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Southern Tour 8 Day Guided Bike and Barge Tour (WE)

  • 8days
  • Netherlands

Single bed room:
Twin bed room:
Double bed room:
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Bike & Barge Tours Europe
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Green and cultural heart of the Netherlands

Historic towns, picturesque villages, a rural environment abounding with water, dunes and beaches: those are the typical ingredients of the Southern bike and barge tour. And let’s not forget the nineteen breathtaking windmills of Kinderdijk.

This varied trip guarantees a striking introduction to the green and cultural heart of Holland. On one day you will be roaming the centre of Haarlem, Leiden or 16th Century Delft, the next day you will cycle along the reedy borders of the Lek or Amstel river. In the historic towns there is time for visiting a museum (Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Van Gogh), shopping, or relaxation in an outdoor café. You will visit the beach and the dunes near The Hague by bike, just like many Dutch people. You will sail through the world’s largest seaport Rotterdam very appropriately by boat. Absolutely overwhelming are the eighteen windmills of Kinderdijk driven by the wind and built around 1750. An optional canal tour by boat through Amsterdam will make this route complete.

Highlights: 

  • Cities of Haarlem, Leiden, Delft
  • Gouda historic old city
  • Port of Rotterdam
  • Windmills of Kinderdijk

Tour Character: Level 1

The lightest cycling holiday, covering largely flat terrain, suitable for everyone and people of all ages; with distances to 45 kilometers. You spend about 4 hours on your bicycle.

Your barge accomodation: 

Your barge is a former freight barge that started a new life in the early nineties as a luxury passenger motor barge. Since then it’s a familiar sight on several routes in the Netherlands and Belgium.

It has a roomy and cosy saloon, equipped with a complete music installation. After a strenuous bike ride it is a great place to relax. An extensive range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is available for the ''après de velo". Outside there is a sun deck/a deck for the bicycles. The crew consists of a skipper, a cook and a sailor/hostess. There is limited WiFi on board. Hair dryers are available on board. There is limited storage space in the cabin. We recommend 1 suitcase per person. You can slide the suitcase under the bed.

  • 10 Twin cabins, beds can be placed together
  • 2 Triple cabins (with upper bunk)

All cabins are provided with: private bathroom, central heating, 220 voltage, soap, windows that open.

Included in the Tour:

  • All nights on board (8 days / 7 nights),  cabin in the booked category;
  • Full board (7 x breakfast, 6 x self-made picnic lunch for bike tours, 7 x three course dinner)
  • Use of bed linen and 2 towels (change of towels possible)
  • Coffee and tea on board
  • Tour guide, cycles with the group
  • Min. 3 city walks with the tourguide
  • Free WiFi is limited available in lounge and on deck
  • Road book, 1x per cabin
  • Ferry fares on the route
  • Bike insurance (with bike rental)

Not included:

  • Bicycle rent (optional)
  • Contribution Dutch Guarantee Fund (Insolvency Protection)
  • Entrance fees to museums; approx. € 25,- per tour
  • Cancellation insurance (optional)
  • Other drinks on board (cash payment on board)

If you would like to rent a touring bike (115 EUR) or E-Bike (225 EUR), please contact [email protected] when booking

Notes:

  • In case of gluten free/lactose free/ vegan meals there is an additional charge of € 100,- per diet per week. When ordered upon arrival the additional charge is € 150,- per diet per week, to be paid on site.
  • The program is subject to change without notice.
  • We do not allow private e-bikes on board (due to safety regulations).
  • Minimum 12 persons
  • Departures Thursday
  • Prices quoted are for twin cabins. Please let us know if you would like a triple cabin. Single cabins are limited and always on request. 

Arrival/ Departure:

  • Boarding  is between 1 PM and 2 PM. You are expected to arrive on our barge at the latest at 2 PM. You can recognise the barge by the banner. The name of your barge is printed on the voucher, which you will receive separately. After arrival there’s coffee and tea on board. Other drinks are also available on cash payment. You can bring your luggage in advance: from noon onwards.
  • The mooring place of the barge in Amsterdam is harbour Oosterdok; Zip-code 1011 VX (near the Science Center: ‘Nemo’, Oosterdok 2).
  • Airport - The nearest airport to the embarkation point of the barge is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).There is a direct train that leaves 6 times per hour from the airport to Amsterdam Central Station. It takes about 16 minutes. The price for a train ticket Schiphol-Amsterdam Central is € 6,- per person for a single journey. Walking distance to the barge is about 10 to 15 minutes. A taxi from the airport to the barge in Amsterdam takes about 30 minutes. It costs about € 60,-.
  • Train- The nearest train station to the embarkation point of the barge is Amsterdam Central Station. Walking distance to the barge is about 10 to 15 minutes. A taxi from the station to the barge takes about 5 minutes: Costs about € 10,-.
  • Car- If you arrive by car, we recommend you to arrive earlier to unload your luggage. You can find more information about parking possibilities at I amsterdam. The nearest parking is Parking Centrum Oosterdok, (about € 275,- per week, it is not necessary to reserve in advance; 500m walking distance to the barge).
  • End of the tour- The tour ends one week later after breakfast before 10 AM. After the tour ends in you can take the train back to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. Should you have an early flight, no problem. You may leave as early as you need to.

Slow Tours offers a range of Bike and Barge Tours Europe

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  • Day 1

    Amsterdam - Haarlem 15 km

    When you arrive on board you can put your luggage away in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper and crew and of course your fellow passengers. The first part of the tour you will sail to Spaarndam – known as the village of Hansje Brinker – and from here we make an easy ride into the beautiful city of Haarlem. Back on board, after the bike ride, the programme for the next day and the rest of the week will be explained to you at dinner time.

