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Between April and mid-May we offer special tulip tours, centered on the Tulip theme and you visit of course the Keukenhof.
On this bike and barge tour we cycle through the green heart of Holland, with its meadows, ditches and farms. The route leads through vast fields of tulips between Leiden and Haarlem, where you can visit the world-famous, 32-hectares flower garden The Keukenhof . Over 7 million bulbs, with a total of 800 varieties of tulips, bloom here, it is a unique, unforgettable experience!
The tulip bulb, originally from Turkey, reached the Netherlands at the end of the 16th century. The flower and bulb were thought to be so special that a lively trade arose quite quickly. In 1634 there was one single bulb that was so expensive, a whole canal house in Amsterdam could be bought with its worth.
Apart from the beautiful flowers we also visit the famous cheese city of Gouda, the 19 windmills of Kinderdijk (World Heritage List), the international port of Rotterdam and the Residence in The Hague.
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A downloadable version of the itinery is available from the Dossiers Tab
Itineraries
Day 1 (Thursday)
Arrival Amsterdam, embarkation between 12.30pm – 1.30pm sailing to Oude Wetering, cycling around Oude Wetering, 10 km
The barge is moored at the Oosterdok in central Amsterdam, near the train station. After arrival on board, you can settle in and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is also a good moment to become acuinted with the tour leader, skipper and crew and of course your fellow passengers.
You will first cruise through Amsterdam before reaching the wetlands south of the city and the mooring place of today, the village of Oude Wetering.
During dinner aboard the ship, the program for the next day and the global planning of the week are discussed. After dinner the tour leader will escort you on the first kilometers on your bike during a short ride around the village.
Day 2 (Friday)
Oude Wetering – Gouda 45 km
From Oude Wetering we start our tour through country roads, along river banks and channels through the Green Heart to the city known for its cheese: Gouda. Gouda, is not only famous for its cheese, pipes, ‘stroopwafels’ (treacle-waffle) and pottery, but also for beautiful stained glass windows, a fairy-like town hall and atmospheric canals. It is a beautiful Old Dutch city with a mostly intact city centre. As on most days, after dinner you can take a walk through the city.
Day 3 (Saturday)
Gouda to Delft - 40 km
From Gouda we cycle past scenic polders via Kinderdijk to Rotterdam. Kinderdijk has the largest group of windmills in the Netherlands and were still actively used until 1950. After visiting the windmills we take a ferry to Rotterdam where we embark and from there our boat takes us to Delft. Delft, is famous for its pottery, the ‘Delft blue’. You can visit the Prinsenhof Museum which is housed in the former St Agatha’s monastery. In 1572 William of Orange chose the convent as one of his residences and it was from here that he led the revolt against the Spanish tyranny of Holland. He was murdered on the steps of the Prinsenhof on July 10, 1584, by Balthazar Gerards, a Spanish sympathiser. Two bullet holes in the wall of the stairs still bear witness to this event.
Day 4 (Sunday)
Delft - Leiden - 36 km / 48 km
From Delft we cycle towards The Hague, through the large park of ‘het Haagse Bosch’ and past the former Royal Palace ‘Huis ten Bosch’. The longer route heads along tranquil cycle paths through the dunes to Wassenaarse Slag, where we can see the remains of the Atlantikwall. The route continues through the dunes, to the old fishing village of Katwijk aan Zee where the older inhabitants still speak their own dialect, ‘Kattuks’. Following the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river we cycle to Leiden which boasts 14 museums, including the Rijksmuseum. The ship is moored near the Zijlpoort, a gate that once formed part of the city walls. The shorter route heads inland after ‘Huis den Bosch’ and brings us along ‘Vlietlanden’ a 130 ha big recreational lake to Leiden.
Day 5 (Monday)
Leiden - visit to Keukenhof Gardens by public transport
Today you visit the Keukenhof gardens, the most beautiful spring park in the world. It is an overwhelming blaze of colours, seven million flowering tulips, in a magnificent 80-acres’ of traditional and modern gardening architecture.. In the Keukenhof various gardens and gardening styles can be found: the English Landscape Garden, the Historical Garden, the Natural Garden, the Japanese Natural Garden, the Formal Garden and three special colours gardens. Spread throughout the entire park there are approximately eighty sculptures from well-known Dutch artists as well as also several other art objects, such as the collection ‘Surprising Tulips‘.
