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. Just after the village of Bennebroek you can catch your first short glimpse of the tulip fields. Then veer north and crown your day in the city centre of Haarlem. Look up at the typically Dutch facades on the market square. The city boasts a wealth of art, culture, monuments, restaurants and cafes.

Haarlem - Leiden 43 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, we recommend you book an extra night in Leiden. Leiden is our oldest university town. It has a very busy cultural events calendar and a friendly city centre with canals, monuments windmills and museums. The historical botanical gardens get special mention.

Leiden - Amsterdam 58 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.