Holland Southern Tulip Tour

The crew on the boat made everything delightful !!

This is hands down, the best way to see Holland. Our guide Piet and the crew were amazing. My husband, brother and I (in our 30’s) as well as my parents (in their 60’s) all had the best time. The rides were relaxed and gave us a chance to really take in the incredible views. I would not hesitate to suggest this trip to anyone.

1. Kukenhof gardens was our favorite part of the trip- absolutely gorgeous.
2. The staff was awesome- friendly, cheerful, energetic.

The most memorable parts of the tour were the beautiful weather and camaraderie amongst the boat personnel and bike riders ….a pleasure to be around for the week . Very attentive to detail , boat spotless , amazing food and fun activities! Couldn’t ask for a better crew …

Best cycling anywhere:wonderful bike lanes everywhere, gorgeous scenery always by the water. And don’t forget the tulips — stunning.

The ship "Sailing Home" and it's crew were fantastic. The food each day was 5star healthy and plentiful.

The Tulip Tour aboard Sailing Home was absolutely fabulous!! All members of the crew and the bike tour guide were amazing. The fields of flowers and overall scenery on the route were fantastic. One word of advice - if you’re not an avid biker, rent an e bike. The winds can be quite strong and just a little bit of power provided by the bike goes a long way. It wii help keep the pack together. This tour is highly recommended!!

The most memorable was biking through the low lands, seeing the difference in water / land level, local animals and how /where they built their homes. Riding through and around the Keukenhof was great for us tulip lovers. Also Windmills and more windmills at the Kinderdijk...fantastic scenic. This trip was well orchestrated and executed we had an unforgettable time.

Sailing Home was a lovely barge, extremely clean, and the staff was delightful. Truly a wonderful experience.

The rides through the countryside were memorable, with the freedom of movement, the vibrant spring colours and the sight of waterfowl going about their nesting tasks, while cycling through some pretty challenging spring weather. Then we got back to the boat, welcomed again on board by a crew also glad to be back after two yeas of covid restrictions. The meals were very good, the guide always helpful and my travel companions friendly and interesting.
After two years of emails and trying to salvage something of a planning disaster during covid, I found the actual trip well organized and I could trust it would turn out well. I would do it again.
I had a medical issue re an allergic reaction on my face and the guide and crew handled it well, making me a doctor appointment and certainly following my recovery closely. For a person travelling alone it was reassuring and comforting.

Windmills, cycling and millions of tulips. What could be more wonderful? The barge, Sailing Home, was by far the nicest vessel we have stayed on for a bike and barge. The food was amazing, the Captain very welcoming, and the staff efficient and friendly. The itinerary was interesting and well planned. Do be sure to dress for the changeable weather!

This trip was fabulous! The biking in the countryside was beautiful! I especially enjoyed seeing the bounding hares, swans, sheep, flowers and lovely homes. The tulip, daffodil and hyacinth fields were spectacular and an experience I will never forget. The traditional Dutch dinners were delicious and the stories about the food were entertaining and fun. I did find the city biking frightening at times with the crowds. One tip is be prepared for this and stay near the guide in the heavy traffic areas. I thoroughly enjoyed the sites especially the factory in Delft, Harlem, biking through the Sand Dunes and Keukenhof gardens. A lovely country with so much to experience.
I think this trip is an incredible value for the price. I can’t wait to take another bike and barge trip.

Oh, to see the Netherlands by bicycle. No better way. This was my first biking vacation and it won't be my last.

I loved being part of the Southern Holland Tulip Tour! The biking was wonderful, the scenery was unparalleled, and the Sailing Home was comfortable and well appointed. Staff was uniformly pleasant and accommodating. I enjoyed bonding with the other riders in the group , mostly from the Central and Western US and Canada. Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining, however I feel that keeping our large group of 26 riders together on the rides was a challenge, and he would have benefited from the use of "corners" to make sure that all the riders were clear on the turns. Also, we were each given a booklet with the daily ride routes, but it would have been helpful to go over the next days map each evening so that we could visualize the lay of the land.
Great trip all around and I am hoping to join another in the future!

We came to see the tulips and that was definitely accomplished. Albeit a bit late for most of the major fields, but Keukenhof was spectacular. Cycling through the polders and quiet countryside was also very enjoyable.
On the negative side, the last days cycling into Amsterdam and departure from the boat was a bit rushed.

