Bike and Boat Holland-peek into Germany
June 28-July 5, 2008
$1,020 per person
What's Included
- 7 nights / 8 days on floating comfort dutch boat-hotel. Sleeping quarters in cozy double occupancy rooms with upper-lower berths. All rooms have private bathroom.
- Three meals a day prepared by Chef Els — hearty breakfasts, packed lunch and gourmet dinners.
- Special fees for sightseeing such as castle visits and fares for ferries.
- Afternoon snacks and mid-week wine and cheese party.
- Suzie and Roger will be your trip hosts and ride leaders on route.
- Bicycle rental — twenty one speed.
We host a truly UNIQUE way of touring Holland!
Itinerary
Day One: Utrecht
Our trip starts Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. when we board our barge/hotel, settle into our cabins, and get our bikes fitted and ready to go. Soon thereafter we head off cycling out of Amsterdam along the great Rhine Canal.
At the tiny town of Nigtevecht we leave the "kanaal" and start a north-south zigzag along the famous Vecht River and a region of centuries-old villages, expanses of flat and watery pastureland punctuated by windmills, castles and dozens of mansions built by Amsterdam merchants as weekend retreats during the 17th and 18th centuries.
We'll stop at Vreeland — one of the smallest villages on route and catch a visit to its working windmill which grinds grain for farm animals.
Passing Breukelen and Lonen — more charming villages adorning our route — we meet the Feniks docked on the River Lek for the night. This evening we enjoy a Welcome Dinner feast only Els can create for us!
Day Two: Tiel
Today we'll cycle some of the beautiful area surrounding the Province of Utrecht in search of some of Holland's medieval history.
Following the River Lek, we enter the beautiful town of Wijk Bij Durstede for a visit to the Castle Durstede dating back to 1200.
Castle Durstede.
Heading east along the picturesque dikes of the Nederrijn we enter Amerongen and a visit to its 17th century castle and beautiful gardens. Just a few miles through a glorious forested area and we turn southward to enjoy the Dutch landscapes of the Betuwe region. The Betuwe is Holland's largest fruit producing area also known as the "Orchard of Holland". June and July are prime berry season and we'll certainly be stopping to enjoy tasty cherries, raspberries and strawberries galore!
We rest for the night in Tiel — the largest town in the Betuwe and one of the oldest towns of the Netherlands dating back to the ninth century.
Tiel once housed a famous jam factory called De Betuwe which has been replaced after its closing with an interesting Jam museum which we'll get to visit on our town walk.
Day Three: Along the Wahl River to Nijmegen
Historic walled towns abound in the Netherlands.
We take leave of Tiel following the beautiful and mighty Waal River along a picturesque dike route to Nijmegen.
Nijmegen — the oldest town in the Netherlands was the home to the Romans and Emperor Charlemagne who built his castle there by the river.
Nijmegen has a lovely town center to enjoy before dinner.
Those that would like more cycling can venture several more miles north of Nijmegen along a "green route" to the quaint town of Bemmel and the lovely castle there.
Day Four: Dip into Germany
We'll leave Nijmegen today for an ambitious cycling day of 40 plus miles following the Rhine River and "Via Romana" roads dating back to the Roman Empire.
We come to Milligen, where our cycling takes us past wetlands, osier thickets, river dunes and banks to the beautiful "Tea Gardens" where we'll stop for a treat of coffee and Dutch Apple Cake.
The Schwanenburg (Swan Castle).
Just a few miles more, we cross the border into Germany and enter the beautiful Rhine Plain.
Here we'll cycle quiet countryside dotted by ancient villages along an old arm of the Rhine where nature seems to overflow.
We'll stop for lunch in the small town of Kranenburg and take leave of Germany through the majestic Reischswald (Imperial Forest). Crossing back into Holland we'll follow Gelder landscapes to the pre-historic town of Cuijk. We'll glide along the Maas River westward throught the Province of Limburg and to the fortified town of Grave.
After dinner we'll enjoy a town walk to see the old wall and town dating back to the fifteenth century.
