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Holland by bike & boat (Escorted Tour)

Discover the Netherlands - the country of wind mills, tulips and canals - in a different way: During the day, you will cycle through a fascinating landscape, in the evening, you will go aboard a typical Dutch house boat. Two different routes - both are starting at Amsterdam - are available: The "Southern route" leads you to the most beautiful cities of the Netherlands, the "Golden Circle route" shows you the impressive landscapes of the "Ijsselmeer" and the "Zuiderzee"
YOUR SHIP: length 40 m, width 6 m, lounge, sundeck. Mostly 2 berth cabins, some 3 and 4 berth cabins (on request: 2 berth cabin with small pull out berth, suitable for a child only, available). Boats either with private facilities or showers/toilet on floor.

TOUR PROFILE:
Flat, excellent, mostly asphalted bike paths and side roads, ideal for children.
If you don't feel like biking one day, you can stay on the house boat.

SOUTHERN ROUTE
Historic towns, picturesque villages in a rural environment abounding with water. But also dunes and beaches. Those are the typical ingredients of the Southern route. And do not forget the mills. A varied trip that guarantees a striking introduction to the heart of the Netherlands. While cycling in a relaxed way along the reedy borders of the Vecht or Lek river on one day, the next day you will roam the centre of 16th Century Delft, Leiden or Haarlem. Absolutely breathtaking are the eighteen mills in childrenerdijk driven by the wind and built around 1750. You will discover the world's largest seaport Rotterdam very appropriately by boat. You will visit the beach and the dunes of Scheveningen near The Hague by bike, just like many Dutch people. In the historic towns there is time for visiting a museum (Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Van Gogh), shopping, or relaxation in an outdoor café. The canal tour by boat and the walk through Amsterdam will make this route complete.(approx. 55 km/34 miles per day)
1. Day: Amsterdam (individual arrival)
2. Day: Amsterdam - Utrecht
3. Day: Utrecht - Schoonhoven
4. Day: Schoonhoven - Delft
5. Day: Delft - Leiden
6. Day: Leiden - Haarlem
7. Day: Haarlem - Amsterdam
8. Day: Amsterdam (individual departure)

GOLDEN CIRCLE
The Zuiderlake is irrevocably linked to the period in Dutch history called the Golden Age: the period in the 17th century when Holland was a powerful seafaring and trading nation. Dotted around the Zuiderzee are towns whose names were house-hold words in both hemispheres: Monnickendam, Hoorn, Vollenhove, Harderwijk and of course Amsterdam at the centre of the web, all bear witness to their rich pasts. Cycling and sailing around the IJsselmeer, as it is now called, is the ideal way to discover and experience this rich past for yourself.
In the space of a week you will pass through four different landscapes: the archetypical Dutch polder area with its windmills and drainage ditches, in the province of Overijssel the marshy region of National Parc 'de Weerribben', the heathed and wooded area of the Veluwe and the unique lake and peat bog region around the rivers Vecht and Amstel.(approx. 65 km/41 miles per day)
1. Day : Amsterdam (individual arrival)
2. Day: Amsterdam - Enkhuizen
3. Day: Enkhuizen - Lemmer
4. Day: Lemmer - Vollenhove
5. Day: Vollenhove - Harderwijk
6. Day: Harderwijk - Spakenburg
7. Day: Spakenburg - Amsterdam
8. Day: Amsterdam (individual departure)

NORTHERN ROUTE
A Bike & Boat Holiday straight across a distinctly rural environment. Not until the 17th Century was this area recovered from the sea and reclaimed with the use of hundreds of windmills. Many of these windmills are still in working order. Like the ones in Zaanse Schans where the mills and houses bring the past to life. Cheese is made by hand and you can see how the typical Dutch shoes called 'clogs' are carved out of one piece of wood. Alkmaar will also provide a good picture of ancient times. It is the capital of Dutch cheese with its own cheese market and weighhouse for cheese.
You will cycle along little dikes and country roads, through vast polders and through the most beautiful dune area of the Netherlands: from Bergen to Schoorl, almost unpronounceable for foreigners. These are also the only kilometres you will be cycling above sea level. Then the crossing to Texel. An island with thousands of sheep and a magnificent nature reserve that can easily be discovered by bike. One can once again get a feel for the old Dutch atmosphere in Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Edam and Volendam, important ports dur-ing the Golden Age: traditional costumes, sailing ships and long johns on the clotheslines.
Finally, the programme provides for an intensive introduction to Amsterdam.
(approx. 55 km/34 miles per day)
1. Day: Amsterdam (individual arrival)
2. Day: Amsterdam - Alkmaar
3. Day: Alkmaar - Texel/Den Helder
4. Day: Texel/Den Helder
5. Day: Texel/Den Helder - Enkhuizen
6. Day: Enkhuizen - Volendam
7. Day: Volendam - Amsterdam
8. Day: Amsterdam (individual departure)

SERVICES INCLUDED: 7 nights in booked category, fullboard (7x breakfast, 7x Lunchbox, 6x dinner), tour guide, maps and Information material per room, bike rental

CATEGORIES:
Standard: homely with private facilities , upper-berth
Standard+: comfortable cabin (larger) with private facilities, upper-/lower-berth
Comfort: comfortable cabin (larger) with private facilities, 2 lower-berths
Comfort +: luxury cabins with private facilities, 2 lower-berths, Air Condition, daily room-cleaning-service, 4course-dinner

BICYCLES: 21-speed-trekkingbike with panniers; Own bikes possible - but no refund!

CHILDREN PRICE: with 2 full-paying adults in a cabin

OTHERS: Embarkation all Tours: 4 p.m., 1/2 double-cabin on request! 3-or 4-berth-cabin only at some ships possible!

PARTICIPANTS: minimum 12 persons

booking form, booking conditions, more information .....

For more details just e-mail us, please: radreise@web.de