Netherlands: Green Heart of Holland

Though the official introduction to this tour only takes place at 5:30 pm, you are able to check-in from 2:00 pm, unpack your luggage and take in some of the world-famous museums and attractions of Amsterdam. After the introduction to the tour and the crew, dinner will be served aboard the Lena Maria and you will select your rental bikes for the next day’s adventure!

After a leisurely breakfast onboard the Lena Maria, the ship will take you to Zaandam for a visit to the open-air museum “Zaanse Schans” where an entire 18^th and 19^th century Dutch village has been faithfully reconstructed. After learning about everything from Dutch cheese-making to clogs and windmills, you’ll cycle to Haarlem, the 16th century home of celebrated portraitist Frans Hals. For those feeling invigorated, there is an optional extension to the day’s cycling that takes you to the sea locks of Ijmuiden, the Kennemer Dunes and the Defence Line of Amsterdam forts, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After dinner, you’re free to take a starlit stroll through Haarlem’s city centre and market square.

After a hearty breakfast with your newfound friends aboard the Flora, you’ll take in some fresh sea air as you cycle past the magnificent dunes of the North Sea coast via the Noordwijk and Katwijk aan Zee resorts. Your destination? The university city and birthplace of Rembrandt in Leiden, a pearl of a city, the centre of which is crisscrossed with canals and impressive 17^th-century buildings. If you’d like the brave the longer tour, it takes you from Haarlem through to the steam engine museum of Cruquius and the flower nurseries of Hillegom en route to Leiden.

Onward to Delft! The birthplace of Holland’s famous blue porcelain (Delftware) where you will visit a fully-operational porcelain studio to learn the secrets of this ancient craft, as well as the royal crypt of the House of Orange. The longer cycling route passes Schveningen, a seaside resort en route to The Hague for a visit to the Peace Palace and the Binnenhof (Parliament) before you re-join the group in Delft.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast on the Lena Maria as you drift from Delft through the impressive international port of Rotterdam. Here you have the option to hop on the saddle and begin cycling, or take the lightning fast “Waterbus” to Alblasserdam. It’s a short cycle from there to one of Holland’s most impressive attractions, the 19 towering windmills of Kinderdijk. These UNESCO cultural heritage listed windmills are a highlight of the tour, so don’t forget to bring your camera as we’ll be visiting one of them to marvel at these engineering feats up close. From there we’ll cycle to Gouda, the cheese capital of Holland. Those still feeling fresh will have the option to cycle via the silver city of Schoonhoven before ending in Gouda for a well-deserved night’s rest.

Take it the abundance of natural beauty the South Holland landscape has to offer as we cycle towards the village of Kudelstaart to re-join the Flora. Small canals, idyllic farms and rustic villages dot the landscape as you make your way to the Westeinder Plassen (“West End” lakes) where the Lena Maria is moored and where you’ll enjoy a sunset glass of wine as you lose yourself in the gorgeous scenery that makes up the beautiful view.

Our second-last day kicks off with an optional extra (not included) for early-birds – a visit to the largest marketplace for flowers and plants in the world (Aalsmeer). We guarantee you that this bustling hive of activity will have more flowers in one place than you’ve ever seen! Should you wish, you can stay aboard the Lena Maria after a late breakfast as it returns to Amsterdam, or you can cycle into the city and visit the “Amsterdamse Bos” city park. The rest of the day is yours to spend visiting Amsterdam attractions such as the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Dam Square, Anne Frank’s House and the Rembrandt House Museum.

All good things must come to an end! On the final morning of the tour we disembark after breakfast, which is served up until 9.30 am.