Tulip Tour - Amsterdam to Bruges - 11 day

Amsterdam to Bruges

Day 1: Amsterdam - Zaandam
Day 2: Zaandam - Haarlem, 19 mi. or extend to 34 mi. (30 or 50 km)
Day 3: Haarlem - Cruquius - Keukenhof - Leidschendam - Delft, 34 mi. (55 km) 
Day 4: Delft - Rotterdam - Kinderdijk - Dordrecht, 25 mi. or extend to 37 mi. (40 or 60 km)
Day 5: Dordrecht - Willemstad - Tholen, 28 miles (45 km)
Day 6: Tholen - Antwerp, 12 mi. or extend to 31 mi (20 or 50 km)
Day 7: Antwerp - St. Amands, 22 mi. (45 km)
Day 8: Sint-Amands - Dendermonde - Gent, 22 mi. (35 km)
Day 9: Gent - Bruges, 24 mi. (38 km)
Day 10: Bruges, bike tour to Oostende, 34 mi. (55 km)
Day 11: Bruges, end of tour

*All distances are approximate. The itinerary is subject to change, at times without prior notice.  Some waterways may be subject to occasional closures due to drought, storms, floods, canal or lock repairs, or other unforeseen circumstances that make navigation unsafe or impossible. The captain reserves the right to make any changes deemed necessary.

Day 1: Amsterdam - Zaandam
Check-in will begin at 3:30 pm. Please be prompt because at 5 pm the Merlijn will set off for Zaandam. The crew will welcome you on board with a complimentary drink and information on the barge and the route. In the evening, a city walk will be offered through Zaandam.

Day 2: Zaandam - Haarlem,19 mi. or extend to 31 mi. (30 or 50 km)
After your first breakfast on board, you can test your bike and do some sightseeing in ‘the Zaanse Schans’ famous for its open-air museum and windmills. Perhaps you will want to visit one. You will then bike from Zaandam to Haarlem, along the rest of the Zaanse Schans. After crossing the river with a ferry, the route leads through the beautiful flat landscape of Holland. The Merlijn will moor in Haarlem, from here, there are 2 options:

1. Extend your bike tour with a loop through the dune landscape.
2. Soak up the history and culture of Haarlem! Explore this historical city. Today you can visit the ‘Frans Hals’ museum or the ‘st. Bavo church’, both cultural highlight’s.

After dinner, you may want to go out and drink the famous local “Jopen” beer.

Day 3: Haarlem - Cruquius - Keukenhof - Leidschendam - Delft,34 mi. (55 km)
Get ready to pedal through the oldest tulip fields of Holland, including a visit to the infamous Keukenhof gardens! This is the most beautiful flower garden in the world, an overwhelming blaze of colors as seven million flowering tulips rise up in a magnificent background of traditional and modern gardening architecture. It is here that Spring begins. Hyacinths, narcissus, and many other flowers dazzle as well. After being saturated with color and scent, the cycling continues to Leidschendam where you will board the boat to navigate to the city of Delft. In its beautifully preserved historic center, you discover the rich history of the city. Delft is known for its Delfts Blue ceramic, the Nieuwe Kerk with its historic link to the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. After dinner, there will be an evening walk through the city to showcase the highlights.

Day 4: Delft - Rotterdam - Kinderdijk - Dordrecht, 25 mi. or extend to 37 mi. (40 or 60 km)
In the morning, you will spend more time in Delft, including a visit to ‘the Royal Delft’, the world of Delft Blue. After your visit the bike tour starts and it will take you through the Green Heart of Holland. Soon you will see the skyline from ‘Manhattan at the Maas’, the nickname of Rotterdam. You will bike along the highlights of this metropolis while following the well-paved bike paths. Cross the river with a ferry and you will reach Kinderdijk world-famous for its windmills. You will find an impressive row of large windmills, built to drain the ‘Alblasserwaard polder’. The best way to see this open-air museum, is by bike!  The route then leads to the town of Alblasserdam. From here you have 2 options:

1. Embark a deluxe fast-ferry, that will bring you in no time to the Merlijn in Dordrecht.
2. Extend the tour and bike to Dordrecht. Dordrecht is one of the oldest cities in Holland. Known since the 11th century, Dordrecht developed into an important market city because of its strategic location. It traded primarily in wine, wood, and cereals. In 1421, the Saint Elisabeth's flood flooded large parts of southern Holland, causing Dordrecht to become an island.

