Discover, Plan & Go!

Itinerary

Day 1 | Arrival: at your hotel – Welcome drink, bike fitting and road book orientation. Zandvoort, a former fishing village has a very pleasant town centre. Stroll around among historic buildings or enjoy the summersun on the long and wide beach or in the vast dune area. What about a drink on a terrace of a beach café ? Numerous music events take place and the beach and town centre regularly are transformed into a giant dance floor.

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Day 2 | Zandvoort – Leiden (34 kms – 22 miles)

A bike trail through the sand dune area takes us to Katwijk aan Zee, another beautiful place for people who enjoy sand, sea and dunes with surf, ocean-banana- and paraboatsailing possibilities. We leave the coast behind us and ride inland to Leiden. This City of Discoveries, where Rembrandt was born, has an interesting historical centre and 12 rich museums as well as an international university.

Day 3 | Leiden – Schoonhoven (53 kms-33miles)

Along the Old Rhine river we arrive in Alphen. This old Roman settlement along the Rhine has some nice monuments (churches, town hall, cornmill) as well as an interesting faunapark and a theme park on Dutch history. Through a polder landscape we arrive in Gouda. Gouda is more than cheese. Yearly about a million tourists show their interest for the Gothic town hall, the “Waag” or weigh-house, the stained-glass windows of Saint John’s, several museums and the old houses along the attractive canals and streets. From mid June until August every thursday morning a cheese and crafts market takes place in front of the weigh-house. Be aware that treacle waffels are also a Gouda delicacy ! Southeastward to the City of Schoonhoven called the Silvertown because of its silver industry and the Silvercraftschool. Enjoy the little canals, intimate streets, patrician houses, art galleries and the monumental Townhall as well as a terrace near the Lek river.

Remarks: if you might spend a lot of time in visiting Gouda, a straight itinerary from Gouda to Schoonhoven is prepared.

Day 4 | Schoonhoven – Amersfoort (64kms–40miles)

Up to the Utrecht region. Quiet roads to Vianen (a unique medieval fortress village in a polder area with remarkable monuments) and Nieuwegein (scenic village centre, picturesque houses, canals, old lock, pleasure yachts…). Afterwards we avoid the town of Utrecht to ride through a scenic dune area between Bilthoven and Amersfoort, “greenest town of The Netherlands”. The town is characterized as a versatile city with a diversity of architecture, history, art and culture.

Day 5 | The Amersfoort loop (between 23 and 35kms – 14 and 22miles)

From mid June to mid September a regular bike boat departs daily in Amersfoort on the Eem river and allows bikers to disembark in different villages from where there are several possibilities to join the hotel in Amersfoort. The embarkment locations are small villages with local events (markets, eel smoke…). Different itineraries (between 23 and 35kms – 14 and 22miles) bring you back to Amersfoort. Remarks: from early May to mid June and from mid September to end October the boat parts only 3 days a week.

Day 6 | Amersfoort – Woerden (50 kms – 33 miles)

Beautiful woods, polder areas and lakes will bring you westwards to Woerden. Make a stop at the Tienhovense Plassen, a marshland with some curiosa. Woerden has a 2000 year old history and in this more than 1000 year old cheese town there are typical canals and historical buildings.

Day 7 | Woerden – Zandvoort (55kms- 35 miles)

More rivers, pools, polder land and canal villages lead us to Haarlem, “ city of flowers”. In the historic city centre all the places of interest are within walking distance. The town has a wide range of specialised stores and exclusive shops and is considered as being the best shopping city in Holland. The last 10 kms (6.25 miles) will take you to your hotel in Zandvoort.

Day 8 | Depart at your leisure after breakfast.