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It was only in the 17th Century that large parts of the area north of Amsterdam were recovered from the sea and reclaimed through the use of hundreds of windmills. A typical Dutch landscape of polders, mills, harbours, and tulips.
This tour brings you over small dykes and country roads, lined with many windmills still in working order. You can get a feel for the old Dutch atmosphere in towns such as Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Edam and Volendam. We sail to Texel, an island with thousands of sheep and a magnificent nature reserve. Our route brings us along Holland's most beautiful dune area, the only time you will be cycling above sea level!
Alkmaar will also provide a great insight into ancient times. It is the capital of Dutch cheese with its own cheese market and weigh-house for cheese. We visit Zaanse Schans, a lovely little hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan where the mills, houses, shops and traditional Dutch crafts will bring the past back to life.
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A downloadable version of the itinery is available from the Dossiers Tab
Itineraries
Day 1
Amsterdam, embarkation from 3pm - 4 pm. Cycle 15 kms
Amsterdam is a city to be explored on foot and we recommend the following places of interest: the rings of canals, the Jordaan area, with its many pubs, outdoor cafés and quaint shops, Vondelpark with its open air concerts, Leidseplein, Rembrandtsplein, the antique shops in the Spiegel district, Museum Square with the Rijksmuseum (National Museum), Stedelijk Museum (Museum of Modern Art) and the Van Gogh Museum.
We start the tour with a short bike ride after which a programme for the next day and the rest of the week will be explained to you at dinner time.
Day 2
Amsterdam ~ Volendam, sailing to Hoorn (45 kms)
In the morning you leave Amsterdam. A ferry takes you to the Amsterdam Noord quarter and soon you will be cycling through the rural area of Waterland. In this soggy peat land the houses and villages are hardly above the level of the water. The former isle of Marken is visited. It ws not until 1957 that this island was connected to the Mainland by a dike and it has retained its own particular character.
You continue your way along the Gouwzee dike to Volendam.
From Volendam you sail in northerly direction towards the city of Hoorn. During the evening walk you will have the opportunity to get a good impression of this beautiful city with its rich past
Day 3
Hoorn ~ Enkhuizen (45 kms)
You continue on the dike with a wonderful view over the Markermeer on your right and West-Frisian villages on your left-hand side. The recently (1976) built dike from Enkhuizen to Lelystad (in the Noordoostpolder) appears on the horizon. This was meant to be a polder dike for a huge new polder: the Markerwaard. However, the plans were never executed: with time perception changed. The environment and fresh water supply became more important. So today the dike is there, but no polder…
The trip for today ends in Enkhuizen, a town which came into existence when two adjoining villages amalgamated. You can end your day with a visit to the Zuiderzeemuseum. This museum, which consists of an indoor and outdoor part, shows you the history of everyday life around the Zuiderzee until the middle of the 20th century.
Day 4
Enkhuizen ~ Medemblik, sailing to Texel (35 kms)
The cycling tour starts on the IJsselmeer dike and is then left behind to go through a nature reserve and some typical West-Frisian villages. Then Medemblik comes in sight, the oldest city of West-Friesland (1289), with an illustrious past and with Radboud castle, dating from the 13th century. At Medemblik you get on board and sail the IJsselmeer and Wadden Sea to the isle of Texel.
Day 5
Texel round trip (45/48/62 kms)
The Isle of Texel is the largest of the Dutch Waddeneilanden (Wadden islands). An island highly appreciated by bird-watchers. In springtime, about 80 different types of birds breed her, mainly in the dune areas, but all in all, about 300 different species have been found here. A tour around this island with its numerous cycle tracks is well worth the effort.
Day 6
Texel, sailing to Den Helder, cycling to Alkmaar (60 kms)
The ship takes you back to the mainland, where you disembark in the city of Den Helder, the Dutch naval port, situated at the mouth of the Noord-Hollandskanaal.
Today’s route takes you through the dunes. You pass by the unique nature reserve Het Zwanenwater (The Swans’ Water), with its lakes and boggy hollows in the dunes. A little further you cycle on the Hondsbossche Zeewering (Hondsbossche Sea Dike), with a spectacular view of the North Sea. You enter the area of the Schoorlse Duinen (Schoorl Dunes), where you will find the highest dunes in the country. During the last century many pine trees were planted here so now it is a rather woody region. Bergen is an artists’ village which attracts many painters, writers and architects.
