Itinerary
Tulip Tour with Boat & Bike: Colorful Spring in Holland
5 days / 4 nights | Ship: Fluvius | Self-guided bike tours
Experience Holland in the best possible way: a gorgeous spring short break dominated by flowers. This 5-day mini-cruise plows through the most beautiful season of the year and will take you to gorgeous areas such in “the Garden of Amsterdam”. Enjoy some unforgettable days on board of a passenger barge with excellent service and an alternating itinerary.
Amsterdam is also called, by some, the smallest metropolis of Europe. There are many unique museums, enticing shopping and, recently added to the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage list, the canals in the heart of Amsterdam certainly make a visit to Amsterdam a highlight. Visit the famous flower market in the center of the capital and discover the Zaanse Schans open air museum including windmills, a traditional cheese maker, a clog maker and an authentic traditional Dutch village. Other highlights of this trip are the historic city of Haarlem, the world famous flower park Keukenhof, near Lisse and the largest flower auction* in the world in Aalsmeer.
*: The Aalsmeer flower auction is closed during weekends and on public holidays. This is an optional visit.
Highlights of this bike and boat trip
✔ A spring break overflowing with flowers
✔ Historical cities of Amsterdam and Haarlem
✔ Flower Market Amsterdam, the Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans
✔ Comfortable barge MS Fluvius with max. 44 passengers
Itinerary
Day 1: Amsterdam | Amsterdam – Zaandam
Embarkation and check-in, where the crew will welcome you on board, takes place at 2 p.m.. As soon as all guests have arrived a short cruise will bring you to Zaandam, a spot famous for its windmills. Here, your barge will berth in the center of the city for the night. Upon arrival you can enjoy taking your new bike for a brief test ride through the surrounding area. In the evening, enjoy a short walk through the picturesque center of Zaandam.
Day 2: Zaandam – Zaanse Schans – Zaandam | Zaandam – Haarlem (Cycling 24 km / 14 miles or 34 km / 21 miles)
After breakfast you will enjoy a 5 km bicycle ride to the open air museum “Zaanse Schans” with beautiful windmills, traditional wooden houses, an old Dutch village, a cheese farm and a traditional wooden clog maker. In the afternoon you have a choice to make: you can either cycle (24 km/14 mi.) to Haarlem or take it easy and join the barge while enjoying the scenery. In Haarlem visit the historical inner city with the Grote Markt and St. Bavo church. Your barge will be berthed not far from the center of Haarlem for the night, so you will have time to enjoy a short city walk in the afternoon or in the evening.
Day 3: Haarlem – Keukenhof – Oude Wetering (Cycling 38 km / 23 miles or 55 km / 34 miles)
Today you will cycle to the Keukenhof, arguably the most famous flower park in the world where you can admire hundreds of thousands of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and many other flowers in full bloom. After an extensive visit you will get back on your bicycle and will head to Oude Wetering, a small village, where your floating hotel will be waiting for you.
Day 4: Oude Wetering – Amsterdam | Amsterdam Waterland cycling tour (Cycling 28 km / 18 miles)
This morning you are in for a real treat – an early visit by bus (6.30 a.m.) to the biggest flower auction* in the world at Aalsmeer. In the morning millions of flowers are auctioned off here and are instantly sent out to all parts of the world. By 9 a.m. you will return on the your barge where a late breakfast will be waiting for you while sailing through Amsterdam. During the afternoon you either have the opportunity to make a last beautiful cycling tour through the wetlands of Waterland or to discover this amazing city. Visit the inner city flower market, go to a museum, do some shopping… there is just so much to do! Optional: end-of-day canal tour in Amsterdam.
*: The Aalsmeer flower auction is closed during weekends and on public holidays. This is an optional visit.
Day 5: Amsterdam
Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.: End of your trip.
Note: All distances are approximate distances of recommended bike tours. Program and information provided are subject to change, such as, for example, changes in weather conditions. The company retains the right to change the program or to change the shipping time and/or the order of the program in the case it deems it necessary to do so.
Good to know
Accompanied by a competent, professional and multilingual tour leader, you and the group will visit interesting sights and places on the daily cycling tours. During the bike tour, they will explain the local history and culture behind the things you encounter along the way.
Fluvius: On this Tulip Tour with more than 22 guests the daily cycling tours will be accompanied by 2 knowledgeable and multi-lingual tour leaders. On most days the tour leaders will offer a long and a short (or a quicker and a more relaxed) bike option.
Not all mentioned highlights will be visited during the short bike option.
You can also choose to ride individually with the help of a map and route notes (available on board). GPS tracks will be sent to you 4 weeks before the start date of the tour.
In case you prefer a day of rest, you can skip the bike tour and relax on board while cruising to the next town.
On the arrival day is it possible to bring your luggage on board from 12 a.m.
Map
Ship MS Fluvius
MS Fluvius
The Fluvius has been a popular choice for guests for a number of years now on the cycling cruises between Amsterdam and Bruges. The former cargo barge was totally rebuilt and extended in 2003 into a luxury river cruise barge. In winter 2017-2018, four additional upper deck double cabins were realized. The Fluvius sails under Dutch flag and management. The Fluvius now caters for max. 44 passengers.
