart of Holland, a region characterized by small bicycle paths, black and white cows, mills, ditches and numerous canals. The stage ends in Kudelstaart, a small village on the Westeinderplassen lake.

Day 4 : Kudelstaart - Wormerveer - 45km

Morning visit to the auction market in Aalsmeer. Every day the world market price of flowers and plants is set.
Afterwards you can have breakfast while sailing to Amsterdam. From the Nieuwe Meer lock, you drive along the Amstel River to Amsterdam. A ferry then takes you across the river 'IJ'.
Afterwards you visit Zaanse Schans, with its traditional wooden houses, warehouses and windmills. You will find a cheese factory, a clog factory and a traditional bakery.

Day 5 : Wormerveer - Alkmaar - 45km

From Wormerveer you cyclethrough the most beautiful dunes of the Netherlands. If the weather is good, you can even take a swim in the North Sea during your lunch break. This stage ends in Alkmaar, a historical city where you can admire almost 400 listed monuments. One of the most famous is the Grote Kerk dating from the 15th century. You can finish this day with a visit to the cheese museum, located in the historic Wagenbouw building.

Day 6 : Alkmaar Purmerend - 45km

Bicycle ride on the old seabed through the polders of Beemster and Purmer. In the 17th century, two lakes were drained and turned into flat, fertile farmland. The mills in the polders bear witness to this today. In De Rijp you can visit the birth house of the mill builder and hydrographer Leeghwater. De Rijp and Graft are two typical 17th century villages that prospered from herring fishing and whaling. Overnight in Purmerend.

Day 7 : Purmerend - Amsterdam - 20 to 35 km

Purmerend is on the edge of a region called Waterland where the roads and the water are almost at the same level. You can visit Zunderdorp and Ransdorp. Experienced cyclists can take the longer route to the fishing villages of Edam, Volendam and Marken. These famous historical villages on the IJsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee, or South Sea) have become very touristy but are worth a visit.
Back in Amsterdam after this last leg, you can leave your bike. You can enjoy the evening walking around the city or taking a canal boat tour before or after dinner.

Day 8 : Amsterdam

End of the trip by bike and boat on the Moonlight after breakfast before 10 am.
 
Due to the navigation plan, the route may be reversed or changed.

General Information:

• 8 days and 7 nights
• Level of comfort of the boat : comfort
• Children's rates : contact us
• Language spoken on board: English and Dutch

Dates:

Departures on Thursdays : 03/04, 10/04, 24/04

Included:

• Full board stay (picnic lunch).
• Travel book : we will provide you with the information about your stay as well as the itinerary at the validation of your reservation, subject to change.
• coffee and tea on board
• accompanying guide
• at least 3 guided city walks
• free wifi (limited to the deck and lounge)
• roadmap in English on site
• Entrance to Keukenhof
• Ferry fares on the route
• GPS tracks (on request)

Not included:

• Transportation to the place of departure
• Personal expenses
• Visits
• Parking fees

Options:

• Standar bike or ebike rental
• Bike theft insurance (for rented bikes)
• Special diet
• Cancellation insurance

Level :

1 2 3 4 5 6

Terrain :

Flat, very rolling roads and paths.

Climate:

Contrary to popular belief, the temperature in the Netherlands is similar to the temperature in France. Near the coast, the climate is sometimes windy.

Technicality :

• 0 to 45 km of riding per day, or 3 to 4 hours of cycling.
• Itinerary easy to follow. No difficulties, accessible to all.

Bibliography :

Guide and maps on the Netherlands on cartovelo.fr

Participants:

You will meet on board an international community of all ages, men, women, singles and couples with children. We offer you on this boat 14 places in cabins of 2 people.

Accompaniment:

Here are the people in charge of your vacation on a bicycle boat:
On board, the captain and his crew. They are in charge of the good progress of the vacations on the boat, and bring the boat from stage to stage. The cook prepares the meals.
The participants are accompanied by a guide. He or she will help you in case of a breakdown, advise you on the route to follow and give you the necessary tourist information. He or she is multilingual.

Meals :

• Breakfasts: on the boat, you will find a Dutch breakfast.
• Lunches: after breakfast, you will prepare your own "packed lunch" (sandwiches, fruit, snacks, drinks).
• Snacks: after the day's ride, you will find various drinks such as tea and coffee prepared for your return.
• Dinners: at least three dishes. After dinner, you will have the choice between coffee and tea.

Other drinks, such as wine, beer, lemonade and mineral water, are not included but can be purchased on board at a reasonable price.

Bike :

• Upon departure on Saturday afternoon, you will be assigned a bike that matches your size. After a test ride, you will sign a receipt. The bike will be at your disposal from day 1 to day 7.
• The bikes will be equipped with panniers, bike lock and a tire repair kit. It will not be possible to order a bike once on the boat.
• If you take your own bike, it cannot be insured against theft by our company, you will have to make the necessary arrangements with your usual insurance company. Do not forget your bike lock. The return of your bike will be at your expense.
• Personal electric bikes not allowed on board.

Transportation : 

• By train: The departure cities of the bike and boat tours are served by rail. Amsterdam station is very well served: several trains run to and from France daily. The Thalys is the fastest.
• By plane : AMSTERDAM International Airport.

Your vehicle:

We strongly advise against parking cars in the streets of Amsterdam. Information on guarded parking in the city can be found on the following website: parkingcentrumoosterdok.nl/.

Cancellation insurance: 

In order to guarantee a refund in case of cancellation of your stay, you can take out cancellation insurance. For more information, click here.

To access the description of the boat : click here.