Day 6
Leiden - Harlem - 40 km
From Leiden we cycle through wonderful flower beds towards Haarlem. From March to May the bulb fields are blooming, starting with daffodils and followed by hyacinths, tulips and lilies. Once in the city of Haarlem we take a short tour through the city to see some typical ‘hofjes’ (almshouses), old houses around a central courtyard, now usually housing elderly people.. Haarlem, which rendered its name to Harlem, New York, is a lively city with good shopping possibilities. The barge is berthed in the city centre, with a view of St Bavo’s Church and with easy access to the Grote Markt with its many outdoor cafés.
Day 7 (Wednesday)
Harlem –Amsterdam 40 km
From Haarlem we sail to the nearby village of Spaarndam, whose name comes from the dam built in the Spaarne River to limit the danger of flooding from the sea. The statue of Hansje Brinker on the IJdijk is here. Hansje is a character from an American novel, who was said to have saved the country from flooding by putting his finger in the dike. The Buitenhuizen ferry takes us across the North Sea Canal and from there we cycle to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans, with its traditional weatherboard houses, warehouses and windmills may give you the feeling of stepping back into the 17th or 18th century.Yet this is no open air museum, but a lively neighborhood where people live and work. Among other things a cheese farm, a clog maker and an old bakery can be visited here. The tour finishes back in Amsterdam.
Day 8
Amsterdam, end of the tour after breakfast. (Disembarkation before 10am)
- 7 nights accommodation on board (incl. bedding, towels, soap)
- Breakfast and dinner on board
- incl. coffee & tea on board
- Picnic lunch packages
- Tour guide who cycles with the group
- Minimum of 3 city walks with tour guide
- Wi-Fi (limited availability in boat lounge/deck)
- Road book (1 per cabin)
- Entrance to Keukenhof and Flower Auction, including publick transport
- Ferry fares en route
- Travel documents and cycling app incl. GPS tracks
Not included:
€140 bike rental, incl. bike insurance
€255 e-bike rental, incl. bike insurance
approx. €25 entrance fees to muesums
Personal insurance
Travel from/to Amsterdam
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We did enjoy our Tulip Guided Cycling Tour last April. My wife hasn’t stopped telling everyone how wonderful it was. A couple of observations on our particular tour...Overall a great tour and we have recommended it.
Edward & Marlene Hayek
We enjoyed the tour very much and highly recommend it to others. I have no complaints about anything! The staff were friendly, helpful and fun. The barge is remodelled with a dining area, bar area and lounge...very cosy. The cabins were small but comfortable. The meals were delicious and interesting, & we always had snacks, coffee and tea available. Our guide, Peter, was informative and the routes he took us on were scenic, the whole trip was very organized.
We had new bikes with locks and saddle bags to bring our food and gear for the day. Even though the weather was cold; sometimes raining it was a wonderful trip.
Thank you, I hope to travel with Cycling Safaris again!
Diane Cisewski
We thoroughly enjoyed it - we had good weather all week, the barge, crew and guide (Bert) were great, fellow passengers were fun and the tulips were stupendous. I would highly recommend it.
Nancy & Don McDaniel
An excellent tour, relaxed cycling, great food, good value for money and added the bonus of Keukenhof visit.
Maureen Hickey
This was my first experience of a barge and cycle holiday and it was most enjoyable.
Maureen Hickey
I very much enjoyed the cycling holiday. Starting and finishing in Central Amsterdam was ideal and made it very convenient for air travel.
It was a great way to see and experience Holland.
Overall, a most enjoyable holiday.
John Conway
We had an amazing holiday on our Super Tulip Tour! We can't say enough great things about it. Our barge (Anna Antal) was like home for 7 days, our guide Roelie was exceptional guiding us on our bikes, finding points of interest and then after supper giving us a walking tour of the towns, the bikes were awesome. The food was so great from breakfast in the morning and the selection of foods for packed lunch to the three-course gourmet meal at supper. This bike and barge tour was very special for us.
Mary & Bill Ormerod
Sailing Home - Category Comfort de Luxe
The "Sailing Home" started cruising in 2001, a beautiful barge that can accommodate 26 passengers. The interior of the salon and bar is decorated in a mode Victorian style offering a lot of comfort. There are 13 spacious and comfortable guest cabins and each one has a private bathroom, central heating and air-conditioning. A roomy salon lounge, a cosy bar and a sun deck are all located on the top floor.


