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Holland's Tulips 5-day Bike and Barge Tour (FV)
Experience Holland in the best possible way: a gorgeous spring short break dominated by flowers. This 5-day mini-cruise ploughs through the most beautiful season of the year and will take you to gorgeous areas such in “the Garden of Amsterdam”. Enjoy some unforgettable days on board of a passenger barge with excellent service and an alternating itinerary.
Amsterdam is also called, by some, the smallest metropolis of Europe. There are many unique museums, enticing shopping and, recently added to the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage list, the canals in the heart of Amsterdam certainly make a visit to Amsterdam a highlight. Visit the famous flower market in the centre of the capital and discover the Zaanse Schans open-air museum including windmills, a traditional cheesemaker, a clog maker and an authentic traditional Dutch village.
Other highlights of this trip
For many years the river cruiser has been a popular choice. Onboard of this charming barge, which caters for a maximum of 44 guests, there are 18 twins and 4 double cabins: 14 regular and 1 smaller twin on the lower deck, and 3 twins and 4 double cabins on the upper deck. All of these are equipped with the necessary facilities: beds, bathroom, air conditioning and a cabinet for your belongings. Have drink in the salon on the upper deck and enjoy your meal in the restaurant area. Or take a seat on the large sun deck if the weather allows it.
If you would like to rent a bike (56 EUR) or E-bike (156 EUR), please contact our office when booking: [email protected]
Slow Tours offers a number of other Tulip Tours in Holland
Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Haarlem
Boarding and check-in begin at 2 p.m., where the crew welcomes you on board. Once everyone has arrived, we cruise toward Haarlem, passing through a historic lock along the way. After arrival, enjoy a short test ride to get comfortable on your bike, followed by a welcome dinner on board. The evening is yours to explore Haarlem at your own pace.
Haarlem – Keukenhof – Haarlem 50km
Today you will cycle to the Keukenhof, arguably the most famous flower park in the world where you can admire hundreds of thousands of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and many other flowers in full bloom. Take plenty of time to stroll the gardens and soak in the colors. After your visit, you cycle back to Haarlem through classic Dutch scenery.
Haarlem – Alkmaar 50km
Today, you are in for a treat. An early-morning bus excursion (start 6:30 a.m.) takes you to the Aalsmeer flower auction, the largest in the world, where millions of flowers are traded each morning.* You return to the ship by 9 a.m. for a relaxed late breakfast. Later, a beautiful ride awaits through the North Holland Dune Reserve, a protected coastal landscape of dunes, grasses, and fresh sea air. Along the way, you may spot grazing cattle or wild ponies. A stop in the seaside town of Egmond offers time for a beachside coffee or a quick dip of your toes in the North Sea before continuing on to Alkmaar. The ship docks near the city center, perfect for an evening stroll through its charming streets after dinner.
*The Aalsmeer flower auction is closed on weekends and public holidays and is an optional visit. On some departures, the visit may not be possible.
Alkmaar – Zaanse Schans | Zaanse Schans – Amsterdam 41km
After breakfast, your cycling tour takes you through the former windmill complex of the Schermer Polder. Your next stop is the charming town of De Rijp, where centuries of history are reflected in the wooden façades, the beautiful church, the lock, and the town hall. From here, you continue cycling to the Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum featuring iconic windmills (we will visit one), traditional wooden houses, an old Dutch village, a cheese farm, and a traditional wooden clog maker. Here you will rejoin the ship for an afternoon cruise toward Amsterdam. Upon arrival, you will have time to explore this vibrant city at your own pace. Visit the famous flower market, explore a museum, go shopping. There is simply so much to see and do.
Amsterdam
End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.
We had a fantastic time aboard the barge for the Tulip Tour with Jens and Marleen as our guides. Many of the boat crew were delightful, and the food was excellent. If there were any issues on the ship, the crew were quick to address them. The group of passengers on our boat were all very nice and a quick camaraderie was formed between us all. The bike tour itself was outstanding. We opted for regular bikes, but many on our boat had e-bikes. The Dutch mountains (fierce headwinds) did make an appearance on couple of occasions, but we managed the week without electric assist. We traveled in many different sized groups throughout the week and the level of care the guides took to make sure everyone was informed and looked after was above and beyond. There were numerous other boats doing the same tour routes as us, so it was great to get to meet those crews, passengers, and guides as well. Every night our guides offered a walking tour of each city we were docked in, and we even received a history lesson on the reclaimed lands from Marleen, our guide, whose family has lived there for quite some time. This was our first experience traveling like this and we were not let down in any way.
Thanks once again for your patience and kindness booking me for the Amsterdam trip with bikes. The bikes were great and fit well. The guides Frans and Janz were fun to be with and very helpful. Bea, Nadja, and the staff were tremendous and sweet. Captain Richard was a gentleman without par. The meals gave us energy for the biking. I loved the design of the barge with its spacious lounge fulfilling bar, reading, eating, and get-to-know you space. The windmills and tulips took my breath away! - April 2023
Tours marked with are special prices.
| Start | End | Max. No. Guests | Accommodation | Price p.p. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 2027 | Apr 02 2027 | 44 | Single rooms | 1,305€ | ||
| Double rooms | 869€ | |||||
| Apr 02 2027 | Apr 06 2027 | 44 | Single rooms | 0€ | ||
| Double rooms | 929€ | |||||
| Apr 06 2027 | Apr 10 2027 | 44 | Single rooms | 0€ | ||
| Double rooms | 929€ |
If you would like to drive yourself before or after your tour, ask us for a quote on any brand new Renault, Peugeot or Citroen vehicle for driving in Europe.
Pick up your vehicle from most capital cities in Europe and return it to your drop off destination. Top insurance cover. Email [email protected] for a competitive quote
Wander the World Without Worry
Local language barriers. Lost passport. Unexpected medical expenses. Sometimes, our trips don’t go as planned. That’s why Slow Tours Pty Ltd wants you to have the most robust travel advisory and protection for your vacation.
Ask us for a quote [email protected]
20
Really can’t begin to say how much we enjoyed this bike and boat tour - it totally surpassed our expectations, and we knew when we booked it would be an amazing trip. Right from the minute we stepped on board, the crew looked after everything for us. They were very professional, but friendly and fun also. Vases of tulips greeted us in the dining room and salon area - nice touch!! The meals were incredible - never expected an Italian chef, that was a huge bonus!! Our cabins were a good size and had lots of storage, and were tidied up daily for us. The bikes were light weight and set up for us - great for the cycling we did. Our cycling tour guides really made the trip for us - they were fun, caring, so informative about the area and went out of their way to do little extras for us. Such amazing ambassadors for you!!! We have been talking nonstop about our trip since we got back - and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a country up close and personal!! Robert, 28 April 2019