Description of the cabins
The Fluvius has eighteen twin cabins and four double cabins. On the upper deck, there are three standard twin cabins (11 m² – 118 sq.ft. ) with two separate single beds and four double cabins (12 m² – 129 sq.ft. ) with a double bed (140 x 200 cm) and a large panoramic window. On the lower deck you will find fourteen standard twin cabins (11 m² – 118 sq.ft.) and one smaller twin cabin (10 m² – 108 sq.ft.), all of which have two separate single beds. On prior request, a child’s cot can be placed in two of the standard twin cabins
Each cabin has an en-suite bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. All twin cabins have a fixed window, the panoramic window in the double cabins can be opened. Each cabin has an individually adjustable air-conditioning unit, a ventilation system, a flatscreen TV and a hair dryer.
Description of the ship
The Fluvius has a large lounge (air-conditioned) with TV, bar and a semi-separate restaurant area. Wi-Fi is available. The barge also has a large sun deck with sitting places (tables and chairs) and a storage room for the bikes. While cruising, you can enjoy the scenery from here.
Facts about the ship
Length: 69,9 m (229 ft.) | Width: 5,6 m (18 ft.) | Crew: 7 | Cabins: 22 | Pass: 44 (max.)
Travel Dates & Prices 2022
Tulip Tour with Boat & Bike
Travel Dates and Prices 2022 per Person
Please click at the travel data to open the request form.
Travel Dates
Prices 2022 per Person in €
Season
small twin BEL Fluvius
649,- €
twin cabin BEL
679,- €
single BEL
1018,- €
Twin UPP Fluvius
799,- €
Double UPP Fluvius
879,- €
BEL = below deck | UPP = upper deck
Optional services / Notes
7-gear bicycle rental
60,- €
E-bike
110,- €
Parking own bicycle
7,- €
Parking + charge station own E-Bike
17,- €
Limitation of liability (damage) rental bicycle
10,- €
Limitation of liability (damage) rental e-bike
25,- €
- Triple Cabin not available on MS Fluvius
- Minimum number of participants: 24
Services included
- Tour and accommodation on board in the booked category 5 days/4 nights from/to Amsterdam
- Full board; 4 x breakfast, (picnic) lunch, 4 x three course dinner
- Coffee and tea on board during breakfast and after the bicycle tours
- Welcome drink
- Use of bed linen and towels
- Daily cleaning of the cabin
- Climate-controlled cabin
- Daily briefings
- Self-guided cycling tours
- Maps and route descriptions for cycling tours (1 set per cabin)
- GPS tracks
- Use of a waterproof pannier bag
- Wi-Fi
- Carbon offset payment to the Non-Profit organization Justdiggit
Not included: Transfers to/from the docking places in Amsterdam; other transfers; bicycle rent; helmet rental; parking fee; drinks on board, coffee and tea on board at other hours, personal insurances; gratuities (at your discretion); entrance fees and excursions, fees for ferries.
Vaccination and health requirements for this tour:
For most of our tours, all travelers are subject to the rules that are imposed by the relevant authorities in the country of travel at the time of the trip. Currently (as of Nov. 1, 2021) this means either fully vaccinated, recovered or tested for almost all trips within the EU for EU citizens. In short: If you are allowed to (enter) a country and are healthy, you can also check in with us on board and enjoy your journey.
Upgrade guided tours
On this trip you have the opportunity to ride all bike tours together with an experienced tour guide (additional fee, see above). If you choose this option, the guide will show you all the interesting places and the most exciting sights along the way. For larger groups, a second guide will accompany you. Some entrance fees (canal tour through the center of Amsterdam, entrance to the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp and canal tour through Ghent), shorter city walking tours and the cost of the ferries on the route are included in this upgrade.
Bicycles
The bicycles on board are all touring or trekkingbikes of the brand ‘Bikkel’ – private label and have a unisex frame (you can get on the bike comfortably), 7-speed gear, only handbrakes and a pannier bag.
There are E-Bikes available (on request and at additional costs) of the brand ‘Bikkel’- private label; these have 7 gears, 6 support levels, hand breaks only and a pannier bag .
Bicycle rent is optional.
Guests are also allowed to bring their own bicycles/e-bikes (limited number of parking places available). Guests can book a parking place for a normal bicycle or a parking and charge station for an e-bike for a small additional fee. For safety reasons it is no longer possible to charge the batteries of your own e-bikes in the cabin. The crew will inform you where on deck/ on board you can recharge your battery. However, the crew or tour operators are in no way responsible for any damage, loss or theft of guests own bicycles or e-bikes.
Meals
The meals on board are substantial and healthy. Breakfast will be served as a buffet. During breakfast you may make your own packed picnic lunch for your bik e tour. The ingredients for this, as bread, cheese, sausage, fruit and a drink, will be served extra. The three course dinner (day menu) exists of a soup or another starter, main menu, and desert.
When you don’t feel like cycling for a day during the tour, you are welcome to stay on board and enjoy the sailing. In the morning you can also prepare your own packed lunch yourself during breakfast, because it won’t be served during the cruise. Coffee and tea are available on board all day.
Vegetarian meals are possible at no surcharge. Other diets (like gluten free or for lactose intolerance) are possible at a surcharge of €35. All diets and vegetarian meals must be booked and confirmed well in advance