Day Five: Zaltbommel
We leave Grave to explore the area known as "Land Van Maas En Waal". We'll cycle through many small towns of rich history and lots of lovely Dutch countryside. Our first stop — the House of Leur and castle of Hernen located outside the town of Wijchen.
Historic Hernen castle.
As we travel westward along the Maas, we enter Fort Sint Andras — a nature preservation area dotted with more enriching history, castles and ruins.
Passing the lovely Gardens of Appeltern we stop by the old town of the same name for lunch and a stroll in the lovely "wandel (walking) park".
We cross by small boat (pont)-over the Maas to its right bank and a visit to the charming old towns of Oijen and Lith.
Then, another time we cross the Maas to the picturesque river village Alem and follow quiet bike paths with views of the water until we reach our nights destination — Zaltbommel.
We will take time for a town walk to some of the town's noteable sites including a 15th century almshouse chapel; the medieval Waterpoort; Market and the side streets opening off it lined with fine old 16th and 17th century houses.
Day Six: Vianen
After breakfast we head north through the green velds (fields) of the Tieler Waard. We'll pass the regal Waarden Castle on our way to the famous Linge Route- a meandering voyage along the beautiful Linge River -passing lovely farmhouses and quaint old Dutch villages.
We stop for lunch in 15th century Leerdam- famous for it's glass industry. We hope to make a visit to the glass center and see true glass blowing artisans at work!
Cycling north once more we'll join the picturesque Meriwede Kanal that leads us into historic Vianen- on the Lek River. We will have a town walk to discover this charming old walled town.
The Groene Hart.
Day Seven: Back to Amsterdam
After breakfast on Friday, we'll start our course back to Amsterdam by way of the "Groene Hart (Green Hart)" of Holland.
The Groene Hart is an open space neighboring the big cities of Utrecht and Amsterdam filled with farmsteads of grazing cows, large expanses of polder lands and old fortifications.
We'll stop for a visit to the most famous castle of Holland- De Haar for a tour of the castle and gardens. Following a picturesque route along the Amstel River we cycle into the center of Amsterdam.
We celebrate tonight with a special farewell dinner!
Day Eight: Good Bye to the Netherlands
Saturday morning we will have an early breakfast, say our goodbyes to our cycling friends and the wonderful hospitality of Winfred and Els of the Feniks, and disembark at 9 a.m. for home.
Trip Difficulty
The Netherlands terrain is mostly flat, but we can experience wind and rain which are weather factors that impact cyling experience and ability. So, we recommend this trip for an athletic person or experienced cyclist who can complete the daily 40ish miles under some adverse weather and likes to average 10-13 m.p.h. on easy/flat terrain while enjoying a leisurely trip.
We will average 40 miles a day with Suzie as ride leader and Roger as route "sweep" and mechanic. Of course, you can always take a break from cycling and enjoy sailing from the sundeck of our barge — quite a delightful experience!
We advocate a "stop and smell the roses" philosophy to cycling and our group normally cycles together as a shared experience.
Transportation
Amsterdam is serviced by Schiphol Airport, located just a few miles from the city center where our boats are located. There is both excellent public transportation and reasonably priced shuttle service available from the airport to the city.
As with all European trips, we advise our cyclists to arrive at least a day early to acclimate to the time change, get acquainted with the new culture and sightsee beautiful Amsterdam.
Additional Information
We will partake of the wonderful hospitality of the boat — Feniks. Our hosts, Captains Winfred and Els are an endearing team who strive to make our stay on their boat a memorable experience. Our cyclists learn quickly that Els is also a great chef and look forward each night to her culinary creations.
Our barge, the Feniks, provides a comfortable base from which to explore.
The Feniks is a cheery boat with cozy bedrooms featuring upper and lower berths and a private bath. It also features a relaxing dining-common area and large sundeck where we will enjoy dinner several evenings.
Information about this, what to pack, pre-trip lodging in Amsterdam, traveling abroad, tips on airfare, and other important pre-trip details will be provided in your Welcome Letter sent to you when we receive your registration for the trip.
Please visit the Trip Information page for more general trip information and registration. Also feel free to e-mail us with any questions.
Take a peek at the Bike and Barge Holland photos from 2007!