How hard is the cycling?

Easy. The Netherlands is flat and the cycle network is excellent, so the effort is in the distance rather than the climbing. Days range from about 6 to 50 km, and on most days there is a shorter and a longer option. Wind off the North Sea is the only real variable.

Is the cycling guided?

Yes. A tour leader cycles with the group every day. A detailed cycling map and a GPS app are also available if you prefer to ride at your own pace, and the guide stays reachable by phone for questions or breakdowns.

Can I skip a day of cycling?

Yes. On any day you can stay on board and relax while the ship cruises to the next mooring.

No, bikes are rented separately. A standard rental bike is around €98 per week and an e-bike around €273 per week, on request and in limited numbers. Helmets can be rented for about €10 per week if reserved in advance. You may also bring your own bike; a parking place on board costs around €14 per week (€35 for an e-bike) and should be reserved when booking.

What are the cabins like?

Twin, double and twin-or-triple cabins on the lower deck, all with private facilities, bed linen and towels, and daily cleaning.

Breakfast, a packed lunch and a three-course dinner on board are included, except for one evening in Alkmaar when you eat in town at your own expense. Drinks are not included.

Will I actually see tulips in bloom?

Departures are scheduled for the bloom window, but nature decides. An early or late spring shifts the peak by a week or two; the gardens of Keukenhof are spectacular in any case.

Where does the tour start and finish?

Both in Amsterdam. Check-in is between 1 and 2 p.m. on day 1 and the ship leaves at 2:30 p.m.; you can drop your luggage on board from 11 a.m.

Holland in Bloom: 8-Day Tulip Cruise by Bike

North and South Holland

holland-in-bloom-8-day-tulip-bike-boat-tour

See all the photos

from€1,299

Bike & BoatTrekking bikeE-bike8 days / 7 nights197 km1/5EasyLoop

Short Description

For a few weeks each spring, Holland turns into a patchwork of red, yellow and purple, and this is the week to be there. Your floating base moves with you from Amsterdam to Haarlem, Leiden, Gouda, Purmerend and Alkmaar, so you unpack once and wake up somewhere new every morning. Days are spent in the saddle on flat, well-signed cycle paths: through the oldest bulb fields in the country, into the gardens of Keukenhof, along the green heart of South Holland, past working windmills and cheese towns. A tour leader rides with you the whole way, and when you'd rather not pedal you simply stay on board and watch the polders slide by. Small ship, small group, big spring.

Tour Program

Day 1 – Amsterdam to Haarlem (6 or 14 km)
Check in between 1 and 2 p.m. and settle in over coffee and tea. At 2:30 p.m. you cast off and, while the ship heads for Haarlem, your tour leader talks you through the week, cycling Dutch style and safety on board. From Spaarndam there is an optional short test ride to get used to your bike. After dinner on board, you walk together through Haarlem's handsome old centre.

Day 2 – Haarlem to Leiden via Keukenhof (38 km)
You ride out through the oldest tulip fields in Holland and spend part of the morning at Keukenhof, the most spectacular bulb park in the world: some seven million tulips in bloom across 80 acres, with hyacinths and daffodils in between. In the afternoon the route rolls on to Leiden, a university city made for an after-dinner stroll.

Day 3 – Leiden to Gouda (37 or 43 km)
Out of Leiden and straight into the bucolic "green heart" of Holland. Near Zoeterwoude you stop at a cheese farm to see how it is made, and of course to taste it. By afternoon you reach Gouda, with its market square, Gothic town hall and the famous stained-glass windows of St. John's church.

Day 4 – Gouda to Kudelstaart (20 or 44 km)
The morning is yours in Gouda: the market, the cheese weigh house, the church. Around midday the ship sails on and you have a light lunch on board. From Alphen aan den Rijn you are back on the bike, following the river Drecht and the Amstel-Drecht canal through the green heart to meet the ship again in Kudelstaart.

Day 5 – Flower auction, Amsterdam and Zaanse Schans (9 or 45 km)
An early one: coffee at 6:30 a.m., then a ride to the flower auction of Aalsmeer, the largest in Europe, where the trading floor is already in full swing. Back on board around 9 a.m. for a late breakfast while the ship cruises straight through the centre of Amsterdam. The second ride of the day takes you to Zaanse Schans, a working hamlet of green wooden houses and windmills, the oldest from 1673, still grinding mustard, spices and paint or sawing planks. You finish in Purmerend, where the ship is moored.

Day 6 – Purmerend to Alkmaar (50 km)
First stop is Hortus Bulborum, a living museum of rare and historic bulbs with more than 4,000 varieties. From there you ride to Egmond aan Zee on the North Sea and turn inland through the dunes to Alkmaar, a cheese city with a beautifully kept 17th-century centre and narrow canals. Dinner tonight is in town, at your own expense.

Day 7 – Alkmaar to Amsterdam (37 or 54 km)
The route crosses the old windmill complex of the Schermer polder, with a visit to the Schermerhorn windmill museum, then reaches De Rijp and its wooden facades, old lock and town hall. From there you pedal back to Amsterdam, with time in the late afternoon or evening for a canal cruise through the city.

Day 8 – Amsterdam
Breakfast on board and disembarkation after a week of flowers, water and windmills.

Available departures

Month

Ship

Next: 27 Mar 2027 · 3 departures · from €1,299 p.p.

Mar 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,399
- Twin or triple Lower€1,399€1,339
- Double Lower€1,399

Apr 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,399€1,299

May 2027

- Twin Lower deck€1,599€1,499
- Double Lower€1,599

Tour details

LoopGuidedCouplesFriendsMinimum 2 peopleMinimum age 16 years

✅ What is included in the trip?

🏨 Overnight stay and breakfast
🍽️ Packed lunches
🍽️ 6 dinners (drinks excluded)
🍷 1 welcome drink
🧍‍♂️ Welcome briefing
🧍‍♂️English speaking tour guide
📲 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

❌ 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

How hard is the cycling?
Easy. The Netherlands is flat and the cycle network is excellent, so the effort is in the distance rather than the climbing. Days range from about 6 to 50 km, and on most days there is a shorter and a longer option. Wind off the North Sea is the only real variable.
Is the cycling guided?
Yes. A tour leader cycles with the group every day. A detailed cycling map and a GPS app are also available if you prefer to ride at your own pace, and the guide stays reachable by phone for questions or breakdowns.
Can I skip a day of cycling?
Yes. On any day you can stay on board and relax while the ship cruises to the next mooring.
Are bikes included?
No, bikes are rented separately. A standard rental bike is around €98 per week and an e-bike around €273 per week, on request and in limited numbers. Helmets can be rented for about €10 per week if reserved in advance. You may also bring your own bike; a parking place on board costs around €14 per week (€35 for an e-bike) and should be reserved when booking.
What are the cabins like?
Twin, double and twin-or-triple cabins on the lower deck, all with private facilities, bed linen and towels, and daily cleaning.
What about meals?
Breakfast, a packed lunch and a three-course dinner on board are included, except for one evening in Alkmaar when you eat in town at your own expense. Drinks are not included.
Will I actually see tulips in bloom?
Departures are scheduled for the bloom window, but nature decides. An early or late spring shifts the peak by a week or two; the gardens of Keukenhof are spectacular in any case.
Where does the tour start and finish?
Both in Amsterdam. Check-in is between 1 and 2 p.m. on day 1 and the ship leaves at 2:30 p.m.; you can drop your luggage on board from 11 a.m.