Bike and Barge
Amsterdam and the Northern Tour

The boat welcomes you between 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. We recommend that you set aside a couple of hours for an initial tour of Amsterdam and its museums. A welcome drink and meeting with the tour leader is scheduled at 5:00 p.m. During dinner, the boat sails to Zaandam.

In the morning, you’ll start pedaling to the Waterland green area, your first taste of Holland’s famous cycle paths. Continuing on, you’ll reach the “Zaanse Schans,” a unique open-air museum structured as a small village with windmills, cheese-producing farms, and a wooden shoe factory. After the visit, continue cycling along the “Land of Leeghwater” in the verdant Dutch countryside. Today’s destination is the town center of Alkmaar, where your boat awaits you.

Today, you’ll discover the beautiful Northern Dunes National Park: 5300 hectares of forests and dune areas, making for a unique landscape. Your route passes through enchanting oases and beaches until you reache the picturesque village of Bergen. At the end of the stage, you’ll return to Alkaamar, where there is time to visit the beautiful town. In the afternoon, your boat takes you along the Noordhollands Kanaal to Den Helder, the port base of the Royal Navy, where you spend the night.

After breakfast, you’ll take a 20-minute ferry ride from Den Helder to the island of Texel: here you are at last on the Frisian Islands! Texel will captivate you with its lush nature and beautiful beaches, where you can take a rejuvenating break. You can ride the splendid “Thijsse-route” in the southern part of the island, which passes through picturesque villages and breathtaking natural landscapes. Alternatively, we recommend a visit to the friendly seals at the Ecomare nature museum and seal sanctuary in the Texel Dunes National Park. During dinner, the boat sails to Den Oever.

By boat you’ll cross the IJsselmeer, the Dutch inland sea, to Stavoren where you are greeted by the statue of the beautiful Lady of Stavoren: the Vrouwtjie. According to legend, she was the most important shipowner in the city. Having disembarked on Frisian land, you can choose to cycle on a short tour of the Gaasterland nature area, or explore the region among cultivated fields, quaint villages and small lakes, extending the ride by about 10 kilometers. And why not combine the two itineraries and thus truly discover every hidden corner of this part of Friesland?

During the night the boat is moored in the small harbor of Stavoren.

During breakfast, the boat will take you to Medemblik, “the steam city,” where you can visit the unique steam streetcar that has become a museum. Today’s cycling route runs along the coast of Lake IJssel, starting from Medemblik and ending in Enkhuizen, a quaint town with a charming old town center full of traditional buildings. Don’t miss the Zuiderzeemuseum, to discover how people once lived on the Zuiderzee coast, now the IJsselmeer.

Do you want to cycle more? Before arriving in Enkhuizen, you can decide to extend the ride by 20 kilometers by riding to Hoorn, the pearl of the lake.

The morning starts with a boat ride to Volendam, a real discovery. You are greeted by a town of alleys, narrow canals and wooden shoes still in front of the gates. You’ll ride through the area called “Waterland,” encountering hundreds of small lakes and canals. The route takes you to Amsterdam, which you’ll have time to explore in the afternoon and evening.

Do you want to cycle more? You can extend the route by about 15 kilometers by riding to Marken, a small town that in the past the North Sea turned into an island connected to the mainland by a bridge, which has now become a dike.

The holiday has come to an end: after breakfast, say goodbye to the crew and your fellow travelers. Goodbye Holland, on to the next adventure!