Programme 

Day 1

Individual arrival at Amsterdam, boarding at 2 pm; biking to Purmerend (20 km /12.4 miles)

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. It is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper and crew, and of course your fellow passengers.  

Your bicycle will be handed out to you and you can join a short tour on bike from the ship's berth through the quieter parts of the city heading north. This route route takes us through the Dutch ‘Waterland’ region (Waterland).  The polder landscape is scattered with ditches, waterways, drawbridges, mills, historic villages and most of all: wooden houses. One of the historic villages you pass is Broek in Waterland. In the 17th and 18th century, Broek in Waterland was a popular residence for merchants and seafarers from Amsterdam.  

You stay the night in the city of Purmerend. Purmerend was created out of the small fishing village the Purmer

Day 2 

Purmerend – Alkmaar (30 km /18.6 miles)  

Today’s stage takes you through the 'droogmakerij' ‘Beemster with the 17th century towns of Schermerhorn, Graft and De Rijp. A 'droogmakerij' is a specific type of polder. In Schermerhorn three windmills 'in series' (a 'Molendriegang') can be seen. One of the three, a working 17th century mill, is a museum and shows the system whereby a series of stepped mills.

Graft and De Rijp are two proud, typical 17th century villages that enjoyed great prosperity at the heyday of the fishing and whaling industries. Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater the well-known polder engineer, was born in De Rijp.

Your destination of today is Alkmaar, also called the City of Cheese. Its weigh house was the first in the country and it is here that the weighing and trading of cheese used to take place.

Day 3 

Alkmaar–Zaanse Schans (35 km / 21.8 miles) and by boat from Zaanse Schans to Haarlem.

Today you have time to pay a visit to the Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet where people live and work, with original houses and windmills from the river Zaan area. Traditionally this was a region where foodstuffs such as edible oil, nuts, rice and grain products were imported and processed. The hamlet is dominated by three operating windmills, the oldest built in 1673, for grinding mustard, spices, paint and oil and for sawing wood into planks.

From the Zaanse Schans you sail to Haarlem. Haarlem, which rendered its name to Harlem, New York, is a lively city with good shopping possibilities. Famous attractions are the Frans Hals Museum (with many 17th-century paintings), the Town Hall, the Weigh House and the Vleeshal (Meat Hall).

The ship is berthed in the city centre, with a view of St Bavo's Church and with easy access to the Grote Markt with its many outdoor cafés.

Day 4 

Haarlem – Leiden (40 km /24.8 miles)

First 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. A cycle path through the dunes leads you to the beach.

You spend the night in Leiden, where Rembrandt was born. Leiden originated around 800 AD as a market place at the confluence of the Old and New Rhine rivers, the Vliet river and the Mare.  For a long time it was the second city after Amsterdam. Leiden boasts 14 museums, including the Rijksmuseum for Anthropology with many priceless foreign objects, the Municipal Museum (Lakenhal, 1640) including works by Dou, Steen, Rembrandt and Van Goyen, the Rijksmuseum of Antiquities with Egyptian antiquities. In the centre of town you can go shopping or enjoy sitting on an outdoor terrace on the water’s edge.

Day 5 

Leiden and The Hague

Today you have plenty of time to visit the cities Leiden and The Hague. By public transport you travel from Leiden to The Hague. The Hague is located in the province of South Holland, of which it is also the provincial capital. It is the Queen's domestic and official residence. The Maurits House is a museum with an interesting collection of paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and others.  

You also can choose to go to Scheveningen (part of The Hague). Scheveningen used to be a simple fishing town and also had a spa. Now it has a thriving casino in the restored spa building (Kurhaus) and attracts huge crowds on sunny days. It is a modern seaside resort with a long sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse.

Day 6 

Leiden – Kudelstaart / Aalsmeer (25 km / 15.5 miles)

Today you cycle from Leiden to Kudelstaart: a small town bordered by the Westeinderplassen.

Day 7 

Kudelstaart / Aalsmeer – Amsterdam (25 km /15.5 miles)

In the morning you can visit one of the many flower auctions in Aalsmeer. Every day ‘Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer’ sets the world price for flowers and plants. Each day, 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold through 13 clocks at 'Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer'. As a visitor to Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, you will walk over a specially designed gallery. You can take a look at the auction without being noticed. Enjoy the gorgeous flowers, experience the hustle and bustle of auction. The flowers and plants that are sold at the auctions are exported all over the world.

After visiting the auction, you cycle along the river Amstel back to Amsterdam. You can spend whole afternoon visiting the city. Visit for example the Rijjksmuseum with a good collection of paintings of Rembrandt or the Van Gogh museum.

.

Day 8

Departure after breakfast

Period

Departure: 26/05; 02/06; 28/07; 04/08 e 11/08

Level 1/2

easy and flat itineraries. A tour suitable for all. The difference in altitude is less than 100 meters. the itineraries are all flat and often on bike path. However the wind can be insidious and slow you down.   

Prices p.p. 2012*

Per person in double berth cabin   € 799,00 p.p.

Cabin dus  € 975,00  

triple berth cabin  p.p. € 755,00

* Please note that these prices are based on the current fuel price. Should the fuel price increase more than 5%, then we need to ask a supplement. Even for reservations already been made.

Riductions

0-2 years free; 3-11 years 30% discount (if child is travelling together with at least 1 one full-paying person)

Bike rental

hybrid 3 x 8 Gazelle   60,00 €

Ebike 21 gear € 120,00

child's bike 21 gear  € 45,00, child seat  € 15,00

Participants

tours with fewer than 12 participants up to 21 days prior to the date of departure can be cancelled.