South of Holland by Bike + Boat

Historical towns in the land of tulips, windmills and canals.

Map South of Holland by bike + boat

Route

Tour profile / Level 1

Flat, asphalted bike paths and side roads, ideal for children. If you don’t want to cycle, you can stay on the boat.

Day 1: Amsterdam

Individual arrival in Amsterdam. Embarkation between 2 pm and 4:30 pm. Take the opportunity to discover the city center, go shopping, take a canal tour or visit a museum. At 5 pm there will be a welcome drink and the safety briefing. Then first dinner and tour briefing on board.

Day 2: Amsterdam – Breukelen – Utrecht – Rotterdam, approx. 20 - 39 km

The first bike tour starts in Breukelen. You will cycle along the enchanting winding river Vecht, whose banks are lined with impressive castles, stately mansions and special tea houses. You will follow the Vecht to the center of Utrecht, where you can visit the beautiful city center of this historic city: the cathedral with its high tower, canals, special stores and quaint pubs. In the afternoon you continue your tour by boat from Utrecht to Rotterdam.

Day 3: Rotterdam – Schiedam – Delft – Rotterdam, approx. 48 km

Today you cycle via the jenever town Schiedam and through the Delfland region to Delft, famous for its porcelain "Delft Blue". Visit the beautiful city center with its small canals, picturesque streets, bridges and avenues. For many guests, a visit to the Delft porcelain factory is one of the highlights of this tour. Later, return to Rotterdam, where a short walking tour of the city is offered in the evening.

Day 4: Rotterdam – Alblasserdam – Kinderdijk – Gouda/Schoonhofen, approx. 30 - 58 km

Today you either cycle or take the "water bus" to Alblasserdam in about 40 minutes. From here it is only a few minutes by bike to Kinderdijk (UNESCO World Heritage Site with 19 large windmills standing in a row). Afterwards you can choose between a longer bike tour with a visit to the beautiful cheese city of Gouda or a shorter tour through the polder Alblasserwaard. Both tours end in the silver town of Schoonhoven, where you can visit a silversmith.

Info: On some departures the overnight stay in Schoonhoven on day 4 is not possible. The ship will dock in the cheese town of Gouda instead. All cycling highlights remain in the program.

Day 5: Schoonhoven – Oudewater – Utrecht – Haarlem, approx. 36 - 44 km

Today you cycle from Schoonhoven through the charming "Green Heart" along small villages and along quiet paths and country roads to Utrecht. On the way you can visit a traditional cheese farm and the Witch Scales House in Oudewater. In the late afternoon the ship departs from Utrecht to Haarlem.

Day 6: Haarlem – North Sea – Haarlem – Zaandam

Today there are again two bike tours to choose from. Both tours lead through the enchanting Kennemer Dunes, a nature reserve with many birds, Scottish Highland cattle and Shetland ponies. After visiting the seaside resorts of Bloemendaal aan Zee and Zandvoort, you’ll head back to the ship through forests and the center of Haarlem. On the slightly longer tour, the route also takes you to the historic DeCruquius pumping station, the largest steam engine in the world. During dinner the ship departs for Zaandam.

Info: For departures between March 27 and May 2, there is the possibility to visit the famous tulip exhibition "Keukenhof" from Haarlem (travel costs and entrance fee not included).

Day 7: Zaandam – Amsterdam, approx. 32 - 53 km

On your last cycling day you cycle from Zaandam to the open-air museum "Zaanse Schans",(free entrance), an old traditional village with quaint wooden houses, a cheese dairy, a traditional clog maker and various windmills. Then you cycle back to Amsterdam via the recreation area Twiske. Here you have the whole afternoon and evening to look around the city. If you didn’t take a canal tour on the first day, you can do so now.

Day 8: Amsterdam

Disembarkation after breakfast until 9:30 am. Individual departure or extension in Amsterdam.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Due to varying wind and weather conditions, as well as organizational necessities, we reserve the right to make changes to the route.

Please keep in mind that the ship is both your hotel and a machine that needs to be maintained and operated - both during the day and at night. Operational noise is therefore unavoidable.

