How hard is the cycling?

This is the easiest level Boat Bike Tours runs. The terrain is flat, there are no climbs, and the short routes run from 31 to 46 km a day. On four days you can choose a longer route instead. The one thing that can make a day feel long is the wind off the sea, which is why the guide sets a steady, unhurried pace. There are six cycling days in total; days 1 and 8 are travel and sailing days.

Can I bring my own bike, or do I rent one?

Both work. Bike rental is not included in the price: for 2027 a Premium rental bike is € 105 per week and a Premium rental e-bike is € 287 per week, on request only and in limited numbers, so ask early. If you bring your own bike, parking it on board costs € 14 per week, or € 35 per week for your own e-bike, and the places are limited, so reserve when you book.

Which ship will we be on?

The Lena Maria: 14 cabins, up to 26 passengers, air conditioning, windows in the cabins that actually open. Every 2027 departure of this tour sails with her. The operator's own page also shows a second ship, the Flora, but no 2027 departure of this itinerary is assigned to it.

Yes. A tour leader cycles with the group every day and gives a short briefing each evening about the next day. You are never handed a map and left to work it out alone, though you do get a cycling map and GPS tracks if you like to know where you are.

What meals are included?

Seven breakfasts, a packed lunch on the cycling days, and six three-course dinners on board. The exception is day 4 in Leeuwarden, where dinner is in a restaurant in town and is not included, so you can pick what you fancy. Drinks are not included. Coffee and tea on board are free all week.

Where does the tour start and finish, and at what time?

Both ends are in Enkhuizen, about an hour by train from Amsterdam. The ship is ready from 2 pm on day 1 and you disembark at 09:30 on day 8. Luggage can stay on board until 11:00 that morning.

What if the weather turns?

The Wadden Sea crossing depends on wind and tide, so the ship may sail to Terschelling in the evening or the following morning. The crew decides on the day. Cycling days can also be reshuffled for the same reason.

Which entrance fees are already paid?

The Wreck Museum on Terschelling, the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker and the Woudagemaal steam pumping station in Lemmer are all included. Anything else you decide to visit along the way you pay on the spot.

Is this a good fit if we have never done boat and bike before?

It is one of the easiest ways to start. You unpack once, the ship follows you, the distances are short and flat, and someone rides in front who knows the way.

Friesland by Boat and Bike: Lakes and Wadden Coast

Friesland

friesland-by-boat-and-bike-lakes-and-wadden-coast

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from€1,849

Bike & BoatTrekking bikeE-bike8 days / 7 nights234 km2/5Medium-EasyLoop

Short Description

Friesland is the quiet corner of the Netherlands: lakes, reed beds, sheep on the dikes and eleven old towns that still argue about which one is the prettiest. You sleep on board the Lena Maria for a week and ride out each morning with a guide, across flat land where the wind is the only hill. The ship crosses the Wadden Sea to Terschelling, then works its way back inland through Leeuwarden, Grou and Sneek before returning to Enkhuizen.

Tour Program

Day 1 — Enkhuizen to Stavoren | no cycling
Boarding from 2 pm in Enkhuizen harbour. The crew shows you your cabin, then the ship casts off and crosses the old Zuiderzee, once one of the roughest stretches of water in the country and now a calm inland lake. You moor for the night in Stavoren, a small Hanseatic trading village on the Frisian shore. About 2.5 hours of sailing.

Day 2 — Stavoren to Makkum, then sailing to Terschelling | 31 km (long option 49 km)
The first ride follows the Frisian coast north through Hindeloopen and Workum, two old fishing harbours. Workum has a museum for the painter Jopie Huisman, worth the stop. Closer to Makkum you pass the huge shipyard hall where superyachts are built. Coffee and tea are waiting when you get back on board. Depending on wind and tide, the ship crosses the Wadden Sea to Terschelling tonight or early the next morning.

Day 3 — Terschelling, then sailing to Harlingen | 42 km
A full day on the island: small villages, wide beaches and dunes, and a nature reserve in the east where spoonbills, black-winged stilts and great black-backed gulls nest. In the afternoon the ship sails back to the mainland, tide permitting.

Day 4 — Harlingen to Franeker and Leeuwarden | 42 km (long option 51 km)
You leave the coast for the first time this week. In Franeker the Royal Planetarium still runs the working model of the solar system that Eise Eisinga built in his own living room in the 18th century. He gave himself six months and it took seven years. The day ends in Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital, with the leaning Oldehove tower. Dinner tonight is in town and is not included; the crew will suggest places.

Day 5 — Leeuwarden to De Alde Feanen and Grou | 40 km
Out of the city and into De Alde Feanen national park: small lakes, reed beds and marsh forest on ground that was dug out for peat in the 17th century. Over 400 plant species grow there now. One moment you have a wide view over grassland, the next you are in a closed-in marshy wood. The ship waits in Grou.