  • Day 2

    Haarlem – Leiden 45 km

    Upon departure from Haarlem you will first cycle to the ‘Cruquiusgemaal’ (Cruquius Pumping Station): one of the three steam-powered pumping stations that drained the Haarlemmer Lake between 1849 and 1852. Now a museum, it gives you an excellent idea of the Dutch ‘battle against the water’. From this monument your ride through the dunes. You will pass country estates near Vogelenzang, and near lunchtime you reach the seaside resort of Noordwijk. Via more dunes and the fishing village of Katwijk you reach the university city of Leiden

  • Day 3

    Leiden – Delft 40 km

    You leave the city in a southerly direction and cycle along the Vliet canal. In Voorschoten you turn westwards towards the coastline. At ‘Wassenaarse Slag’ you can take a break on the beach. The Wassenaarse Slag is an entrance to the beach near the Dutch town of Wassenaar. The coastline is over 8 km. long. The beaches can be reached through the Meijendelse Slag on the southern end and the Wassenaarse Slag in the northern direction (or through Katwijk aan Zee, the Zuidduinen and then the beach). The route to Delft takes you along the water once again. The old centre is well worth a visit. This is a well-conserved medieval city with canals, a magnificent town hall and a royal tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk.

  • Day 4

    Delft

    Today you will have the day at your free disposal. You can stay in Delft and discover the old centre, visit The Hague and /or Rotterdam by public transport. Delft is a beautiful town to wander round, learn more about the famous dutch painter Vermeer at the Vermeer Centre or visit the Nieuwe Kerk. When the weather is clear the view from the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) is spectacular. A large part of the Southern Tour can be seen from here! Rotterdam This bustling city has many architectural highlights, some interesting museums and is the main port of Holland. Skyscrapers stand in the scaffolds or rise steadily towards the stars. On the Maas River, Erasmus Bridge is the gateway to the Kop van Zuid district. The city of The Hague has an international character with its wide avenues, parks and stately mansions. Possible visits are Peace Palace (housing the International Court of Justice), the 'Binnenhof' with the 13th-century 'Ridderzaal' (Knights' Hall), seat of the Dutch Government and Parliament. Every third Tuesday of September the King's Speech is delivered in the Ridderzaal. The Mauritshuis, a former palace, now a famous museum with paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rubens. 'Panorama Mesdag', the largest panoramic, circular painting in the world, depicting 19th-century Scheveningen. Of the many royal palaces in The Hague only a few are still operational. You may see the Noordeinde Palace, where our King works and the Huis ten Bosch Palace, residence of Princess Beatrix until mid-2014.

  • Day 5

    Delft – Gouda 40 km

    The first part of today’s route will be sailed through the centre of Rotterdam, thus giving you the best view of the modern architecture of this port. You’re cycling day starts in Kinderdijk and then take you through the Alblasserwaard, situated in between rivers and showing you wide scenery of water and meadows. The many inundations and the slowly sinking surface made water management essential in this fenland. Canals and ditches were dug and windmills were constructed, of the latter nineteen remain today. Their job has nearly totally been taken over by electric pumping stations. After a visit to one of the mills you will continue on bike along waterways and wetlands. We will also pass many dairy farms as we are entering the country of the Gouda cheese. The tour ends today in Gouda. Who thinks of Gouda, not only thinks of cheese, pipes, ‘stroopwafels’ (treacle-waffle) and pottery, but also of stained-glass windows, a fairy-like town hall and atmospheric canals. Gouda is beautiful Old-Dutch city with a mostly intact city centre.

  • Day 6

    Gouda – Oude Wetering 45 km

    From Gouda you will continue your tour over country roads, banks and channels through the Green Heart and polders to Oude Wetering, a sleepy village between between the lakes of Braasemmermeer and Westeinderplassen. On the way you will pass the wetlands of Reeuwijkse Plassen north of Gouda and will ride through typical Dutch countryside with many waterways, green pastures and of course some windmills.

  • Day 7

    Oude Wetering – Amsterdam 45 km

    Today you will first ride to the village of Uithoorn The name De Uithoorn (or also De Uythoorn) was used at the end of the Middle Ages for the location of the lower courts of the deanery of Saint John. The village was formed around its courthouse. People depended on agriculture and animal husbandry. Agriculture became increasingly more difficult due to the steady soil subsidence. From circa 1600 on, peat extraction became important and resulted in the formation of large ponds, which in turn would be made into polders later on. Circa 1885, several fortifications were built around Oude Wetering and Uithoorn as part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. From Uithoorn you start your ride into Amsterdam following the Amstel River. In the afternoon there is still some time to go into town and after dinner you may want to finish off your trip by going on a city walk or taking a trip on one of Amsterdam’s canal boats.

  • Day 8

    Amsterdam, end of tour

    End of the tour after breakfast, before 10 AM. If you have an early flight, ask the the tour leader to arrange a taxi to the Airport.

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Tours marked with are special prices.

Start End Max. No. Guests Accommodation Price p.p.
May 08 2025 May 15 2025 24 Single rooms 2,220€
Double rooms 1,480€
May 15 2025 May 22 2025 24 Single rooms 2,220€
Double rooms 1,480€
Jun 19 2025 Jun 26 2025 24 Single rooms 2,220€
Double rooms 1,480€
Sep 04 2025 Sep 11 2025 24 Single rooms 2,430€
Double rooms 1,620€
Sep 25 2025 Oct 02 2025 24 Single rooms 2,220€
Double rooms 1,480€

Car rental in Netherlands

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

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