Sail & Bike Wadden Sea

Your sailing ship is your floating hotel for the week: it carries you to a new destination each day while you explore the islands and coastlines of the Wadden Sea by bike. You unpack only once, dine and sleep on board, and set off each morning on flat, well-signposted cycle paths.

Day 1: Enkhuizen – Embarkation
Your journey begins in Enkhuizen, a quaint harbour town that was home to the Dutch merchant fleet during the Golden Age. Check-in on board is from 4 p.m., close to the town centre and the railway station. Once you have settled into your cabin, the skipper will welcome you with an aperitif and outline the week ahead, the ship and the safety measures on board. In the evening you will stroll through the historic centre before your first night aboard on the western shore of the IJsselmeer.

Day 2: Enkhuizen – Medemblik – Den Oever – Texel (approx. 23 or 39 km)
Today you will ride the first leg along the IJsselmeer coast, cycling through the open polder landscape to Medemblik. The ship then sails on to Den Oever and, weather permitting, passes through the lock in the evening to cross the Wadden Sea to the island of Texel.

Day 3: Texel – round trip from Oudeschild (approx. 39 or 48 km)
Texel is a cyclist's dream, with varied scenery, well-signposted cycle tracks and picturesque villages. You will follow a loop around the largest of the Dutch North Sea islands, passing small villages, the "Ecomare" seal sanctuary and a traditional brewery near the harbour of Oudeschild.

Day 4: Texel – Terschelling (sailing day, approx. 5–6 hours)
Today is dedicated to sailing. When the tide and weather are right, the ship threads its way through the sandbanks of the Wadden Sea toward Terschelling — keep watch for seals resting on the sandbars. You will enjoy a generous lunch on board as you sail. No dinner is served tonight, leaving you free to picnic or try one of the island's restaurants (not included).

Day 5: Terschelling – round trip and on to Harlingen (approx. 64 km)
After a day of sailing, today is all about cycling. Terschelling offers nature and culture, 70 km of cycle tracks and four charming villages. You will pass the 400-year-old "Brandaris" lighthouse and the wild heathland of the "Boschplaat", a haven for spoonbills and seabirds. In the late afternoon the ship crosses to Harlingen, the main harbour city of Friesland.

Day 6: Harlingen – Franeker – Makkum (approx. 39 or 43 km)
Via Franeker, home to the famous Eise Eisinga planetarium, you will cycle through the wide Frisian countryside and its rural villages to the small harbour of Makkum on the eastern shore of the IJsselmeer. The longer route also takes in Bolsward, one of the Eleven Frisian Cities.

Day 7: Makkum – Stavoren – Enkhuizen (approx. 27 or 47 km)
From Makkum you will ride to Stavoren. The shorter route passes through the old trading town of Hindeloopen, famous for its traditional decorative painting and its First Frisian Ice-Skating Museum. The longer route runs along several Frisian lakes. In the late afternoon the ship sets sail across the IJsselmeer back to Enkhuizen.

Day 8: Enkhuizen – Departure
Your tour ends in Enkhuizen. After breakfast you will disembark by 9:30 a.m.