Your destination for today is Alkmaar, also called the City of Cheese. Its weigh-house was the first in the country (for weighing and trading of cheese).
Day 7
Alkmaar ~ Amsterdam (60 kms)
The last stage of the week takes you through the ‘droogmakerij’ land with the 17th century towns of Schermerhorn, Graft and De Rijp. In Zaandam, you will visit the world famous hamlet and open air museum of Zaanse Schans. A unique place where people live and work, with original houses and windmills from the river Zaan area.
The last stretch of the trip takes you through ’t Twiske (the Twiske) Leisure Park. Since the beginning of the Christian era the peat region around the Zaan had been used for cattle grazing. In the peat land ditches were dug to help draining the land. The dried peat was used as fuel. Once you are back at the barge in Amsterdam it is time to take leave of your bikes. 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.
- 7 nights on board (incl. bedding, towels, soap)
- Breakfast and dinner on board
- Picnic Lunch packages when on the road
- Coffee and tea on board
- Tour guide who cycles with the group
- Route info & road book (1 per cabin)
- Ferry fares on the route
- At least 3 city walks with tour guide
- GPS tracks ( on request )
- Free Wi-Fi (limited availability in boat lounge / deck)
Bike rental is not included in our tour price. This is an additional:
€125 Hybrid Bike
€240 Electric Bike
Discounts are available for children, please see itinerary or email our office for more information
Bike rental is not included in the basic tour package.
On this tour we rent out Batabus Galivier Hybrid bikes. A good bicycle available for all participants from ages nine and up with 24 gears and handbrakes. All bikes are comfortable lightweight touring bikes. The bikes are equipped with:
- Pannier bags, Helmet, Odometer, Good lock, Water bottle
- You will get a repair kit when biking on your own.
It is also possible to rent an E - bike
Your bike has 24 gears, a detachable lithium-Ion battery, hand brakes, pannier bags, a good lock, water bottle and a repair kit.
Bike Insurance:
Bicycle insurance is included in the tour price.
The bicycle insurance covers the cost of the repair or replacement of bicycle parts in case of an accident. It also protects against theft of the bike while it was locked.
I enjoyed the trip immensely, the barge was so nice and couldn't ask for better staff. Our guide was excellent, very informative and great with everyone. Bikes were excellent and comfortable to use. We met lovely people from all over the globe and we all got on very well. Looked forward to each days cycle and would recommend this holiday 100%, can't wait to go again!
Lorraine S
Really enjoyed doing the Top of Amsterdam tour. It was very well organised. It was lovely visiting the various places. The food and accommodation on the boat were excellent. The crew and guide were very helpful.
Donal
Liza Marleen - Category Comfort
The “Liza Marleen” is a luxury motor passenger barge, built in 1997-98 on the completely dismantled shell of a seafaring freight logger. Cabins were fully renovated for the 2016 season. The “Liza Marleen” has 8 double cabins and 2 triple cabins. All cabins come with a private bathroom and central heating. The “Liza Marleen” has a beautiful, spacious and tastefully decorated salon and plenty of room on deck. The dayroom has audio-equipment and TV
Wending – Category Comfort
The “Wending” is a former freight barge that started a new life in the early nineties as a luxury passenger motor barge. The ”Wending” has 8 double and 2 triple cabins. All cabins with private bathroom and central heating. There is a roomy and cosy salon, equipped with a complete music installation and TV. After a strenuous bike ride it is a great place to relax
How to get to the start point port:
Schiphol airport is approx 20km to the ship. 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 ship 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).
RATES FOR 2025
BARGE "LIZA MARLEEN"
May 8
€1500 per person in twin bed cabin
€1730 per person in superior twin cabin 15m2
€1370 per person in superior trible cabin 15m2
€2240 single cabin occupancy
BARGE "WENDING"
June 12, June 19
€1500 per person in twin cabin
€1370 per person in triple cabin
€2240 single cabin occupancy
Self Guided Tour Information
Self Led tours are not an option on this route.