Bike & Sail the Tulips

Day 1: Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Zaandam
Day 2: Zaandam – Alkmaar, 29 mi. (47 km)
Day 3: Alkmaar – Den Helder, 21 mi. (33 km) or 31 mi. (50 km)
Day 4: Den Helder – Oudeschild | Wadden Island of Texel round trip, 27–30 mi. (43–48 km)
Day 5: Oudeschild – Enkhuizen | Sailing day
Day 6: Enkhuizen – Hoorn | Hoorn – Volendam, 20 mi. (28 km)
Day 7: Volendam – Keukenhof – Amsterdam | Full-day bus excursion
Day 8: Disembarkation in Amsterdam

Day 1: Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Zaandam
Check-in is available between 1 pm and 2 pm, where you will be welcomed with coffee and tea. At 2:30 pm the ship departs for Zaandam. While sailing, the tour leader will introduce the tour and review cycling and safety procedures. Late afternoon, you may take a short test ride. After dinner, the tour leader will guide you on a walk through the center of Zaandam.

Day 2: Zaandam – Alkmaar, 29 mi. (47 km)
In the morning, you will bike to the Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet featuring original houses and operating windmills dating back to the 17th century. These mills were once used for grinding spices and mustard seeds, extracting oils, and sawing wood. As you explore the village, you will discover a clock museum, an old grocery store, a clog maker, and a cheese farm.
Your tour continues through Limmen and Egmond-Binnen, passing colorful tulip fields. Nearby, you will visit the Hortus Bulborum, a garden museum dedicated to preserving rare and historic bulbs. More than 4,000 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other blooms are planted here. Continue cycling to Egmond on the North Sea, then on to Alkmaar. Your ship will be waiting near the historical center, known for its charming 17th-century buildings and narrow canals.

Day 3: Alkmaar – Den Helder, 21 mi. (33 km) or 31 mi. (50 km)
Today’s route leads north of Alkmaar through some of the most beautiful tulip fields in the region toward the North Sea. The sandy beach here is a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the coastal views. Nearby is the artists’ village of Bergen, worth a visit. Continue through the North Holland Dune Reserve to Den Helder, an area known for having the world’s largest contiguous bulb fields.

Day 4: Den Helder – Oudeschild | Wadden Island of Texel round trip, 27–30 mi. (43–48 km)
During breakfast, the ship sails to Texel, the largest of the Dutch Wadden Islands. Today you can choose a shorter route or a longer loop around the island. You will cycle through natural parks, scenic villages, and even fields of blooming flowers. Signposted routes guide you through the landscape and to the Ecomare seal sanctuary. At the end of your ride, enjoy a local Texel beer at the brewery near Oudeschild.

Day 5: Oudeschild – Enkhuizen | Sailing day
This is a full sailing day to Enkhuizen. You may help with navigation and hoisting the sails, though no experience is required. You are also welcome to relax and enjoy the scenery along the IJsselmeer. A generous lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon, the ship arrives in Enkhuizen, a historic harbor town with centuries of maritime tradition. You may explore the old harbor and charming town center. Dinner is not served tonight, so you may dine in one of the local restaurants.

Day 6: Enkhuizen – Hoorn | Hoorn – Volendam, 20 mi. (28 km)
In the morning, the ship sails along the IJsselmeer to Hoorn, a former Dutch East India Company port and one of the world’s major harbors in the 17th century. In the afternoon, you will cycle to Volendam, a small fishing village on Lake IJsselmeer. Along the way, you will pass Edam, famous for its wax-covered cheese. Edam was once a thriving shipyard and port, and its long-lasting cheese was popular among sailors and widely traded on voyages.

Day 7: Volendam – Keukenhof – Amsterdam | Full-day bus excursion
Today you will enjoy a bus excursion through the oldest tulip fields in Holland to the Keukenhof Gardens. You will have plenty of time to explore the world’s most famous bulb park, featuring seven million flowering tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and many other vibrant blooms set across 80 acres of gardens. In the afternoon, the bus returns you to Amsterdam for a restful final night on board.

Day 8: Amsterdam
End of your tour. Disembarkation after breakfast until 9:30 am.

