Overview
Explore the Netherlands by bike and boat on a natural adventure that takes you not only around the waterways and urban wonders of North Holland, including Amsterdam, but also to the great cities and green heart of the south. On this trip you spend each night on board a riverboat, with ensuite outward-facing cabins and all meals included. By day, you can cycle in and around cultural greats such as Utrecht and Rotterdam, Delft or Haarlem, as well as taking in the famous 19 windmills of Kinderdijk. This tour, which starts and ends in Amsterdam, is also reachable by rail.
- Amsterdam
- Utrecht
- Windmills at Kinderdijk
- Rotterdam
- Delft
- Haarlem
- Zuid-Kennemerland National Park
- Gouda
Itinerary
Day 1: Amsterdam
Depending on arrival time, spend some time wandering around the city’s 17th-century Canal Ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site or head to the city’s famous Dam, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein Squares. Alternatively, hire a boat and enjoy this unique city from the water before embarking the riverboat at 17:00 for a welcome drink, briefing and the first dinner on board.
- Meals included: dinner
Day 2: Amsterdam – Rotterdam | 20-39km
Start the day sailing towards Breukelen before hopping on your bike for the first cycling route of the tour. Pedal along the winding River Vecht, with a backdrop of castles, country houses and traditional tearooms until you reach the centre of Utrecht. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring this medieval city with sights such as Domkerk, Wilhelminapark and many unique shops and cafes before re-embarking the ship to continue by water to Rotterdam.
- Cycling for the day: 20-39km
- Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3: Circular route from Rotterdam | 48km
Today’s cycling route begins by heading through Schiedam towards Delft, known for its production of beautiful blue pottery. Explore its city centre’s canals, small streets, bridges and alleys and visit the Royal Delft Museum, showcasing the history of the town’s pottery. From here, the route returns back to Rotterdam, where you can spend the rest of the evening exploring the city, famous for its contemporary arts, award-winning architecture and funky food scene.
- Cycling for the day: 48km
- Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4: Rotterdam – Schoonhoven | 30-58km
Start the day taking the waterbus to Alblasserdam before setting off on a short cycle to Kinderdijk to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout, an impressive row of 19 windmills. There is a choice of two routes from here, with the longer of the two visiting the town of Gouda, renowned for its cheese but also a very pretty town in its own right. The shorter route heads towards Alblasserwaard, with both routes ending in Schoonhoven, nicknamed Zilverstad, which translates as Silver City, in honour of the talented silversmiths who have been based here since the 17th century.
On some departures, the night in Schoonhoven will not be possible, so the ship will instead dock in Gouda for the night.
- Cycling for the day: 30-58km
- Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Schoonhoven – Haarlem | 36-44km
Leaving Schoonhoven behind, cycle through the Green Heart of Holland, passing through small villages and quiet countryside as you head back towards Utrecht. On the way, take a break to visit a traditional cheese farm and the Witches Weigh House, a medieval set of scales in Oudewater that was used as a witchcraft test. The cycling day comes to a close in Utrecht, followed by an evening sail towards Haarlem.
- Cycling for the day: 36-44km
- Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6: Haarlem – Zaandam | 40-50km
Today offers the option of two cycling routes, which both begin by heading through Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, where you can spot several bird species, Highland cows and Shetland ponies. From here, the shorter of the two routes, takes you to the seaside resorts of Bloemendaal and Zandvoort before cycling through forests back towards Haarlem. The longer route heads towards the Cruquius Museum, home to one of the largest steam pumps in the world. The exhibits show how the Industrial Revolution facilitated the pumping of waterscapes in the Netherlands, transforming the region’s landscapes. From here, the route heads back towards Haarlem to re-board the ship, which will sail towards Zaandam as you sit down to dinner.
- Cycling for the day: 40-50km
- Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7: Zaandam – Amsterdam | 32-53km
The final day of cycling takes you to De Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum where you can spend the morning discovering the area’s windmills, traditional shops and houses, cheese farm and traditional wooden clog maker. From here, the route heads through the recreational area of Het Twiske, where you can rent canoes, rowboats, pedal boats and sailboats before continuing to Amsterdam.
- Cycling for the day: 32-53km
- Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 8: Departure
Departure after breakfast at 09.30.
- Meals included: breakfast
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in outward-facing twin cabins below deck on a riverboat for the duration of the tour. Cabins on both riverboats have en-suite bathrooms, a window, air-conditioning, a TV and a hair dryer. For more details, see below. Standard accommodation is in twin cabins below deck, with room upgrades available upon request.
Click to view default ships
- MS De Amsterdam
- MS De Holland
Meals
This is a full board tour, which includes breakfast, packed lunch, coffee and tea on board and dinner. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know at time of booking. Please note that there may be a supplement to be paid locally for certain dietary requests. We regret that our local partner cannot offer vegan meals.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is rated easy due to the routes following primarily flat terrain, with daily cycling distances between 20-58km. Any cycling day can be skipped if you feel like having a rest day on the boat instead (read more about difficulty grades).
When to go
This trip is available from March-October with departures on Saturdays and Sundays.
Getting there
FCO up-to-date travel advice on the Netherlands.
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Amsterdam (AMS).
By train or bus
By train: If you are able to travel to the Netherlands without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail, with Amsterdam railway station offering connections to other major cities across the Netherlands and Europe. For more details, see the national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
From the UK, there is a direct train service with Eurostar from London St Pancras International to Amsterdam Centraal (4h).
By plane: From Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, you can take a train to Amsterdam Centraal. For timetables and further information, please visit Nederlandse Spoorwegen or use the Omio planner above.
Inclusions
Included
- 7 nights in outward-facing cabins with private facilities
- Full board consisting of seven breakfasts, six lunches and seven dinners, with coffee and tea onboard
- Daily room cleaning
- Welcome drink
- Daily meeting for the cycle tours
- Printed instructions and detailed maps for daily cycling routes (one per cabin)
- GPS tracks
- Onboard tour guide
- Use of a waterproof pannier bag
- Water bottle
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Travel insurance (required get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Drinks and snacks
- Helmet rental
- Water taxi fees
- Parking fees
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable locally)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
*March 2026 update: due to increased fuel and energy costs, a small fuel surcharge is payable locally upon arrival.
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a cabin of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of cabins and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own cabin. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share cabins with other solo travellers
- Cabin upgrades
- Bike rental
- Bring your own bike
- Helmet rental
Bike rental
Both trekking bikes and e-bikes are available to rent on this tour or you can bring your own. All rental bikes are equipped with a lock and puncture-resistant tyres. Sample models listed below, note that the exact models may differ depending on availability, but the standard will be the same.
Touring bikes
- Lightweight aluminium frame
- Handbrakes
- Seven speed gears
- Gel seat
- Bike lock attached to frame
- Puncture-resistant tyres
E-bikes
- Handbrakes
- Seven speeds
- 400Wh battery
- Three levels of power-assistance
- Gel seat
- Bike lock attached to frame
- Anti-puncture tyres
