Holland's Tulips Self-guided Cycling Tour

Arrival Amsterdam

Get here early and opt to wander around the gorgeous and surprisingly peaceful seventeenth century canal ring area (World Heritage Site). If you like bustle, make your way to the city’s famous squares: Dam, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein. Should you prefer to roam off the beaten track, saunter up Brouwersgracht or hire a canal bike and find out what the city looks like from the water. Parking in Amsterdam is difficult.

Amsterdam - Haarlem 53 km

It may be tempting to linger in Amsterdam, but today is the day you get to see your first tulip fields! Set off early to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the lively capital and enter a region called South Kennemerland.

Firstly, head for Cruquius, a steam-driven pumping station for a lesson in Dutch water management. The steam mill Cruquius, Haarlem, is itself a Netherlands 'Rijksmonument' for the steam history of the engine within, and it has also been declared an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is thought to be the largest steam engine and certainly the largest beam engine ever built. The reclamation of Haarlemmermeer by means of steam power marked the breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution in the Netherlands. You cycle from Cruquius in a loop around Haarlem and just after the village of Bennebroek you can catch your first short glimpse of the tulip fields. Top off your day roaming lovely downtown Haarlem, from impressive Grote Markt square, to the white drawbridge on the River Spaarne. Idyllic courtyards, known as ‘hofjes’, will set your heart a flutter. Haarlem is home to the oldest hofje dating from 1395.

Haarlem/ Santpoort - Leiden 38 km

Downtown Haarlem deserves to be explored thoroughly. We recommend a city walk to discover the city’s hidden "hofjes”. A hofje is a square of tiny almshouses set around an idyllic courtyard, often built by the church or by private charity to house single older women. Also dating back to the Dutch Golden Age, the works of Haarlem painter Frans Hals (group portraiture) and his townsmen including Jacob Ruysdael (land and seascapes) and Pieter Saenredam (church interiors) are on display at the Frans Hals museum. In the afternoon get set for a colourful bike trip through the Dune and Bulb Region. Try to time this holiday before mid May to capture the bulb flower fields in their full splendour! Tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths are grown here commercially (for bulb export) and temporarily transform the landscape into one of the country’s best loved tourist attractions.

Should you want to spend a day at world famous Keukenhof flower exhibition (www.keukenhof.nl), we recommend you book an extra night in Leiden. Our advice: book your Keukenhof tickets online in advance.

Leiden is our oldest university town It has a very busy cultural events calendar and a friendlyvcity centre with canals, monuments windmills and museums. The historical botanical gardensvget special mention. The route back to Amsterdam takes you past several lakes, across rural ' Green Heart’, to the River Amstel. On the banks of this lovely river, you will encounter pretty villages and grand country houses. This is one of the greenest routes there is to get you right into Amsterdam back to your hotel. As you may have guessed the city is named after the river. In the 13th century, Amsterdam started out as a fishing village by a dam at the mouth of the river. The oldest part of Amsterdam is around the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Known as Amsterdam’s living room, it’s the oldest building in the city.

Leiden - Amsterdam 63 km

The route back to Amsterdam takes you past several lakes, across rural ‘Green Heart’, to the River Amstel. On the banks of this lovely river, you will encounter pretty villages and grand country houses. This is one of the greenest routes there is to get you right into Amsterdam back to your hotel. As you may have guessed, the city is named after the river. In the 13th century, Amsterdam started out as a fishing village by a dam at the mouth of the river. The oldest part of Amsterdam is around the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Known as Amsterdam’s living room, it’s the oldest building in the city.

Return home

After breakfast your cycling holiday has come to an end.