Itinerary
Cycling Holidays in Holland: The "Green Heart" and historical towns of South Holland
8 days / 7 nights | Ship: DE AMSTERDAM | Self guided bike tours
Cycling cruises: A unique concept, where a bike holiday and a journey on a comfortable ship are combined. Cycling cruises are ideal for those who like to cycle during the day and explore beautiful areas, without giving up a comfortable way of travelling. During our tours you don't have to pack and un-pack your suitcases every day to travel from one beautiful place to the next! Explore the western part and the "Green Heart" of Holland during this beautiful cycling cruise and enjoy many famous towns, interesting highlights, windmills, water and beautiful scenery.
Visit famous historical towns, picturesque cities and beautiful landscapes in the surprising varied "Green Heart" of Holland by bicycle and ship. Highlights are a.o. Amsterdam with the beautiful canals, Dom-city Utrecht, harbour city Rotterdam, Delft with its famous Delftware factories, cheese city Gouda, the windmills at Kinderdijk, silver city Schoonhoven, the historical centre of Haarlem, the dunes and the North Sea beach and the open air museum "Zaanse Schans". The Southern tour is the perfect tour to explore the variety of scenery in the central part of the Netherlands with many small canals and lakes, and also the beautiful old cities during daytime and in the evening.
You will live and travel on board of the DE AMSTERDAM, for many years one of the most beloved vessels for cycling cruises.
Highlights of this bike and boat trip
✔ Biking through the Green Haert of Holland
✔ Historical cities of Amsterdam & Rotterdam
✔ Windmills in Kinderdijk en Zaanse Schans
✔ Ship MS Amsterdam a beloved bike-cruise ship
Route
Day 1: Amsterdam
Embarkation and check-in between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in Amsterdam. Take the opportunity to go shopping, to explore downtown Amsterdam, to make a canal cruise or to visit a museum. At 5 p.m. welcome drink and safety instructions. Dinner and first briefing on board. First night on board in Amsterdam.
Day 2: Amsterdam – Breukelen | Breukelen – Utrecht (20 km/12 mi. or 39 km/23 mi.) | Utrecht – Rotterdam
Your first cycling tour starts in Breukelen. You’ll tour along the beautiful and winding river Vecht with its enchanting background of imposing castles, country houses and quaint tearooms. You will follow the Vecht into the center of Utrecht where you will have the opportunity to explore the beautiful historical city center: the Dom Cathedral with its tower, the canals, special shops and nice cafes. In the afternoon you will continue by ship from Utrecht to Rotterdam.
Day 3: Rotterdam – Schiedam – Delft – Rotterdam (48 km/28.8 mi.)
Today you will cycle via the “jenever city” of Schiedam and through the Delfland area to Delft, famous, of course, for its blue pottery. Visit the beautiful city centre with its small canals, picturesque streets, bridges and alleys. For many of our guests a visit to the Delftware factory is one of the highlights of their tour. Afterwards, you will cycle back to Rotterdam, where you can enjoy a short city walk in the evening.
Day 4: Rotterdam – Alblasserdam with the “waterbus” | Kinderdijk – (Gouda) – Schoonhoven (30 km/19 mi. or 58 km/36 mi.)
Today you can cycle the first part or the “waterbus” will take you and your bicycle to Alblasserdam. After just a few minutes of cycling you will reach Kinderdijk (UNESCO cultural heritage, with its impressive row of 19 large windmills). You then have the choice between a longer cycling tour with a visit to the beautiful cheese city of Gouda and a short cycling tour through the Alblasserwaard. Both tours end in the “silver city” of Schoonhoven, where you can visit a silversmith.
Day 5: Schoonhoven – Oudewater – Utrecht (36 km/21.6 mi. or 44 km/26.4 mi.) | Utrecht – Haarlem
Today you will cycle from Schoonhoven through the beautiful “Green Heart” of Holland along small villages and quiet roads to Utrecht. On your way you can visit a traditional
cheese farm and in Oudewater you can visit the Witches Weigh House. In the late afternoon the ship will sail from Utrecht to Haarlem.
Day 6: Haarlem – North Sea coast – Haarlem (40 km/25 mi. or 50 km/31 mi.) | Haarlem – Zaandam
Today you can choose from 2 cycling tours. Both tours takes you through the beautiful Kennemer dunes, a national park where you can spot several bird species, Scottish Highland cows and Shetland ponies. After a visit to the seaside resorts Bloemendaal and Zandvoort you cycle through the forests and the center of Haarlem back to the ship. The longer cycling tour leads to the largest steam engine of the world, the Cruquius pumping station and back to Haarlem. During dinner your ship will cruise to Zaandam.