Services

  • 7 nights in cabins of the booked category (air-conditioned)

  • Full board (7x breakfast, packed lunch for bike tours, 7x three-course dinner)

  • Coffee and tea daily until 4 pm

  • Music evening on board

  • Use of bed linen and towels (daily towel change on request)

  • Daily cabin cleaning

  • Welcome drink and information talk on the first evening

  • Daily information talk

  • On board tour guide (German, English & Dutch speaking), the tour guide is on the road by bike during the day and can always be reached by cell phone

  • Some short tours with the tour guide

  • Rental pannier

  • GPS tracks

  • WI-FI available in the ship’s restaurant - data volume not included

  • Detailed maps and information material per cabin

  • For the environment’s benefit:
    1 biodegradable water bottle.
    The CO² emitted during this trip will be compensated by the non profit organization Justdiggit.

Dates & Prices

Dates

Merkmale

    Season / Period
    Type

    Extras

    Bicycles & Equipment
    7-speed-UNISEX 90
    E-bike 225
    Parking own bicycle 10
    Parking own E-bike  25
    Helmet 10
       
    Additional nights Amsterdam
    S1* (dbl/sgl) 119/206
    S1* Arrival Saturday (dbl/sgl) 150/238
    S2** (dbl/sgl) 169/256
    S2** Arrival Saturday (dbl/sgl) 200/288
       
    Extras
    Ticket canal tour Amsterdam, duration approx. 60 min 16
    Gluten and lactosefree diet (payable locally) 65
    Limitation of liability (damage) rental bicycle 10
    Limitation of liability (damage) rental E-bike 25

     

    *S1: March to October except dates from S2
    **S2: Fair dates March 29-31, April 20, April 26-28, May 09-11, May 17-19
    A minimum stay of 2 nights is required on these dates!

    Locked dates: May 13-16, June 05, June 13-19, July 05-11, September 13-17, September 25-28


    Best - Price - Guarantee

    If you would verifiably receive better conditions and/or prices from another tour operator at the time of booking we guarantee at least the same conditions PLUS 1 handlebar bag for FREE!
    All prices per person in EUR

    Ship

    Welcome on board!

    On this route you can choose between the ships MV DE HOLLAND and the MV DE AMSTERDAM. Both are very comfortable ships who will be your swimming accommodation on your tour.


    MV DE HOLLAND

    DE HOLLAND is a cozy, small river cruise ship. In the winter of 2017/2018 the ship has been completely refitted: new marshalling, spacious and more luxurious cabins and a full restyle of the interior. The vessel has 34 cabins for max. 71 passengers. All 34 cabins aboard De Holland have an individual climate control system, digital TV, mini-safe, small wardrobe, hair dryer, 230V sockets and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. >>more


    MV DE AMSTERDAM

    The DE AMSTERDAM is a very well equipped river cruise ship. The vessel has 56 staterooms for max. 112 passengers. The DE AMSTERDAM has a restaurant on the lower deck. You can enjoy the scenery in the cozy lounge/bar with dance floor and large panoramic windows on the upper deck. In the bar/lounge. >>more

    Bicycle

    Rental-Bicycles & equipment

    The following bikes are available for rental:

    • UNISEX-touring/trekking bicycles with a comfortable, deep entrance and 7-or 8-speed-hub circuit with hand pedal brake, as well as paniers.
    • E-Bikes
    • Other bikes: children’s bike, tandem, children’s seat, bikes with back pedal... on request

    Electric bikes | E-Bikes | Pedelecs

    We provide you with modern quality e-bikes with 7- or 8-speed hub gears and step-by-step selectable assistance for pedalling power. The range of the battery depends on the support level, riding style, body weight and terrain.

    IMPORTANT: book early, because of limited capacity!


    Bicycle breakdowns

    Breakdowns can happen, also when bikes are well serviced and maintained. Flats can be fixed by yourself. If there’s a difficult repair you may call the local representative. Please don’t get any repairs done on the bike without informing the tour operator/local representative and their approval.


    Bringing of own bikes

    Bringing your own bicycles is ony available in a limited number and a fee needs to be paid as there is not much space. Due to safety reasons you must not charge your E-Bike batteries in your cabin!

    If you bring your own bicycle, please pay attention to the following aspects: You are personally responsible for your own bike on board and ashore. Protect your bike against theft on board, as well as on land with a lock. The bikes will be brought on board and from board by the crew. Due to the local conditions we cannot prevent scratches and damages on the bikes.

    Please understand that we cannot accept any liability. The bikes on board are exposed to weather conditions because the parking is not covered. Please bring along your own spare material and repair kit for your bike. The fees for parking of own bikes on board you can find under prices.