Day 1: Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Volendam
Day 2: Volendam – Hoorn, 14.4 mi. (24 km) | Hoorn – Enkhuizen
Day 3: Enkhuizen – Oudeschild | Sailing day
Day 4: Wadden Island of Texel round trip, 29–31 mi. (43–48 km) | Oudeschild – Den Helder
Day 5: Den Helder – St. Maartensvlotbrug | St. Maartensvlotbrug – Alkmaar, 19 mi. (32 km) or 31.8 mi. (53 km)
Day 6: Alkmaar – Zaandam, 29 mi. (47 km)
Day 7: Zaandam – Keukenhof – Amsterdam | Full-day bus excursion
Day 8: Disembarkation in Amsterdam

Day 1: Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Volendam
Check-in is available on board between 1 pm and 2 pm, where the crew welcomes you with coffee and tea. At 2:30 pm the ship departs for Volendam. While sailing, the tour leader will introduce the tour and review cycling and safety procedures. Upon arrival, you may take a short test ride. After dinner, the tour leader will guide you on a walk through Volendam, a small and picturesque fishing harbor on Lake IJsselmeer.

Day 2: Volendam – Hoorn, 14.4 mi. (24 km) | Hoorn – Enkhuizen
After breakfast, you will begin your first cycling day with a ride to Hoorn, a former Dutch East India Company town and one of the world’s most prominent harbors in the 17th century. Along the way, you will pass Edam, known for its wax-coated cheese. This charming village was once an industrious shipyard and port, and its durable cheese became a favorite among sailors. In the afternoon, rejoin the ship for the sail to Enkhuizen. Here you can explore the old harbor and historic center of this traditional “herring city.”

Day 3: Enkhuizen – Oudeschild | Sailing day
Today the ship sails to Oudeschild on the island of Texel. You may assist with navigation or hoisting the sails, although no experience is required. You are also welcome to relax and enjoy the scenery along the IJsselmeer. Lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon, the ship arrives in Oudeschild on Texel, the largest of the Dutch Wadden Islands. Dinner is not served tonight so that you may enjoy one of the restaurants in town.

Day 4: Wadden Island of Texel round trip, 29–31 mi. (43–48 km) | Oudeschild – Den Helder
Today you may choose a shorter route or a longer loop around Texel. You will cycle through peaceful natural parks, scenic villages, and areas with blooming flowers. The signposted routes lead you to the Ecomare seal sanctuary and through picturesque landscapes. After your ride, enjoy a locally brewed Texel beer at the brewery near Oudeschild. Late afternoon, the ship returns you to the mainland with the crossing to Den Helder.

Day 5: Den Helder – St. Maartensvlotbrug | St. Maartensvlotbrug – Alkmaar, 19 mi. (32 km) or 31.8 mi. (53 km)
Your cycling tour begins in the northern part of North Holland, an area between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer that is home to the world’s largest bulb fields. You will continue toward Alkmaar, passing more tulip fields near the coast. The sandy beach here offers a beautiful place for a walk and sea views. Nearby is the artists’ village of Bergen. The ship awaits in the historic center of Alkmaar, known for its cheese markets, 17th-century buildings, and winding canals.

Day 6: Alkmaar – Zaandam, 29 mi. (47 km)
This morning you will bike to Egmond and Limmen, passing colorful tulip fields along the way. Here you will visit the Hortus Bulborum, a garden museum dedicated to preserving rare and historic bulbs, with more than 4,000 tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other flowers.
Your next destination is the Zaanse Schans, a small hamlet with original houses and historic windmills along the River Zaan. These mills were once used for grinding spices, mustard seeds, and pigments, for sawing wood, and for pressing oils. As you explore, you will see a clock museum, an old grocery store, a period home, a clog maker, and a cheese farm. In the late afternoon, you will meet the ship again in Zaandam.

Day 7: Zaandam – Keukenhof – Amsterdam | Full-day bus excursion
A scenic bus ride brings you through the oldest tulip fields in Holland to the Keukenhof Gardens. You will have ample time to explore this world-famous bulb park, featuring seven million flowering tulips across 80 acres of themed gardens. You may also admire hyacinths, daffodils, and many other blooms. In the afternoon, the bus returns you to Amsterdam for a restful final night on board.

Day 8: Amsterdam
End of your tour. Disembarkation after breakfast until 9:30 am.