* Departures dates between March 27 and incl. May 1: From Haarlem you have the opportunity to visit the world famous Tulip exhibition park “Keukenhof” in Lisse (by bicycle or public transport; transfers/tickets/entrance fee not included).
Day 7: Zaandam – Amsterdam (32 km/19 mi. or 53 km/31 mi.)
From Zaandam your final day of cycling will take you to the open air museum the Zaanse Schans (free entry), with its beautiful windmills, an Old Dutch village with traditional wooden houses, a cheese farm and a traditional wooden clog maker. After exploring the museum you cycle through the recreational area “Twiske” back to Amsterdam. The afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy everything Amsterdam has to offer. If you didn’t go for a canal tour on the first day, you will have the opportunity to do so today.
Day 8: Amsterdam
End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.
Good to know
- Cycling route distances in the travel program ar ogram are approximate.
- On some days you can choose between a longer and a shorter cycling route. Please note that on the shorter routes you may not be able to visit all the highlights mentioned.
- If you prefer not to cycle on a particular day, you’re welcome to to stay on on board and relax while the ship cruises to the next landing place.
- The tour itinerary and route are subject to possible changes due to nautical, technical or meteorological reasons, or other unforeseen events.
- On the arrival day, you can leave your luggage on board the ship from 11.00 am.
- Detailed cycling maps, route tips and a GPS app are available to cycle individually and at their own pace. The tour guide is always available via cell phone in case of questions, breakdowns or emergencies.
Map
Ship De Amsterdam
MS De Amsterdam
De Amsterdam is a very well equipped river cruise ship, built in 1991 and last refurbished in 2017. In recent years, the vessel has been operated for river cruises (4 star category) in Germany. In 2018, De Amsterdam make her first cycling cruises on the Southern Tour of Holland! The ship sails under German flag and Dutch management.
Cabins
The lower deck offers space to 30 twin cabins (11 m² – 135 sq.ft.).
The upper deck has 18 twin cabins (11 m² – 135 sq.ft.) and 8 spacious suites (15 m² – 200 sq.ft.).
All twin cabins have two separate single beds (200 x 80 cm – 78 x 31 inches), the suites have two separate beds set next to each other as a hotel style bed (200 x 160 cm – 78 x 62 inches) which, on previous request, can be arranged as two separate single beds.
All 56 cabins aboard De Amsterdam have an individual climate control system, digital TV, wardrobe, mini-safe, hair dryer, 230V and 115V sockets and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and basin.
The twin cabins have a large picture window (140 x 90 cm – 55 x 35 inches) that can be partly opened. The suites have the same amenities as the twin cabins, but are larger and – in addition – also have a desk with storage place, a minibar, a “French Balcony” (floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors) instead of a window.
Description of the ship
De Amsterdam has a spacious restaurant on the lower deck. The pleasant lounge on the upper deck has large windows around, which offers you a great view of the surroundings. There is also a bar with a dance floor. Wi-Fi is available. On the partially roofed sun deck, chairs and sun loungers invite for a stay. Here you can relax and have a drink and enjoy the scenery while sailing. Bicycles will be stored on a separate part of the sun deck.
Ship Details
Length: 94.80 m (311 ft.) | Width: 11,00 m (36 ft.)
Passengers max. 112 | Cabins 56 | Crew 21
Currency on Board: Euro; accepted cards: Visa, Eurocard, MasterCard (only with PIN).
Travel Dates & Prices 2024
Bike and Barge South Holland – MS De Amsterdam
Travel Dates and Prices 2024 per Person
Please click at the travel data to open the request form.