    Useful

    Arrival - Parking - Departure

    Arrival by plane

    Airport:Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
    continue by train directly to Amsterdam Centraal - duration approx. 20 min. - Price approx. € 6,-


    Arrival by train

    Train station: Amsterdam Centraal 
    continue by bus line 48 to the ship landing stage - duration approx. 15 min. - Price approx. € 2,90.


    Arrival by car

    Almost everywhere in Amsterdam - within the Ringweg ring road - parking is only allowed in official car parks and multi-storey car parks. Parking in the city centre of Amsterdam is now charged at around €5,-/hour. There are several car parks in the city centre. Some are connected to the parking guidance system. The blue and white signs of this system point to the next car park where there are still free spaces. Parking on yellow kerbs is prohibited. Caution: Wheel clamps (Wielklemm) may be used. Fines for parking violations are high.

    Oosterdock car park
    A monitored multi-storey car park right next to the Central Station (exclusively for cars up to 2.10 m high). The economy rate is about € 275,- per week. No advance reservation possible. You can find more information >>here.

    Centralparking.nl/Valet Parking Services
    We are happy to reserve a parking space for you on request and subject to availability. On the day of arrival, your car will be picked up at the pier and returned to the ship on the day of departure. Cost per week (8 days/7 nights) - car: approx. € 175,- (payment in cash on site) >>booking-form.

    For more information and other P+R parking spaces, please visit the Iamsterdam page under "Plan your trip" / "Transport" / "Parking in Amsterdam".


    Embarkation

    Please plan your journey accordingly to be on time for embarkation between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Thank you for your understanding, that it is not possible to go on board before embarkation started. 


    Participants

    Maximum: 112 guests

    Videos

    Travel stories

    5,4 of 6 Stars | 13
    We had a wonderful time on this boat and bike tour.. Well organised.. The crew, tour guides, accomodation, cyles. Gps tracks, all very excellent...S.T. 04/24
    5,7 12.09.2024 | Michael G. South of Holland by Bike + Boat

    Great Cycling But

    The cycling was easy but the breakfast and packable lunches were not so great. The breakfast selection was not great and seemed to be cold most mornings. When preparing your lunches there were not any condiments for the sandwiches and the cold cut selection ...
    • Overall satisfaction 4
    • Booking handling 6
    • Travel documents 6
    • Per-Tour information 6
    • Accomodation 5
    • Board 6
    • Route description 6
    • On-site assistance 6
    • Route-character 6
    • Bicycle + equipment 6
    • Price-performance ratio 6
    more
    4,8 25.06.2024 | Yoav shaul B. South of Holland by Bike + Boat

    nice & pleasant trip

    looking forward for our next one. thank you !
    • Overall satisfaction 5
    • Booking handling 6
    • Travel documents 6
    • Per-Tour information 6
    • Accomodation 3
    • Board 3
    • Route description 5
    • On-site assistance 4
    • Route-character 5
    • Bicycle + equipment 5
    • Price-performance ratio 5
    more
    5,9 06.05.2024 | SANJEEV T. South of Holland by Bike + Boat

    Excellent boat and bike tour

    We had a wonderful time on this boat and bike tour.. Well organised.. The crew, tour guides, accomodation, cyles. Gps tracks, all very excellent... Suggestion.. Try to seat English speaking travellers together at dinner table.. Some improvement in menu ...
    • Overall satisfaction 6
    • Booking handling 6
    • Travel documents 6
    • Per-Tour information 6
    • Accomodation 6
    • Board 5
    • Route description 6
    • On-site assistance 6
    • Route-character 6
    • Bicycle + equipment 6
    • Price-performance ratio 6
    more
    6,0 07.10.2019 | Marion H. South of Holland by Bike + Boat DE AMSTERDAM

    Loved South Holland Tour

    We loved our trip and we can not say enough about the service and the food and the tour organizers We enjoyed the boat and the food and all the fun. Our only complaint would be lack of internet and so only early am and then maybe for an hour after ...
    • Overall satisfaction 6
    • Booking handling 6
    • Travel documents 6
    • Per-Tour information 6
    • Accomodation 6
    • Board 6
    • Route description 6
    • On-site assistance 6
    • Route-character 6
    • Bicycle + equipment 6
    • Price-performance ratio 6
    more
    load more travel stories

    You might also be interested in these tours

      Navigation

      My wishlist

      Agency-Login

      Forgot password

      You will receive your new password via email.
      Agency menu
      Agency-No.
      Agency
      Encashment