Note: Although wearing a bike helmet is not required in The Netherlands, we highly recommend doing so. Helmets are not provided so please bring your own.
Day 1 - Depart the U.S.
Depart your home city for Amsterdam.
Day 2 - Arrive in Amsterdam
Meet your group in Amsterdam near Central Station before 3 p.m. and transfer to your barge which will be your home for the next seven nights. When you arrive on board the ship you can put your luggage away in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Get acquainted with your barge and meet fellow travelers. The barge will depart for Vianen at 5 p.m. In the evening you dine on board. During the meal, the plans for the rest of the week are discussed.
Accommodation: River barge - 7 nights
Day 3 - Vienan / Gouda
Vianen received city rights in 1336. As a "free city" during the Middle Ages Vianen could be a haven for felons and escaped serfs. Of the three castles built during the town's history, Castle Batestein was said to be one of the most beautiful in the Netherlands. Its only remnants are a 17th century brick gate and water pump. Remnants of the old city wall are visible girdling parts of the old downtown.
From Vianen, the cycle route goes along the river Lek to Schoonhoven. After visiting Schoonhoven, you cycle along the river "de Vlist" to Gouda. The river Vlist is a small river that flows from Schoonhoven to Haastrecht where she ends in the Hollandsche IJssel. The Vlist is about 10 km and was formerly used as a basin for the polders surrounding this river. You could find many mills in this area. Today the river more or less has a tourist function. In particular cyclists and hikers use the area for their tours. End the day in Gouda, the cheese city. Gouda is an older Dutch town with an intact town center, picturesque town hall and romantic canals.
Day 4 - Gouda / Rotterdam / Delft
From Gouda, you cycle past scenic polders via Kinderdijk to Rotterdam. Kinderdijk has the largest group of windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills at Kinderdijk were still actively used until 1950. These days, a large pumping station is responsible for controlling the water level in the polder. Here you can visit a windmill. In Rotterdam you embark your ship and it takes you to Delft.
Delft is famous for its pottery, the “Delft blue.” The painter Johannes Vermeer has made the town famous, but it is also known as the town of William of Orange. William of Orange lies buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the church where members of the House of Orange are still buried. Some attractions in Delft are the Botanical Gardens, the Prinsenhof (Prince’s Residence) and the Tabaks Historisch Museum (Tobacco Historical Museum). The Botanical Gardens are an oasis of peace, color, scent and silence, with various walking routes showing you various aspects of plant life in the garden.
Day 5 – Delft / Katwijk / Leiden
From Delft we cycle in the direction of The Hague through the Haagse Bosch, a large park, and past the Royal Huisten Bosch Palace. A tranquil cycle path through the dunes leads you to Wassenaarse Slag. Further through the dunes, to Katwijk aan Zee, is an old fishing village. The old inhabitants of Katwijk still speak their own dialect, “Kattuks.” Following the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river we cycle to Leiden.
Leiden is the birthplace of Rembrandt (van Rijn!) and boasts 14 museums, including the Rijksmuseum for Anthropology with many priceless foreign objects, the Municipal Museum including works by Dou, Steen, Rembrandt and Van Goyen, the Rijksmuseum of Antiquities with Egyptian antiquities. The Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Garden), a 400-year old garden with innumerable exotic plants and trees, is certainly worth seeing. In the center of town you can go shopping or enjoy sitting on an outdoor terrace on the water’s edge. The ship is moored near the Zijlpoort, a gate that once formed part of the city walls.
Day 6 - Leiden / Round Tour Kagerplassen
Your cycling tour takes you along windmills, meadows, farms, picturesque villages and, of course, a lot of water in this lake district. Little ferries take you across to the next village or island. When the weather is warm and sunny many locals try and find some cooling off on or near the water. There are several beaches and lawns for sunbathing close to the water. For nature lovers, too, there is a lot to be enjoyed. In springtime the marigolds dye the meadows yellow. This is also the breeding season of the lapwing, the godwit, the redshank and all sorts of ducks. The brown marsh harrier likes to breed in the reedy borders of the islands.
Or choose to visit Leiden by yourself. In Leiden you can visit De Lakenhal (Clothmakers' Hall) where twenty of the best-known paintings of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are exhibited, painted in the Golden Age and the Renaissance Period by artists then living in Leiden. The Lakenhal shows you the typical Dutch city life from the 16th century to the present day.
Day 7 - Leiden / Haarlam
Through the dunes you will cycle to the beach and then to Haarlem. Once in the city of Haarlem you make a short tour through the city to see some typical hofjes (almshouses), old houses around a central courtyard, now usually housing elderly people. These hofjes are definitely worth a visit. Haarlem, which rendered its name to Harlem, New York, is a lively city with good shopping possibilities. At the same time there are many interesting 17th-century sights here. In particular the Grote Markt (Market Square) with the Great or St Bavo's Church (1390-1520) is well-known. Mozart was only one of the many St Bavo's organ players. Other famous attractions are the Frans Hals Museum the Town Hall, Weigh House and the Vleeshal.
The ship is berthed in the city center, with a view of St Bavo's Church and with easy access to the Grote Markt with its many outdoor cafés.
Day 8 - Haarlam / Amsterdam
From Haarlem, you sail to Spaarndam, a picturesque village on the edge of Haarlem, in the direction of Amsterdam. Spaarndam’s name comes from the dam built in the Spaarne River to limit the danger of flooding from the sea. Here you can find the statue of Hansje Brinker on the IJdijk. Hansje is a character from an American novel that saved the country from flooding by putting his finger in the dike. The Buitenhuizen ferry takes you across the North Sea Canal and from there you cycle to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans, with its traditional weatherboard houses, warehouses and windmills may give you the feeling of stepping back into the 17th or 18th century. Yet this is no open air museum, but a lively neighborhood where people live and work. Among other things a cheese farm, a clog maker and an old bakery can be visited here.
Day 9 - Depart Amsterdam
After breakfast this morning, you’ll disembark and head for the airport to fly home or extend your stay in Amsterdam.
