Tulips of Holland Sail and Bike Tour 

Zaanse Schans

You are welcome to check in between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., where your crew will welcome you with coffee and tea. The ship is docked next to the Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet where people live and work alongside original houses and windmills built next to the river Zaan. This tiny village is dominated by its operating windmills — the oldest of which was built in 1673 — and these were used for grinding mustard seeds, spices, and paint components, extracting plant oil and for sawing wood into planks. Late afternoon, you will have the option to take a little test ride.

Zaanse Schans – Alkmaar (42 km/27 mi.)

Your first cycling tour brings you to Limmen and Egmond-Binnen, and here you have the chance to bike through colorful tulip fields. Nearby, you will visit the Hortus Bulborum, a unique garden museum dedicated to the preservation of rare and historic bulbs. More than 4,000 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other special flowers are planted here. Your cycling tour continues to Egmond at the North Sea, once more passing through the tulip fields. Your ship will be waiting for you near the historical city center of Alkmaar. This town is well known as a Dutch cheese city. As you wander through the streets, you’ll be amazed by the beauty of Alkmaar’s old town, with its well-preserved 17th-century buildings and narrow, winding canals.

Alkmaar – Den Helder (30 km/19 mi. or 50 km/31 mi.)

Today you can take a bike tour north of Alkmaar where you will find the most beautiful tulip fields on your way to the North Sea. The sandy beach here is one of the most wonderful to walk along in the entire Netherlands, the perfect spot for feeling the wind in your hair or simply enjoying the view. Close by — and certainly worth a visit — is the artist’s village of Bergen. Then you will bike on through the North-Holland Dune reserve to Den Helder: this piece of land wedged between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer boasts the world’s single biggest flowering bulb field. In one word: spectacular!

Den Helder – Oudeschild | Wadden island of Texel: round trip (43 km/29 mi. to 48 km/26 mi.)

During breakfast the ship will sail to the island of Texel, the largest of the Dutch Wadden Isles. Today you can choose to cycle a shorter route or to take a longer tour around the island. You will cycle through delightful natural parks, and even on Texel you will bike through fields of blooming flowers! The signposts lead you through picturesque villages and landscapes, and even to the Ecomare seal sanctuary. At the end of your cycling tour, you can enjoy a locally-brewed, well-deserved beer during a visit to the small brewery near Oudeschild.

Oudeschild – Enkhuizen | Sailing day

Today your ship will set sail to Enkhuizen. You may lend a hand during navigation and hoisting the sails. Previous sailing experience is not at all necessary. Of course, you are also very welcome to just relax and enjoy the sailing and scenery as you progress along the IJsselmeer. While sailing you will enjoy an extensive lunch on board. In the afternoon, the ship will arrive in Enkhuizen, an old city with many centuries of maritime tradition. You can spend some time exploring here, “the herring city” boasts a beautiful old harbor and an old town full of history. No dinner will be served tonight, to enable you to explore the city. You can make yourself a picnic meal or try one of the nice restaurants of Enkhuizen.

Enkhuizen – Hoorn | Hoorn – Volendam (28 km/20 mi.)

In the morning you will join the ship along the Ijsselmeer to the former Dutch East India Company town of Hoorn, which was, in the 17th century, one of the world’s foremost harbors. Your afternoon ride goes to Volendam, a small and picturesque fishing harbor on the shores of Lake IJsselmeer. Along the way, you will pass Edam, which is known for its famous Edam cheese, covered in red or yellow wax. While this adorable village is now renowned for cheese, it was once an industrious shipyard and port. That’s why, in the 17th century, the town’s specialty became one of the most popular cheeses in the world. Sailors took wheels of Edam on their voyages – the cheese doesn’t spoil easily and could be traded for spices and other riches of the East.

Volendam – Keukenhof – Amsterdam | Full day bus excursion

Today a beautiful bus ride leads you through the oldest tulip fields of Holland to the famous Keukenhof Gardens. You will have plenty of time to discover the most beautiful bulb park in the world — Keukenhof is the place where spring springs. It features an overwhelming blaze of colors: seven million flowering tulips in a magnificent 80-acre setting of traditional and modern gardening architecture. You also can admire various hyacinths, daffodils, and many other vibrant flowers. In the afternoon the bus will bring you back to Amsterdam to spend a restful night here in your floating hotel.

Amsterdam

End of your tour: after breakfast, you can disembark until 9.30 a.m.