Day 6 — Grou to Sneek | 46 km (long option 53 km)
A day of quiet bike paths and long views heading west. Sneek is the oldest fortified town in the province and still has its Waterpoort, the water gate between town and harbour, part defence and part decoration.

Day 7 — Spannenburg to Lemmer, then sailing to Enkhuizen | 33 km (long option 41 km)
The ship carries you through the lake district to Spannenburg, where you get off and ride. The short route goes via Sloten and Balk, the long one via Woudsend and Balk. Both end in Lemmer, where you can visit the Woudagemaal steam pumping station, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Then the crossing back to Enkhuizen.

Day 8 — Enkhuizen | no cycling
Breakfast on board, then check out and disembarkation at 09:30. You can leave your luggage on the ship until 11:00 if you want a few more hours ashore.

Distances are for the shorter route on the days where two options exist, and are approximate. On the shorter routes you may not reach every highlight listed for that day. If you would rather not ride, you can stay on board while the ship moves to the next mooring. The route can change for nautical, technical or weather reasons.

Available departures

Month

Next: 2 Jul 2027 · 3 departures · from €1,849 p.p.

Jul 2027

- Single Lower deck€2,399
- Twin Lower deck€1,849
- Twin Lower deck€1,849
- Single Lower deck€2,399

Aug 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,849
- Twin Lower deck€1,849
- Single Lower deck€2,399

Tour details

LoopGuidedCouplesFriendsMinimum 2 peopleMinimum age 16 years

✅ What is included in the trip?

📞 Local telephone assistance 7/7
🧍‍♂️ Welcome briefing
🏨 Overnight stay and breakfast
🍽️ Packed lunches
🍽️ 6 dinners (drinks excluded)
☕️ Coffee and tea on board
🍷 1 welcome drink
🗺️ Maps
📲 GPS or navigation APP
🚢 Fees for ferries
👜 Waterproof bike bag
⛑️ Helmet
💧Biodegradable water bottle
🏛️ Visit to Eise Eisinga Planetarium
🛜 Wi-FI on board
🧍‍♂️English speaking tour guide
🏛️ Entrance to Wreck museum

❌ What is not included?

🚎 Transfers not listed as Included
✈️ Journey to/from the starting point
🍽️ Meals and drinks not listed as Included
🖼️ Entrance fees and extras not listed
🛡️ Travel insurance
🌎 Tourist taxes
SGR Insolvency protection (mandatory consumer contribution SGR insolvency protection guarantee scheme: € 5 per person

🙋 Common questions

How hard is the cycling?
This is the easiest level Boat Bike Tours runs. The terrain is flat, there are no climbs, and the short routes run from 31 to 46 km a day. On four days you can choose a longer route instead. The one thing that can make a day feel long is the wind off the sea, which is why the guide sets a steady, unhurried pace. There are six cycling days in total; days 1 and 8 are travel and sailing days.
Can I bring my own bike, or do I rent one?
Both work. Bike rental is not included in the price: for 2027 a Premium rental bike is € 105 per week and a Premium rental e-bike is € 287 per week, on request only and in limited numbers, so ask early. If you bring your own bike, parking it on board costs € 14 per week, or € 35 per week for your own e-bike, and the places are limited, so reserve when you book.
Which ship will we be on?
The Lena Maria: 14 cabins, up to 26 passengers, air conditioning, windows in the cabins that actually open. Every 2027 departure of this tour sails with her. The operator's own page also shows a second ship, the Flora, but no 2027 departure of this itinerary is assigned to it.
Is there a guide?
Yes. A tour leader cycles with the group every day and gives a short briefing each evening about the next day. You are never handed a map and left to work it out alone, though you do get a cycling map and GPS tracks if you like to know where you are.
What meals are included?
Seven breakfasts, a packed lunch on the cycling days, and six three-course dinners on board. The exception is day 4 in Leeuwarden, where dinner is in a restaurant in town and is not included, so you can pick what you fancy. Drinks are not included. Coffee and tea on board are free all week.
Where does the tour start and finish, and at what time?
Both ends are in Enkhuizen, about an hour by train from Amsterdam. The ship is ready from 2 pm on day 1 and you disembark at 09:30 on day 8. Luggage can stay on board until 11:00 that morning.
What if the weather turns?
The Wadden Sea crossing depends on wind and tide, so the ship may sail to Terschelling in the evening or the following morning. The crew decides on the day. Cycling days can also be reshuffled for the same reason.
Which entrance fees are already paid?
The Wreck Museum on Terschelling, the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker and the Woudagemaal steam pumping station in Lemmer are all included. Anything else you decide to visit along the way you pay on the spot.
Is this a good fit if we have never done boat and bike before?
It is one of the easiest ways to start. You unpack once, the ship follows you, the distances are short and flat, and someone rides in front who knows the way.