Loved the comfortable accommodations on the barge.

All of it was memorable, especially Keukenhof Gardens at the height of bloom season. Loved the Netherlands.

The Wending is a great barge with a wonderful crew! We had superior food every day. Our guide was very smart, kind, helpful, and patient. I would do this trip again in a heartbeat.

The biking and scenery was amazing. The collective group, including staff, became family. The best was the fields in bloom with tulips and such. Wow!

This trip was absolutely wonderful. Even with a day or two of challenging weather.....with the right clothes it didn't matter. We were surrounded by such beauty every day and the people of the Netherlands are top notch.....you really couldn't find people that are sweeter and friendlier anywhere. Five Star Plus!!!

Awesome experience...I just would liked for the guide to pedal slower so that I could enjoy my surroundings more.

Overall I really enjoyed our trip. However, our guide Piet left a lot to be desired. He got us from the boat and back each day but that was about it. We had very few stops during the day for water breaks or photos. He did not provide any "tour guide" type of information like history or pointing anything out of interest, or even a clear idea of the details of the following day. While we got to all the towns on the itinerary, everything was pretty much closed after dinner so we couldn't do any sightseeing in towns on our own. The guide on our sister ship "Liza Marleen" did much more with her group.

On the plus side, the barge Sailing Home was excellent and the crew was great - very friendly and helpful. Our chef Markus was amazing.

I had an electric bike and I loved it. It made the trip much easier and enjoyable. Highly recommend it for inexperienced bikers.

The tour was wonderful! We had clear weather the entire week and a great group of people to ride with. The "Sailing Home" really was comfort plus, with an attentive and helpful staff.

Everything exceeded our expectations. Crew made us feel like family, food was excellent and tour was perfect including the weather and the tulips.

Great trip.

Although we had a week of rain and cool temperatures, the attitude and spirit of all on the boat was upbeat and lively. We biked in all kinds of conditions and still had a great time. Our guide was informative and accommodating. The scenery was beautiful from one location to the other and the food on the barge was top notch and delicious. I thoroughly enjoy the whole trip from start to finish.

Loved it all! Wonderful staff, wonderful route, wonderful fellow passengers, wonderful guide! We could not have asked for anything more except less wind as we rode through the windmill area into a very strong headwind! Hardest day's riding we've ever done! But hey, this is Holland renowned for "wind"mills!! Keukenhof was amazing, everyone should visit this place once in their lifetime!

Here it is almost 3 months following our trip and I'm just getting around to writing how wonderful everything was. It exceeded our expectations (which were high to begin with). To refresh your memory,we were the Nisky Riders.Our focus of the trip were the flower fields in the Netherlands and they were spectacular. We were on the Zwaan's maiden voyage for 2012 and loved the entire experience of being on the barge. The crew were very endearing, food was delicious (Dorus, the cook, had us hooked on the first dinner). We were accommodated beautifully. I have a gluten allergy and they took great care of me.

 A group of friends is currently on the Brugge to Amsterdam ride and LOVING it.

 We are exploring your site for our 2013 ride,  we would like to plan something for late spring or early summer. So I will be in touch in the near future.

It all started with you and our experience with you sealed the deal. You added a personal quality that is much appreciated.

My husband and I took this trip in the Fall. We are seniors and would recommend this trip. This is the third trip we have made with this organization and they do a wonderful job. Company, food, service was great!

My husband and I had talked for several years about taking this tour but didn't go until April 9th, 2011, on the Zwaan, with Ilya and Maria. This was the first tour of the season - we were afraid that the flowers would not be out - surprise! We saw jonquils, hyacinths, tulips and more. Had we been later the hyacinths and jonquils would have been gone. Hennie told us that it varies from year to year, so we were so fortunate.

The weather was great except for one windy and chilly day. Our tour guide, Albert, adapted the ride to the level of the riders yet still taking us to the important places and showing us the best of the countryside. Our hosts could not have been more hospitable, making all of the participants feel more welcome than just paying customers. We even had a last-minute gourmet chef! And we got to help welcome the new dog on board - all the guests were dog lovers and were delighted to meet him. We recommend this trip to anyone who likes an active vacation in a beautiful setting with good food and company with similar interests.

L. Hilliard