Dutch tulip fields aplenty! Town Hall in Gouda at night. Photo via Flickr:Sander van der Wel Windmills at the Zaanse Schans of course! Photo via Flickr:Alex Scarcella:httpwwwccworldit

Holland in a Nutshell - a Tulip Tour

Netherlands Bike Tour

A Netherlands bike tour that pulls out all the stops.

Finally, a Tulip Tour that is also a hotel-to-hotel tour!! Previously, all our Tulip Tours were Bike & Boat tours, so now we're very happy to be able to offer you both.

This tour is fabulous from Spring through Summer, not just when the tulips are in bloom, which is around mid-April to mid-May. During August and September, for instance, the Dahlias and Gladioluses are in bloom. There are so many different kinds of flowers in Holland, that you are guaranteed a beautiful show of all variegations of flowers all spring and summer long.

On this magical tour, you will not only see the expansive tulip and hyacinth fields, but also the world famous cheese market in Edam and of course a visit to Amsterdam!! If you'd prefer to avoid the city's bustle (or perhaps you've been to Amsterdam many times before), you can also visit the very famous 'Zaanse Schans', one of Europe's oldest industrial areas that is now a beautiful open-air musuem. The mills, warehouses and traditional wooden houses you'll find here, will give you a perfect impression of this 17th century commercial center around Amsterdam.

A comprehensive list of all of our Holland cycling tours is here.

Where You’ll Stay

Nice hotels and/or B&Bs.

What’s Included

  • 7 nights accommodations
  • Breakfasts
  • Hybrid bicycle
  • Maps & route information
  • Luggage transportation
  • Additional tourist information

What’s Not Included

  • Individual arrival to your first hotel in Oudewater
  • Lunches and dinners

Holland in a Nutshell - a Tulip Tour Map

Book This Trip

TourBike
TypeSelf Guided
SkillEasy
Length8 days
From€705
Print Tour

Tour Dates

  • Daily from April 1 to September 30, 2013.

Skill Level

Easy self-guided hotel tour. Daily distances range from 32 to 42 miles over flat, excellent bike paths and side streets.

Day-To-Day Itinerary

Holland in a Nutshell - a Tulip Tour Map
  1. Arrival in Oudewater.
  2. Oudewater: daytour to Gouda, 32 mi. (51 km)
  3. Oudewater - Hilversum, 36 mi. (58 km)
  4. Hilversum - Edam, 37 mi. (60 km)
  5. Edam: daytour to Zaanse Schans, 34 mi. (55 km)
  6. Edam - Schagen, 42 mi. (68 km)
  7. Schagen: daytour to Dunes, 39 mi. (62 km) or daytour Tulips, 34 mi. (55 km)
  8. Departure from Schagen.

DAY 1: Arrival in Oudewater.
Arrive in Oudewater and visit the Witch’s Stool. During the Middle Ages, it was used to determine whether someone was a witch and should therefore be sentenced to death.

DAY 2: Oudewater: daytour to Gouda, 32 mi. (51 km)
Today, you will visit Gouda, world-famous for its cheeses and waffles! Every Thursday morning, farmers in traditional costume come to the market to have their cheeses weighed and sold. The tour continues along the Reeuwijkse Plassen, a collection of 10 lakes. Nowhere else in the world is there so little land between lakes: the route takes optimal advantage of the available amount of mainland.

DAY 3: Oudewater – Hilversum, 36 mi. (58 km)
From Oudewater, the route takes you northeast along the IJssel River, where you will be cycling through the classical Dutch scenery: green meadows, black and white cows, blue canals and white clouds. Near Breukelen, you will pass the Kortrijk Mill, built in 1696 AD. Further north the route takes you over narrow bicycle tracks along the Vecht River. Having cycled through the authentic Breeland, you will head east for Kortenhoef and Hilversum.

DAY 4: Hilversum – Edam, 37 mi. (60 km)
You will cycle Holland across vast heather fields and along the border of the former Zuiderzee passing the medieval Muiderslot Castle, built in 1280 AD. Here it is hard to imagine that you are only 15 km away from the dazzling city of Amsterdam. Via former fishing villages such as Durgerdam and Uitdam, you will reach the former island Marken, where some inhabitants still dress in traditional Dutch costume. Your hotel in Edam is only a few kilometers away.

DAY 5: Edam: daytour to Zaanse Schans, 34 mi. (55 km)
Today you will make a daytour to the Zaanse Schans, one of Europe’s oldest industrial areas that is now an extraordinary open-air museum. The mills, warehouses and traditional wooden houses you will find here will give you a perfect impression of this 17th century commercial center of Amsterdam.

DAY 6: Edam – Schagen, 42 mi. (68 km)
From Edam, the route takes you west, where you will find a peace and calm that is hard to find elsewhere in the west of the Netherlands. You will be cycling over narrow dikes and have views of historic mills and traditional Dutch farmhouses. In Springtime, you will cycle right into the splendor of the bulb fields at Opmeer in bloom.

DAY 7: Schagen: daytour Dunes, 39 mi. (62 km), or daytour Tulips, 34 mi. (55 km)
Today you can choose between two bicycle routes through completely divergent areas. The first takes you through Europe’s largest bulb area, which in Springtime is ablaze with all colors of the rainbow. The second tour takes you through the widest and highest dune area in the Netherlands, straight through the De Schoorlse Duinen National Park.

DAY 8: Departure from Schagen.
Departure following breakfast.

Book This Trip

Questions? Call us! 877-965-2064 or e-mail us

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