Tulip Tour

Netherlands Bike + Boat Tour

Tulips and more tulips!

When the sun rises during Spring in the Netherlands, millions of eager bulbs also rise for the occasion. Acres upon endless acres of the most brilliantly exquisite tulips transform dozens of ordinary fields into a colorful kaleidoscope of hues. Having been grown in the Netherlands for more than 400 years, 1200 different varieties of these flowers are now harvested, along with a healthy bushel of daffodils and hyacinths, just to name a few. Those familiar with the tulip are also likely familiar with the term “tulip mania”. April and May are the tulips’ blossoming months, and now there is a 4-day spring cycling tour that revolves around their peak season. This tour will visit the ever-popular Keukenhof (a park filled with hundreds of different tulips) as well as the world’s largest flower auction in Aalsmeer. Additional highlights include a visit to a Dutch cheese farm and of course there are the famous Dutch windmills that decorate the expansive Dutch sky. Along the way, you’ll also make a stop in Leiden (the quaint University town & famous birthplace of Rembrandt) as well as Haarlem. Considered Amsterdam’s “little sister city”, Haarlem is adorn with some great examples of late Gothic architecture, such as the famous St. Bavo Church, on whose organ Mozart, Handel and Liszt all played.

Tour Dates

• Tulip Tour, 4 day tour: March 31, April 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28, May 1, 2012
• Tulip Tour Comfort, 4 day tour : April 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28, May 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 2012
• Tulip Tour Standard Plus, 8 day tour: March 31 and April 7, 2012.
• Tulip Tour Comfort Plus, 8 day tour: April 8, April 15, April 22, April 29 and May 6, 2012 (Aboard the Elodie)

Where You’ll Stay

Tulip Tour (4 day): The Tijdgeest or the Holland Standard Plus class ships.
Tulip Tour Comfort (4 day): Comfort class ships: Jelmar, Sarah or Allure.
Tulip tour Standard Plus (8 day): Standard plusclass ships: Feniks.
Tulip Tour Comfort Plus (8 day): Comfort Plus class ships: Elodie.

What’s Included

• 3 or 7 night accommodations on board ship
• Breakfasts, packed lunches + 3-course dinners
• Coffee & tea on board
• Afternoon snacks (aboard the Feniks)
• Tour guide
• 7 to 24-speed hybrid bicycle
• Entrance to the Keukenhof (except on the Elodie)
• Entrance to Aalsmeer flower auction (except on the Elodie)
• Entrance to a cheese farm & windmill (except on the Elodie)
• Route information
• Daily cabin cleaning service (Tulip Tour de Luxe)
• Air-conditioned cabins (Tulip Tour de Luxe)
• Use of washer and dryer (aboard the Feniks)

What’s Not Included

• Beverages (incl. alcohol) available on board
• Other museum entrance fees
• On the 8 day tour: Dinner on Saturday night
• Entrance fees on the Elodie (approx. €35)
• Bicycle protection (mandatory on the Elodie, $21 per bike)

Skill Level

Easy guided tour with average of 10 (or 16 with Tulip Comfort Plus) miles per day over flat, good asphalt bike paths and roads with light traffic.

Tour Boats

• Allure
• Elodie
• Feniks
• Holland
• Jelmar
• Sarah
• Tijdgeest

Day-To-Day Itinerary

4 day tour (map above):

1. Arrival in Amsterdam. A sail to Spaarndam; by bike Spaarndam – Haarlem, 6 mi.
2. Haarlem – Lisse (Keukenhof) – Leiden, 9 mi.
3. Leiden – Uithoorn, 15 mi.
4. Uithoorn – Aalsmeer – Amsterdam, 9 mi. Departure.