Tonight you will enjoy the Dutch cuisine in one of the local restaurants of this, charming, well-arranged, mid-sized, city.

Day 5: Dordrecht - Willemstad - Tholen, 28 mi.(45 km)
Starting early from Dordrecht, you will enjoy a sailing breakfast while motoring along the industrial area south of Rotterdam to the old fortress town Willemstad. You can spend some time here enjoying the harbor, and then from Tholen, the cycling begins. The tour will be on flat terrain thru ‘polder landscape’. Tholen once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people were fishermen for a living. Nowadays it is connected to the mainland in various ways, but it is still a charming village with many relics of an eventful past.

Day 6: Tholen - Antwerp,12 mi. or extend to 31 mi (20 or 50 km)
Today’s bike tour is not too long so you can explore Antwerp the entire afternoon. The tour starts after breakfast and just before you reach Antwerp by bike, you are offered two options:

1. Board the Merlijn and sail through Antwerp’s magnificent harbors to the docking place in the old center. You will have lunch on board and arrive early in the city to explore the cultural highlights.
2. Carry on biking through the ‘harbor-landscape’ until Merlijn’s docking place in Antwerp.

Antwerp is not only known as the diamond city, but also as the birthplace of the painter Rubens. In the heart of the city, you will see the Cathedral of ‘Our Lady’ and around the beautiful Market Square. A local guide can be arranged to show you around this marvelous city. The guide can teach you more about the Cathedral or the very interesting Central Station. You can also spend your afternoon shopping in the lively center. Tonight you will enjoy the Belgium cuisine while eating out in one of the 1000 + local restaurants in Antwerp.

Day 7: Antwerp - St.Amands, 22 mi. (45 km)
Cycling itinerary today leads directly from Antwerp, entering the St. Anna tunnel which will bring you to the other side of the Schelde river. From here you follow the river further upstream via Temse to Sint Amands. The cycle path is beautiful here, surrounded by the river landscape. St.  Amands is a small town on the tidal Schelde River.

Day 8: Sint Amands -Dendermonde - Ghent, 22 mi. (35 km)
Your day begins with a cruise to Dendermonde, a nice country town on the Dender estuary, and then by bike, the route leads further along the beautiful but capricious tidal river Schelde. Soon you will see the city of Ghent. Ghent is a lively university city, again one with a rich past. This city has its origins in Roman Times, at the place where the rivers Leie and Schelde converge. This favorable situation brought a great deal of prosperity over the years. The major church is the St. Baafs Cathedral, built during various ages and in various styles. You will make a loop thru the city before biking to the Merlijn. The docking in Ghent is a bit far from the center, but after dinner, you will be offered a transfer to the city. As well, a boat ride thru the canals by night can be organized for a supplement.

Day 9: Gent - Bruges, 24 mi. (38 km)
As you enjoy your breakfast, the Merlijn will navigate to Aalter, where the biking begins, following a route that leads through the pleasant countryside of Western Flanders to Bruges. Bruges, also called ‘the Venice of the North’, is considered by some, the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. Its old center, which dates from the Middle Ages, is almost completely intact. At one time, Bruges was a metropolis, center of trade and art, and this fame has left its legacy for you to enjoy. Dinner on board, followed by a walk thru the city.

Day 10: Bruges, and bike tour to Oostende, 34 mi. (55 km)
Today you have 2 option:

1. A guided bike tour that will go to Oostende, a major coastal city. You can enjoy the North sea, feel the sand between your toes, and enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach or in a seaside restaurant.

2. For culture lovers, leave your bike onboard and go sightseeing in the city of Bruges. Visit the market square, go on a ride thru the canals and eat some Belgium fries for lunch! Everybody returns onboard for the farewell, celebratory dinner and your last overnight stay on the Merlijn.

Day 11: Bruges
The official end of your tour. Disembarkation after breakfast.

Bruges to Amsterdam

Itinerary coming soon!

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