Travel Dates
Prices 2024 per Person in €
Departure every SATURDAY from Mar 30 - Oct 5, 2024
S. 1
S. 2
S. 3
S. 4
Twin Below Deck
799,-
999,-
1099,-
1199,-
Twin below als single
1198,-
1498,-
1648,-
1798,-
Twin upper deck
1049,-
1249,-
1349,-
1449,-
Twin upper als single
1573,-
1873,-
2023,-
2173,-
Suite upper deck
1349,-
1549,-
1649,-
1749,-
Season 1
Mar 30, Apr 06 + Oct 05
Season 2
Apr 13, Apr 20 + Sep 28
Season 3
Apr 27, Sep 14 + Sep 21
Season 4
all departures dates from May 04 - Sep 09
Optional services / Notes
Cycle hire (7 gears)
90,- €
E-bike hire (on request)
225,- €
Bike insurance/week (booking in advance)
10,- €
Bike insurance E-bike/week (booking in advance)
25,- €
Parking own bicycle
10,- €
Parking + charge station own E-Bike
25,- €
- Minimum number of participants: 18
Included
- 8 days/7 nights
- 7 x breakfast
- Packed lunches
- 7 x 3-course dinner
- Coffee and tea on board till 4 PM
- Welcome drink
- Use of bed linen and towels
- Daily cleaning of the cabin
- Climate-controlled cabin
- Daily briefings
- Semi guided cycling tours (guest cycle independently, tour leader also cycles the tour)
- Some short walking tours
- Maps and notes for cycling tours (1 set per cabin)
- GPS tracks
- Use of a waterproof pannier bag
- Biodegradable water bottle
- Wi-Fi is available in restaurant – data use is not included
- Live music on board
- Carbon offset payment to the Non-Profit organization Justdiggit
Not Included: Coffee and tea on board after 4 PM, Drinks, Bicycle rental or E-bike rental, Helmet rental, Personal insurances, Gratuities (at your discretion), Entrance fees and excursions, Fees for ferries/waterbus, Transfers to/from the docking place, Parking fees
Optional visits
(entrance fees not included, but for our guests with discount/several with discount or free of charge)
Delftware factory, Visitors center windmills Kinderdijk, St. Jan’s church Gouda, Cheese farm Oudewater, Silversmith Schoonhoven, City hall Zaandam and more…..
Cycling Tracks
The quality of cycling tracks is very good: usually you will cycle on paved tracks without any gradients of note.
You cycle independently
During this trip there is an expert and experienced tour leader on board. He or she will discuss the next day’s cycling routes on a daily basis and and provide you with tips and information about the route. You will cycle the tours independently and at your own pace using a detailed cycling map, GPS directions via the free Ride With GPS app and printed route descriptions (available on board). The tour leader will also cycle the routes, so they will be riding nearby and can be reached by phone in case of emergencies, problems or questions.
You can book a guided option on De Amsterdam
On a few departure dates you can book a fully guided option. That means you will cycle with a tour leader in a small group of max. 20 guests. The surcharge for this ‘fully-guided’ option is € 130 pp. If you have already booked a semi-guided tour on one of these dates, you can add the fully-guided option. (limited availability).
The ship – Your sailing hotel
In between cycling excursions, you cruise along with the ship, which travels to a new destination every day. You dine, sleep and eat breakfast on board. You’ll receive a packed lunch every day, and you can usually choose between a longer or shorter bike ride. It’s also possible to spend a day on board if you like. There are rental bikes on board, but you can also bring your own if you mention it when booking.
Bicycles / E-bikes
The bicycles on board are unisex city bikes of the brand Gazelle Chamonix and of the brand Velo de Ville C100, both with lightweight frames and normal mount (ladies model), with easy-to-handle Shimano 7 gears, hand brakes, gel-saddle (height adjustable), a lock on the frame and pannier bag. All bikes have 28 inch wheels. Some smaller frames are available on board for smaller persons. For large gentlemen (from 1.90 m and above) we have a few traditional men’s models (with a horizontal bar) available.
The e-bike is a Velo de Ville CEB 200 with Nexus 7 gears, 4 support levels and hand breaks only (or a comparable brand/model). E-bikes available (on request, limited stock, pending availability).
Bicycle rent is optional. Guests are also allowed to bring their own bicycles/e-bikes (limited number of parking places available).
Guests can book a parking place for a normal bicycle or a parking and charge station for an e-bike for a small additional fee. For safety reasons it is no longer possible to charge the batteries of your own e-bikes in the cabin. The crew will inform you where on deck/ on board you can recharge your battery. However, the crew or tour operators are in no way responsible for any damage, loss or theft of guests own bicycles or e-bikes.
Prices of other bikes (e.g. children’s bikes, “slip streamers”/tag-a-long, tandem bicycles etc. and child’s saddles (rear) are on request.
How to get to Amsterdam
Arrival by train at Amsterdam Centraal (main railway station). From the train station to the berth at the Sumatrakade/Azartplein take a small ferry, taxi or bus.
Arrival by car (Prices Status 2023): Parking in Amsterdam: PARKING CENTRUM OOSTERDOK – directly at Central Station – for € 25,– per day – only for cars up to a height of 2.10 meters. 1355 parking places in a guarded by videos, brand new and clean building, close to the Central Station of Amsterdam. Address: Oosterdoksstraat 150, 1011 DK Amsterdam.
Arrival by plane: You can take the "Sneltrein" from the airport Amsterdam Schipol. It runs every 10 minutes to the railway station Amsterdam Centraal and takes about 20 minutes.