Tulip Tour de Luxe 8 day tour (map above):

1. Amsterdam – Kudelstaart, 9 mi.
2. Kudelstaart - Gouda, 20 mi.
3. Gouda - Rotterdam - Delft, 17 or 6 mi.
4. Delft – The Hague - Leiden, 14 mi.
5. Leiden - Voorhout - Leiden, 6 mi.
6. Leiden - Haarlem, 22 or 10 mi.
7. Haarlem - Amsterdam, 4 mi.
8. Departure.

*All distances are approximate. The above planned itinerary is subject to change due to changing wind and weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances having to do with mooring requirements, etc.

Daily itinerary below is for 4 day tour:

SAT/TUE: Amsterdam - Spaarndam - Haarlem, 6 miles (10 km)
Boarding time for the tour is 1:00 with the ship setting sail at 1:30pm. After boarding the ship in Amsterdam, we'll sail to Spaarndam, the picturesque village of Hans Brinker. From here will follow a short cycling trip to the center of Haarlem. In the evening, your tour leader will take you for a nice city walk through the old center.

SUN/WED: Haarlem - Lisse - Leiden, 9 miles (15 km)
Today, we'll start off with a sail to Lisse for a visit to the famous flower garden ‘Keukenhof’. Here our eyes will feast on about 6 million tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and many, many other exquisite flowers. After our visit, our journey will cross the blossoming bulb fields to finally end up in the old university town of Leiden. In the morning, we'll learn much more about this birthplace of Rembrandt during a guided walking tour.

MON/THU: Leiden - Uithoorn, 15 miles (25 km)
Today will start by crossing the fine Dutch landscapes in the so-called Green Heart of Holland to Uithoorn. During this cycle trip, we will also visit a traditional cheese farm, where a miller will tell us about the history and working of his mill.

TUE/FRI: Uithoorn - Aalsmeer - Amsterdam, 9 miles (15 km)
Today will start early, so there will be plenty of time for visiting the day's main attraction, namely the world’s largest flower auction in Aalsmeer. After the ride back to the barge, we'll sail back to Amsterdam and disembark at approx. 12:30 PM.

Below is the daily itinerary for the 8 day tour on the Elodie:
* When the tour is on the Merlijn, it starts on a Saturday.

SUNDAY: Amsterdam – Kudelstaart, 9 mi. (14 km)
The crew will welcome you on board the Elodie with coffee and tea. The ship will sail through the center of Amsterdam to the river Amstel. At the Nieuwe Meer you will leave the boat for your first cycle trip. In the evening your guide will give you a more detailed explanation of the program.

MONDAY: Kudelstaart – Gouda, 22 mi. (35 km)
We will start the day early with a visit to the flower auction in Aalsmeer. You will see the world biggest flower auction at work. Every day the world’s market prices for flowers and plant are being determined right here in this building. Millions of flowers and plants find their way all over the world when the auction starts.
We will continue our trip through the green heart of Holland towards Gouda. Along the route you can enjoy the views of windmills, lakes and green pastures. We will visit a Dutch cheese farm where you can admire and taste the art of Dutch cheese making.

TUESDAY: Gouda – Rotterdam – Delft, 17 or 6 mi. (27 or 10 km)
Gouda is famous for its cheese and beautiful town hall. From here you will cycle to Kinderdijk a Unesco protected windmill park. You will then take the fast ferry to Rotterdam, the largest port in the world where the Elodie will be waiting for you to take you to Delft. Delft has a beautiful historical center. There is a church here with catacombs underneath where the royal family is buried... The guide will show you more interesting things during ann evening walk.

WEDNESDAY: Delft – The Hague – Leiden, 20 mi. (32 km)
Before we leave Delft, we pay a visit to a studio where earthenware is hand painted with the famous “Delfts blauw” (Delft’s blue). Now on the cycle we follow our way to the seat of the government capital, The Hague. The houses around the hunting castle “de graven van Holland” (The Earls of Holland) grew into a town, and the castle gave it its name, ‘s-Gravenhage. The area is exceptionally cycle-friendly and that makes a visit by bicycle something special. You cycle along the many cycle paths, straight through the city whilst left and right you can admire the government buildings, museums and stately facades of the mansions. The town ends abruptly on the beach of Scheveningen with its charming boulevard and fishing port. The Hague has many attractions such as “Panorama Mesdag”, a painting of enormous measurements, 14 meters high and a circumference of 120 meters. Or Madurodam, where you can follow the development of Holland from the miniature construction pieces. At the end of the day you cycle back to the Elodie and we sail further to the university town of Leiden.

