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Holland by Bike and Barge - South Route
8 Days / 7 Nights, Approx. 280km by bicycle
Visit the famous historical towns and cities, and enjoy many architectural and cultural highlights in the province of “Zuid-Holland”. Although this is the most densely populated part of the country you will be surprised when you visit the small, picturesque towns and ride along the cycle tracks through the “Green Heart” and the small “Lake District” of Holland.
- Amsterdam with its beautiful canals
- Rotterdam, the busiest port in Europe
- Delft with its famous Delfware factories
- Gouda cheese
- Windmills of Kinderdijk
- Schoonhoven – the silver city
- Historical centre of Haarlem
- Open air museum of ‘Zaanse Schans’
Your JourneyVisit the historical towns/cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague, Gouda and Leiden. Day 1: Arrival in Amsterdam and board your vessel late afternoon. Day 2 Amsterdam – Utrecht – Rotterdam (25 – 40 km): Cruise to Breukelen then bike alongside the River Vecht passing cute cottages, pretty villas and small castles to Utrecht with its landmark 111m high cathedral tower. Continue by barge to Rotterdam with time in the evening for a walking tour. Day 3 Rotterdam – Delft – Rotterdam (50 km): Today the ship stays in Rotterdam. Cycle to the charming town of Delft with its town square, canals, picturesque streets, bridges and alleyways. For many, a visit to the Delftware factories, ‘Royal Delft’, is one of the highlights of the tour. In the evening, a short city walking tour is included. Day 4 Rotterdam – Alblasserdam/Kinderdijk – Gouda – Schoonhoven (30 – 58 km): Ferry with your bike to Alblasserdam then cycle to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, with 19 windmills all in a line. You then have the choice of a shorter bike tour to the ‘Silver City’ of Schoonhoven at the Lek River, or a longer route via the cheese town of Gouda. Day 5 Schoonhoven – Oudewater - Utrecht (Cycling approx 45 km) Afternoon: Utrecht - Haarlem by boat Cycle from Schoonhoven through the beautiful “Green Heart” to Utrecht. We go through Oudewater, where you can visit the Witches Weigh House dating back to 1595. The scales in the weigh house were used to weigh women alleged to be witches. Near Oudewater, you can visit a traditional cheese farm and buy Gouda cheeses. In the afternoon we cruise to Haarlem. Day 6 Haarlem – North Sea Coast – Haarlem – Zaandem (40 - 50 km) Choice of a shorter more direct bike ride to Haarlem or a longer route through the dunes via Bloemendaal and Zandvoort along the North Sea Coast. In the evening cruise to Zaandem. Day 7 Zaandem – Amsterdam (30 - 45 km) Cycle to the open air museum ‘Zaanse Schans’, where you will find traditional wooden houses, windmills, cheese farm and clog (wooden shoe) manufacturing. Continue the bike tour through the Twiske recreational area to Amsterdam. You will have the afternoon and evening free in Amsterdam. Day 8 Amsterdam Arrangements end after breakfast. TerrainEasy flat cycling mostly on dedicated cycle paths. Meals7 breakfasts; 6 packed lunches; 7 dinners (3 courses) Trip Notes / Dates / PricesBooking Form |
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