Yes. A tour leader cycles with the group every riding day and gives a daily briefing on board. Some short walking tours in the towns are included as well, and a couple of evening walks are offered as optional extras.

How hard is the cycling?

Easy. The Netherlands is flat and the daily distances on the short routes run from 27 to 48 km on paved, well-signposted cycle paths. On most days there is also a longer alternative if you want more kilometres.

Can I skip a day of cycling?

Yes. If you prefer to stay on board you can relax on deck while the barge sails to the next mooring.

No, bike rental is booked separately. For 2027 a rental bicycle is around €98 per week and a rental e-bike around €273 per week; e-bikes are on request only and in limited number. A rental helmet is about €10 per week and must be reserved in advance.

Can I bring my own bike?

Yes. Parking your own bicycle on board costs around €14 per week, and a parking place with charging point for your own e-bike around €35 per week. Places are limited, so book them with your cabin.

Seven breakfasts, packed lunches and six three-course dinners on board are included, together with coffee and tea and a welcome drink. On the evening in Harderwijk dinner is not served on board, so you eat ashore at your own choice and expense.

Are there different ships on this tour?

Yes. Depending on the departure date the tour runs with one of several comfort-class barges. Cabin layout and facilities differ slightly between them; the itinerary is the same.

How do the two route lengths work?

On most days the guide offers a shorter and a longer version of the same stage. The shorter route may leave out one or two of the sights mentioned in the programme.

Hanseatic Cities by Bike and Barge

Netherlands

hanseatic-cities-bike-and-barge-netherlands

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from€1,299

Bike & BoatTrekking bikeE-bike8 days / 7 nights228 km2/5Medium-EasyLoop

Short Description

Eight days, one floating base and a chain of brick-gabled river towns that once ran the trade of northern Europe. You sleep on board, wake up in a new harbour every morning and set off by bike with your guide along the Rhine, the IJssel and the Border Lakes. Arnhem, Doesburg, Zutphen, Deventer, Zwolle, Kampen, Elburg, Harderwijk: each one small enough to walk in an hour, rich enough to keep you looking up. Days are flat and friendly, with a shorter and a longer route almost every day, and if you would rather not pedal you simply stay on deck and watch the polders slide past. The circle closes where it began, in Amsterdam.

Tour Program

Day 1 — Amsterdam | Amsterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede (boarding, no cycling)
You come on board in Amsterdam between 1 and 2 p.m., where the crew welcomes you and shows you your cabin. Around 2 p.m. the barge casts off and sails the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal south to Wijk bij Duurstede, on the Rhine, where you spend your first night. Luggage can be dropped on board from 11 a.m. if you arrive early.

Day 2 — Wageningen to Arnhem (37 km, longer option 44 km)
While you have breakfast the barge cruises to Wageningen. From there you set off through the green river valley of the Rhine to Oosterbeek, where the Airborne Museum tells the story of Operation Market Garden. You finish in Arnhem, a Hanseatic city rebuilt after the war, with time to wander the centre, visit a museum or simply sit out with a coffee.

Day 3 — Doesburg to Deventer (27 km, longer option 44 km)
Breakfast on the move again, this time to Doesburg, a pocket-sized Hanseatic town worth a lap on foot before you clip in. The route follows the IJssel to Bronkhorst, officially the smallest town in the Netherlands. From there you choose: the short riverbank line to Zutphen, or the longer loop via Vorden past country houses, castles and old estates. During dinner the barge moves to Deventer, where an optional evening walk is on offer.

Day 4 — Wijhe to Kampen (40 km, longer option 56 km)
You start pedalling in Wijhe and ride to Hattem, either along the dikes or across the eastern Veluwe if you want the longer version. Hattem still wears its history on the outside. A short hop further and you reach Zwolle, one of the finest Hanseatic cities in the country, then continue to Kampen. In the evening your guide can take you out for an optional walk through the largest Hanseatic city in the Netherlands.

Day 5 — Kampen to Harderwijk via Elburg (48 km, longer option 56 km)
Today you ride the Border Lakes to Elburg, a fortified fishing town laid out on a perfect grid, then continue through the woods and moorland of the Veluwe to Harderwijk. In the 1500s its fish market was the biggest on the Zuiderzee; today the old harbour is the nicest place in town for dinner, which tonight you take ashore at a restaurant of your choice.

Day 6 — Harderwijk to Bunschoten-Spakenburg (41 km, longer option 61 km)
A coastal day: the short route hugs the water, the longer one swings inland through woodland before returning to the shore. You moor for the night in Spakenburg, an old fishing village still known for its traditional costume, which you will see worn in earnest rather than for show.

Day 7 — Huizen to Amsterdam (35 km, longer option 49 km)
Breakfast on deck while the barge repositions to Huizen. From there you cycle to the star-shaped fortress town of Naarden and on to Muiden, where the medieval Muiderslot castle guards the river mouth. Quiet roads carry you the last stretch into Amsterdam, and the afternoon and evening are yours: the old centre, a museum, or a canal cruise.

Day 8 — Amsterdam (disembarkation, no cycling)
Breakfast on board, then disembarkation by 9.30 a.m.

Available departures

Month

Ship

Next: 22 May 2027 · 12 departures · from €1,299 p.p.

May 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549

Jun 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549
- Twin Lower deck€1,549
- Twin or triple Lower€1,549€1,449

Jul 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,549
- Twin or triple Lower€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549
- Double Lower€1,549
- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549
- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549

Aug 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549
- Twin Lower deck€1,549€1,449
- Double Lower€1,549
- Twin Lower deck€1,899
- Twin Lower deck€1,899
- Single Lower deck€2,469

Tour details

LoopGuidedCouplesSolo travelersFriendsMinimum 2 peopleMinimum age 16 years

✅ What is included in the trip?

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

🙋 Common questions

Is this tour guided?
Yes. A tour leader cycles with the group every riding day and gives a daily briefing on board. Some short walking tours in the towns are included as well, and a couple of evening walks are offered as optional extras.
How hard is the cycling?
Easy. The Netherlands is flat and the daily distances on the short routes run from 27 to 48 km on paved, well-signposted cycle paths. On most days there is also a longer alternative if you want more kilometres.
Can I skip a day of cycling?
Yes. If you prefer to stay on board you can relax on deck while the barge sails to the next mooring.
Are bikes included?
No, bike rental is booked separately. For 2027 a rental bicycle is around €98 per week and a rental e-bike around €273 per week; e-bikes are on request only and in limited number. A rental helmet is about €10 per week and must be reserved in advance.
Can I bring my own bike?
Yes. Parking your own bicycle on board costs around €14 per week, and a parking place with charging point for your own e-bike around €35 per week. Places are limited, so book them with your cabin.
What about meals?
Seven breakfasts, packed lunches and six three-course dinners on board are included, together with coffee and tea and a welcome drink. On the evening in Harderwijk dinner is not served on board, so you eat ashore at your own choice and expense.
Are there different ships on this tour?
Yes. Depending on the departure date the tour runs with one of several comfort-class barges. Cabin layout and facilities differ slightly between them; the itinerary is the same.
How do the two route lengths work?
On most days the guide offers a shorter and a longer version of the same stage. The shorter route may leave out one or two of the sights mentioned in the programme.