THURSDAY: Leiden – Voorhout – Leiden, 6 mi. (10 km)
In the morning we will cycle to Voorhout. Here you will find Panorama Tulipland, a 62 meters long and 4 meters high painting that will give you an impressive picture of the bulb fields some 50 years ago. In 1996, the artist, Leo van den Ende started his enormous work of art and it is still not finished. Leo is working on his painting almost every day so there is a fair chance you might see him at work. In the afternoon there will be plenty of time to spend in Leiden The oldest Dutch university town has a charming and lively center. The Elodie anchors in the center of Leiden a good place to get acquainted with this historical town.

FRIDAY: Leiden – Haarlem, 22 or 10 mi. (35 or 16 km)
From Leiden we will head straight for the Keukenhof. This flower exhibition has everything Holland has to offer when it comes to flowers. You may expect to be overwhelmed by colors at this time of year when most flower bulbs show their beauty. After the Keukenhof we will continue our bicycle ride to Haarlem.

SATURDAY: Haarlem – Amsterdam, 4 mi. (7 km )
In the morning there is the possibility to do a short cycle trip to the statue of Hans Brinker. The Elodie will pick you up along the route to Amsterdam (e.t.a. 12.00) Amsterdam is certainly well worth spending some more time because of its many possibilities: a boat tour around the canals, the Van Gogh museum, and the Rijks museum; or just savor the atmosphere. For dinner you can pick one of the many nice restaurants in the center of town.

SUNDAY: Amsterdam, departure.
Disembark after breakfast.

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TIME FOR TULIPS*
Holland truly is the land of bulbs, tulips and many other flowers. Every year, The Keukenhof has a huge horticultural exhibition. In addition, Aalsmeer is the location for the world’s biggest Flower Auction Halls (and you will visit them!). Holland: the country where the magic blooms!

Every month of the year Holland surprises its visitors; the earliest bulbs have barely shown their faces, before pastel-hued fruit trees burst into bloom around mid-April. Hundreds of glorious gardens create a colorful atmosphere all over the country.

THE KEUKENHOF
Imagine... a day of complete enjoyment in a park filled with colorful tulips, daffodils and hyacinths in harmony with ancient trees, ponds and fountains. The perfect place to find a splendid spring sensation!

Keukenhof offers 80 acres in size for wonderful walks, with miles of paths leading to a variety of unusual gardens, including the Japanese Garden, the Nature Garden and the Historical Garden, a sources of inspiatiofor your own garden.

In 1830, the German landscape architect, Zocher, inspired by English landscapes, drafted the basic design for Keukenhof's park. In 1949, a group of prominent bulb growers and exporters came up with the idea to establish an outdoor display for the bulb-growing industry.

Each spring Keukenhof bursts with new energy and there are no less than 7 million bulbs about to bloom in different colors and scents. From the very first day of the opening it is possible to admire different, magnificent indoor flower exhibitions in four pavilions.
But Keukenhof offers more than just flowers... throughout the park, works of art by Dutch artists, both famous and less so, are on display, as well as exhibitions of paintings and photographs.

Opening hours are daily from March 22 until May 20, 2012.
The park will be open daily from 8 AM to 7:30 PM (ticket office closes at 6:00 PM).

To learn more about the Keukenhof, please visit Keukenhof.com. Click on the British flag for the English version.

* Time for Tulips and The Keukenhof information above is courtesy of the Netherlands Board of Tourism.

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