The Tulip Route by bike and boat in the Netherlands on the Lena Maria
Live the extraordinary experience of a bike and boat trip in Holland through the tulip fields from Amsterdam. Visit the historic cities of Haarlem, Leiden, Gouda and Alkmaar while cycling towards the North Sea. Your trip to Holland takes place aboard the Magnifique III, a beautiful ship which sails the seas throughout the Netherlands.
Highlights of the stay:
- Tulip fields and cheese factories
- The historic cities of Amsterdam and Gouda
- The Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans flower markets
- Sailing aboard the Lena Maria
Day 1: Amsterdam – Spaarndam navigation / Spaardnam – Haarlem | 6 or 14 km
You can check in between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. aboard the Lena Maria. The crew will be pleased to welcome you with coffee and tea. At 2:30 p.m., the boat leaves the port. As the barge heads towards Haarlem, your guide will talk to you about the week's program and safety.
From Spaarndam, you can test your bikes during a short ride. After a nice dinner on board, the guide will guide you through the beautiful city center of Haarlem.
Day 2: Haarlem – Keukenhof – Leiden | 38 km
This stage will take you through Holland's oldest tulip fields, with a visit to the stunning Keukenhof Gardens. This is the most beautiful bulb garden in the world!
You will be able to admire an explosion of colors with seven million tulips in bloom in a magnificent 80 hectare garden with traditional and modern architecture. Among the tulips, you can also admire hyacinths, daffodils and many other flowers.
In the afternoon, you will reach the city of Leiden by bike.
Dinner on board the Lena Maria, then stroll through Leiden.
Day 3: Leiden – Gouda | 37 or 43 km
After breakfast, you will leave Leiden by bike to ride through the "green heart" of Holland. Near Zoeterwoude you will visit a cheese farm and you can learn about the cheese making process. Of course, you can taste the result!
In the afternoon, you will reach Gouda, famous for its cheese. Visit the city center with its pretty market square and Gothic town hall. You can then visit the church of Gouda, dedicated to Saint John, and known worldwide for its stained glass windows. After dinner, you can stroll around the city.
Day 4: Gouda – Alphen navigation / Alphen – Kudelstaart | 20 or 44 km
Enjoy the city of Gouda this morning. You can go shopping and visit the market square with its cheese weighing or visit the Saint-Jean church.
Departure by barge around noon and enjoy a light lunch on board. From Alphen aan den Rijn, you will cross the "green heart" of South Holland along the River Drecht and the Amstel-Drecht canal to reach Kudelstaart.
Day 5: Kudelstaart – Flower market – 9 km / Aalsmer – Amsterdam navigation / Amsterdam – Zaanse Schans | 23 km
At 6:30 a.m., wake up with a coffee and cycle to the Aalsmeer flower auction, the largest in Europe. Here, extraordinary quantities of flowers are transported by truck and sold every day and then distributed throughout Europe. After the tour, return on board (around 9 a.m.) for a late breakfast while the barge sails towards Amsterdam. You will experience a beautiful cruise through the city.
Today's cycling stage takes you from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet with original houses and windmills in the Zaan River region. The hamlet has working windmills, the oldest having been built in 1673. These mills are used to grind mustard, spices, paint and oil and to saw wood into boards. While strolling through the village, you can visit a clock museum, an old-fashioned grocery store, a house with period furniture, a clog maker and a cheese farm.
Day 6: Zaanse Schans – Alkmaar | 40 km
This morning, bike tour to the Hortus Bulborum, a unique garden museum dedicated to the preservation of rare and historic bulbs. You can admire more than 4,000 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other flowers. Your cycling stage continues to Egmond, on the North Sea. The circuit crosses the dunes towards Alkmaar. It is the Dutch cheese town.
As you stroll through the streets, you will be surprised by the beauty of Alkmaar's old town, with its beautiful 17th century buildings and narrow, winding canals.
Dinner in town independently and at your expense.
Day 7: Alkmaar – Amsterdam | 37 or 54 km
After breakfast, your Holland bike tour will take you to the ancient windmill complex of the Schermer Polder. You will have the pleasure of visiting the Schermerhorn windmill museum. The next stop is the beautiful town of De Rijp with its wooden facades, its beautiful church, the lock and the town hall still testify to centuries of history. The route then continues to Amsterdam by bike. In the late afternoon or evening, you can enjoy a ride on the city's famous canals.
Day 8: Amsterdam
End of the bike and boat trip aboard the Magnifique III. Disembarkation after breakfast at 9:30 a.m.
