Heart of Holland 7-day Luxury Barge Cruise with Cycling

Enjoy a relaxing river cruise with some cycling tours, visiting the beautiful heart of Holland. Starting out from Haarlem, the barge will take you across calm waterways to the historic town of Leiden, birthplace of Rembrandt. From here to the famous Keukenhof tulip gardens, on to Delft and the Royal porcelain factory, to Gouda, famous for its cheese, Ulthoorn, Zaandem, the windmills at Zaansce Schans, and back through Amsterdam to Haarlem. So many historical buildings, market squares, pretty waterways and interesting excursions, this is a trip not to be missed!

Accommodation:

Thoughtful and excellent touches make living on this spacious barge supremely comfortable and the week’s cruise a joy. In addition to 2 spacious sundecks, there’s a great aft bar lounge, a favourite gathering place for all to talk about the day. The 6 pleasant staterooms boast plenty of storage space, 220V and US 110V outlets and a unique “split” bathroom design. Each room is decorated beautifully with plenty of personal touches, including drawings by the owner. The barge offers an extensive library and individual DVD facilities in each bedroom.

At 40 meters long and a full 5 meters wide the main accommodation runs the entire length of the ship. A huge lounge, spacious dining room and a unique and completely separate saloon bar provide exceptional space for only 12 guests. They will never feel crowded.  Continually refurbished and refitted to maintain her full glory, with personal touches everywhere, this beautiful barge offers a true “home away from home” ambience. An upright piano, extensive library and beautiful artworks create a cozy intimate atmosphere. Many guests return for this very reason

On this tour, there is less of the ‘get off the boat’ in the morning, but rather a more relaxed and luxurious approach to bike barging. Not everyone wants to cycle for 6 hours a day, so on this tour you will have less pressure to cycle and meet targets, and more time to enjoy the cruise and the barge. A few hours cycling most days is enough for many people, yet still enables them to feel positive from all of the exercise endorphins! Guests can choose to stay on board instead of cycling if they prefer.

On board:

Breakfast, packed or buffet lunch and dinner is included, as well as the services of 5 staff including a tour guide who will guide the bike rides and city walks. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and water available all day. There is a fully stocked bar at the rear of the barge where guests can relax or just get a drink to take up onto the roof. There’ll be an honesty box for the bar, or guests can just mark down what they had and settle up at the end.  Service and presentation are of great importance. Having a high staff to client ratio helps to achieve that.  

When we visit attractions such as Zaanse Schans or the Delft Porcelain Factory, guests will be at liberty to choose what things they’d like to see and entry fees (if any) are paid by guests individually.  If guests wish to bring their own bikes they are very welcome to. Please bring your own helmets.

Included in the Barge Cruise and Cycling Tour:

• 6 x breakfasts and Packed or Buffet lunches
• 6 x 3-course dinner with complimentary 2 x glasses of wine (red or white)
• Coffee, tea, soft drinks and bottled water on board
• Welcome drink
• Use of bed linen and towels
• Cleaning of your air-conditioned cabin during the tour
• Daily briefings by your tour leader
• Fully guided cycling tours
• Fees for ferries
• Maps and notes for cycling tours (1 set per cabin)
• GPS tracks
• Use of a waterproof pannier bag
• Wi-Fi

Not included in the tour:

• Drinks at the bar and miscellaneous drinks and expenses during excursions
• Bicycle rental or E-bike rental (95 EUR / 185 EUR
• Personal travel and cancellation insurances
• Gratuities (at your discretion)
• Entrance fees and excursions
• Transfers to / from the docking place

Slow Tours offers a number of other Bike and Barge Tours in Europe

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