girolibero Cycling holidays
Guided Bike and Barge
Web code NL030
Holland / Tulip Tour
Sailing through the flowers in 5 days
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Day by Day
1. Individual arrival in Amsterdam
Embarkation and check-in where the crew will welcome you on board is from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the centre of Amsterdam. Your five day tour will start with a short “dinner cruise” to Zaandam famous for its windmills and cheese making where your barge will berth in the centre of the city. In the evening enjoy a short walk through the picturesque centre of Zaandam.
2. Zaandam – Haarlem (25/35 km)
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 after returning to your ship by bicycle you have a choice to make: you can either cycle (approx. 25 km/14 mi.) to Haarlem or take it easy while enjoying the scenery as your barge makes the approx. 2,5 hour trip. In Haarlem visit the historical inner city with the Grote Markt, St. Bavo church and the Teylers and Frans Hals Museums. Your barge will be berthed in the center of Haarlem for the night, so you will have plenty of time to enjoy a short city walk in the afternoon or in the evening.
3. Haarlem – Oude Wetering (40/55 km)
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 at noon and will head to Oude Wetering, a small village, where your floating hotel will be waiting for you.
4. Oude Wetering – Amsterdam (30 km)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!
* The Aalsmeer flower auction is closed during weekends and on public holidays. This is an optional visit.
5. Amsterdam
Disembarkation and end of tour after breakfast around 9.30 am.Due to organisational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday. Issues with high and low water, as well as logistic obstacles such as officially ordered - previously not announced - repair work on locks or bridges can modify some of the daily stretches or overnight stays and may even request a transfer by bus. These decisions are only taken by the barge’s captain.
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Route profile
The Netherlands are the country of bicycles, mainly due to its flat landscape, under the north sea level. The cycle path network, almost entirely paved, is very widespread and sign posted with white and red signs and with small stumps called “mushrooms”, numbered and signalled on the maps.
It is not at all a hard tour, but you will need to be a bit trained in order to stay a whole week on the saddle! Wind and rain are very frequent in this country and they might make your cycling difficult. Sometimes the bike lanes are separated from the street only by a red line, so please pay attention. The tour leader on board will happily give you more information. -
How to get there
The precise embarkation point will be written in the Final Tour Details.
By plane
The best international airport to use for this trip is Amsterdam Schiphol.
In order to get to the embarkation point you need to leave from Amsterdam central station by taking the train directly at the airport. You can purchase the tickets at the cashiers, which usually accept debit and credit cards. The journey takes about 20 minutes, the cost is about € 5.
By train
The main train station is Amsterdam Centraal Station.
By car
Parking in the centre of Amsterdam is very expensive, we suggest parking on the outskirt of the city.
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Accommodation and meals
The barge Magnifique II is equipped with:
- 4 Suites above deck cabins (14m2)
- 12 Standard Twin below deck cabins (11m2)
- 1 Premium Twin below deck cabin (13m2)
The suites cabins have two separate single beds, a small sitting area and large panoramic windows, of which the middle part can be opened.
In most cabins, on prior request, the beds can be set together as a double bed. On request, an extra bed is available in two twin cabins and one upper deck suite for children up to age 16 (above one of the other beds).
All cabins have en-suite facilities with a shower, toilet and sink. The cabins on the lower deck have portholes (fixed for safety reasons), upper deck suites have 2 m / 6.6 ft. wide windows (which can be partly opened) and the air conditioning in all cabins can be individually regulated. Furthermore, in each cabin you will find a flat screen satellite TV, a mini safe and a hair dryer.
Common areas
The upper deck has a large, tastefully furnished and spacious salon with air conditioning, a restaurant area, a beautiful bar and a lounge area with cozy sitting area, a wide screen TV and large panoramic windows. Wi-Fi is available. The Magnifique II has a beautiful, partly covered teak wooden sun deck with chairs and tables on the aft deck and a cycle storage on the front deck. On the top deck, the barge has a whirlpool/Jacuzzi and some deckchairs to relax while you enjoy the scenery when cruising.
Watch Magnifique II photo gallery.
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The barge Magnifique III is equipped with:
- 5 Suites above deck cabins (16m2)
- 14 Standard Twin below deck cabins (12m2)
- 2 Standard Single below deck cabins (9m2)
The suites cabins have two separate single beds, a small sitting area and a “French Balcony”: ceiling-to-floor sliding glass doors.
In most cabins and all suites, on prior request, the beds can be set together as a double bed. On request, an additional third bed is available in one of the suites and one of the twin cabins for children up to age 16 (Pullman bed, above one of the other beds).
All cabins have en-suite facilities with a shower, toilet and basin. The cabins on the lower deck have portholes (fixed for safety reasons), upper deck suites have sliding glass doors that can be partly opened. The air conditioning in all cabins can be individually regulated. Furthermore, in each cabin you will find a flat screen satellite TV, a mini safe and a hair dryer.
Common areas
The upper deck has a large, tastefully furnished salon with a restaurant area, a nice bar and a lounge area with cozy sitting corners, a wide screen TV and large panoramic windows. There are also two TV screens (a camera and a navigation system) to see the real-time movement and position of the barge. Wi-Fi is available. Large glass doors open to the beautiful partially roofed teak wood sundeck with chairs and tables on the aft deck. There is a cycle deck on the front deck. On the top deck, the barge has a whirlpool/Jacuzzi and some deckchairs to relax and enjoy the scenery while cruising.
Watch Magnifique III photo gallery.
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The barge Magnifique IV is equipped with:
- 10 Suites above deck cabins (16m2)
- 8 Standard Twin below deck cabins (12m2)
The suites cabins have two separate beds, a cozy sitting area and a large sliding window.
The below deck twin cabins have two single beds and fixed portholes.
All cabins have their own private bathroom with shower, basin and toilet; as well as individually-regulated air-conditioning, flat screen satellite TV, mini safe and hair dryer.
Common areas
The Magnifique IV’s upper deck features a spacious and tastefully-decorated salon with air conditioning, a bar and lounge area. Here you will find large panoramic windows, a widescreen TV, and information screens displaying the barge’s real-time location. Wi-Fi is also available.
The comfortable and inviting restaurant is separated from the kitchen by a glass wall, so you can see our talented chefs in action. Large glass doors open onto a beautiful partially-covered teak sundeck, furnished with tables and chairs. The front deck has space to accommodate bicycles, while the top deck boasts a hot tub and deckchairs, from which you can enjoy the scenery.
Watch Magnifique IV photo gallery.
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The barge Fluvius is equipped with:
- 3 Twin above deck cabins (ca. 11m2)
- 4 Double above deck cabins (ca. 12m2)
- 15 Twin below deck cabins (ca. 11m2)
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.
Common areas
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.
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Bikes and accessories
Bikes are available in different sizes in unisex model:
- Touring bike 7-gears with hand-brakes
- E-bike with hand-brakes
All rented adult bikes are equipped with:
1 pannier bag
1 pump
1 repair kit
1 lock
Bike helmets are not mandatory, but we advise you wear one for your safety anyway.
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Accompanying material
Before your arrival, you will receive an email from us with the digital information material. It contains:
1. Link to download the tour information material in Pdf:- Tour notes
- Final tour details
On the spot you will find maps and route descriptions. -
By your side
In the Final Tour Details you will find the contact phone numbers you can call during the tour in case of emergency.