Anna Antal – Category StandardPlus/Comfort
The Anna Antal also became a passenger barge in the nineties. With a capacity of 18 people it has nine cabins all with central heating and a private bathroom. Like all barges it has a cozy salon where, in the evenings, a drink can be consumed by the elegant bar. Outside there is a sun deck / a deck for the bicycles. The crew as with all barges consists of a skipper, a cook and a sailor/hostess.


Anna van Aemstel
The “Anna van Aemstel” (former Wending) 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.
The Anna van Aemstel sails exclusively for Cycletours Holidays. It has a roomy and cosy saloon (airconditioned). After the bike ride the saloon 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.
The Anna van Aemstel was renovated in the winter of 2024/2025 and the salon, kitchen and cabins got a complete make-over. The barge is looking fresh and updated and the cabins are air-conditioned.

Allure
The MS ALLURE is a modern, converted inland waterway vessel. The ship offers a comfortable lounge/restaurant, a small bar and a sun deck.
The MS Allure sails exclusively for Cycletours Holidays. In the evenings it is possible to come together in the sitting area ( air-conditioned).
There is limited WiFi on board.
The total of ten 2-bed outside cabins with ground-level beds are around 8 square meters in size.

Barge Clair de Lune
The Clair de Lune was originally built in 1936 as a freight ship in Belgium. From 2020 the Clair de Lune sails exclusively for Cycletours in mainly France.
The Clair de Lune sails exclusively for Cycletours Holidays .In 1982 the barge was built into a passenger ship, first named ‘Steile Bank’ and ‘Summerjazz’. Since May 2014 we named the ship ‘Clair de Lune’.
Aboard there is a big and cozy salon with big windows for a perfect view. The barge is 34.15 meters long and 5.05 meters wide, which makes it possible to boat in France with its narrow locks.


How to get to the start point port:
To get from Schiphol airport to the barge, the distance is approx. 20 km. At Schiphol airport you can take the train to Central Station Amsterdam. These trains leave approx. every 8 min.and takes approx 15 minutes by train from the airport into Amsterdam, a ticket costs approx €5 per person for single journey. From Amsterdam Central Station it is a 10 minute walk to the place where the barge is docked.
A taxi from Schiphol to Amsterdam takes about 30 minutes, it costs about €35.
For more details please have a look at the tour dossier.
As always please contact us in the office for more information (info@cyclingsafaris.com).
TULIP TOUR 2026
BARGE "ANNA ANTAL"
€1835 per person sharing in a 2 bed cabin
€1560 per person sharing bunk bed cabin
€2040 per person sharing in superior twin cabin
€2305 for single cabin occupancy
BARGE "SAILING HOME"
€2105 per person sharing in a 2 bed cabin
€3130 for single cabin occupancy
BARGE "ANNA VAN AEMSTEL"
€2020 per person sharing in a 2 bed cabin
€1845 per person sharing in a 3 bed cabin
€2990 for single cabin occupancy
SUPER TULIP TOUR 2026
BARGE "ALLURE"
€2030 per person sharing in a 2 bed cabin / split beds
€2030 per person sharing in a double bed cabin / one big bed (limited)
€3000 for single cabin occupancy
BARGE "BARGE CLAIR DE LUNE"
€1950 per person sharing in a double bed cabin
€1950 per person sharing in split level beds
€2040 for single cabin occupancy
Self Guided Tour Information
Self led tours are not an option on this route.































