How hard is the cycling?

Easy. The Netherlands is flat and the daily short routes run between 26 and 41 km on quiet cycle paths and dikes. The only real variable is the wind.

Can I choose how far I ride?

On most days there is a short and a longer route. The long options add roughly 10 to 20 km and take in extra sights such as De Biesbosch or Leiden. You decide each morning.

What if I do not feel like cycling one day?

You can simply stay on board and enjoy the cruise to the next mooring. Nothing is compulsory.

Are the rides guided?

Yes. Two tour leaders ride with the group, which is split in two by pace. You also get maps and GPS tracks if you prefer to go at your own rhythm, and the guide stays reachable by phone.

Can I bring my own bike?

Yes, with a paid parking place on board, subject to availability. Rental bikes and a limited number of e-bikes can be booked in advance.

What kind of cabin will I have?

Cabins are climate controlled, with bed linen and towels provided and daily cleaning. Configurations vary, so tell us what you need and we will confirm what is available for your date.

Where does the tour start and finish?

Both in Amsterdam. Boarding is between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. on day 1 and you disembark by 9:30 a.m. on day 8, which makes flights easy to plan.

Windmills & Waterways Boat & Bike Tour

North and South Holland

windmills-waterways-boat-bike-tour-holland

See all the photos

from€1,419

Bike & BoatTrekking bikeE-bike8 days / 7 nights208 km1/5EasyLoop

Short Description

Eight days, one floating base and the whole of classic Holland at handlebar height. You sleep on board a small luxury barge that moves while you eat and sleep, and each morning you step off into a different piece of the country: the windmills of the Zaanse Schans, the geometric polders of the Beemster, the old East India harbour of Hoorn, the tidal creeks of the Biesbosch and the cheese city of Gouda. The riding is flat, fully guided and easy to dose - roughly 26 to 41 km a day on the short routes, with longer options whenever your legs feel like it.

Tour Program

Day 1 - Amsterdam to Zaandam (cruising)
You board between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. and the crew welcomes you on board. Once everyone has arrived the barge casts off for Zaandam and moors right in the centre for the night. There is time for a short test ride to get your saddle height right, and in the evening a stroll through Zaandam's green timber houses.

Day 2 - Zaandam - Zaanse Schans - Beemster - Hoorn (41 km, long option 51 km)
After breakfast you ride to the open-air museum of the Zaanse Schans for a short visit, then continue through small villages across the Beemster polder, a reclaimed landscape laid out as a perfect grid and listed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of creative planning. The day ends in Hoorn, once a home port of the Dutch East India Company. In the evening you can join a boat trip through the old canals.

Day 3 - Hoorn - Volendam - Marken - Weesp (39 km, long option 46 km)
The ship cruises to the fishing village of Volendam while you have breakfast. A ferry takes you across to Marken, a former island that still looks the part, and from there you follow the coastline to IJburg, the district Amsterdam built on land reclaimed from the sea. You pass the fourteenth-century waterside castle at Muiden and meet the ship near Weesp. Around 5:00 p.m. she leaves for Utrecht and dinner is served while cruising.

Day 4 - Schoonhoven - Dordrecht (32 km, long option 53 km)
During breakfast the barge sails to Schoonhoven, the Silver City, where today's ride starts. The longer route dips into De Biesbosch National Park, one of the last freshwater tidal areas in Europe, along quiet dikes and winding creeks between willow woods - watch for birds of prey and, with luck, a beaver. You finish in Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the country, where three rivers meet. After dinner there is a short guided walk through town.

Day 5 - Alblasserdam - Gouda (37 km, long option 52 km)
A waterbus takes you to Alblasserdam and the ride begins. You cycle past the nineteen windmills of Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most photographed skyline in the Netherlands, with time to go inside one of the mills and the visitor centre. Then on to Gouda, famous for cheese and candles. Dinner is on your own tonight - the crew will point you to the good addresses.

Day 6 - Gouda - Leiden - Uithoorn (33 km, long option 52 km)
The morning is yours to walk Gouda's market square and the old Cheese Weighing House, and to see the stained-glass windows of St John's Church, which are included. Then you ride into the Green Heart of Holland: meadows, wide skies, small canals and lakes, all of it below sea level. The longer route takes in Leiden, Rembrandt's birthplace and home to the oldest university in the country. You overnight on board at Uithoorn.

Day 7 - Uithoorn - Amsterdam (26 km)
A last loop through the water-rich country around Uithoorn, then back on board after lunch for the final cruise along the Amstel into Amsterdam - the best possible way to arrive in the city.

Day 8 - Amsterdam
Breakfast on board and disembarkation by 9:30 a.m.

Available departures

Month

Next: 21 May 2027 · 12 departures · from €1,419 p.p.

May 2027

- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519
- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519

Jun 2027

- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519
- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519
- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519

Aug 2027

- Twin€1,569
- Twin Split level bed€1,419
- Twin€1,569
- Twin Split level bed€1,419

Sept 2027

- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519
- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519
- Twin€1,669
- Twin Split level bed€1,519

Tour details

LoopGuidedCouplesSolo travelersFriendsMinimum 2 peopleMinimum age 16 years

✅ What is included in the trip?

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

❌ 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 daily short routes run between 26 and 41 km on quiet cycle paths and dikes. The only real variable is the wind.
Can I choose how far I ride?
On most days there is a short and a longer route. The long options add roughly 10 to 20 km and take in extra sights such as De Biesbosch or Leiden. You decide each morning.
What if I do not feel like cycling one day?
You can simply stay on board and enjoy the cruise to the next mooring. Nothing is compulsory.
Are the rides guided?
Yes. Two tour leaders ride with the group, which is split in two by pace. You also get maps and GPS tracks if you prefer to go at your own rhythm, and the guide stays reachable by phone.
Can I bring my own bike?
Yes, with a paid parking place on board, subject to availability. Rental bikes and a limited number of e-bikes can be booked in advance.
What kind of cabin will I have?
Cabins are climate controlled, with bed linen and towels provided and daily cleaning. Configurations vary, so tell us what you need and we will confirm what is available for your date.
Where does the tour start and finish?
Both in Amsterdam. Boarding is between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. on day 1 and you disembark by 9:30 a.m. on day 8, which makes flights easy to plan.