North Netherlands: Alkmaar-Texel Island-Alkmaar

After making your way to Alkmaar, enjoy a first afternoon/evening here, depending on when you arrive.

Start the day off in Alkmaar, enjoying its traditional Friday morning cheese market, open from April – September. From here you will begin your cycling through typical North Holland scenery, for example, wet meadows in excavated peatland and villages arranged in a line along dikes or canals.

Before you get to Amsterdam, you will pass by the Zaan, this small region to the north of the city was a leader in the shipping trade in the 17^th century, as well as being home to millers, blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters, shipbuilders and other craftsmen. Learn all about this at the Zaans Museum. After here is the Zaanse Schans, a group of amazing architects from the 17^th and 18^th centuries. All of this will be whilst in the view of the river. The day will end in Amsterdam, and we recommend visiting the canal district.

Spend the morning enjoying the 400-year-old canal district, exquisite museums such as the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank’s house. See performers and artists on Dam Square, Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, and of course, visit the world-famous red-light district. When it’s time to bid farewell to the Netherlands’ capital, you will be heading to Hoorn via the peaceful countryside. Hoorn is an old trading town with interesting museums, shopping opportunities, port activities and local cafes.

From Hoorn, you will head up the coast of Lake Ijsselmeer until you get to the gorgeous town of Enkhuizen, where a great visit is the Muiderzee Museum that tells the history of when ships sailed from Zuid-Holland and travelled the seas trading bulbs and spices. This was in a time called the “Golden Age”, which was mainly in the 17^th century, when the Netherlands dominated world trade.

As you continue on your route along the lake, you will see numerous crop fields, orchards, and windmills until you reach Medemblik. This old town has a marina, a bakery museum and a steam engine museum to enjoy for the afternoon and evening.

As you cycle between Medemblik and Keins, you will have the northern part of the Westfriese Omringdijk in your sights. This is a 126km long 800-year-old dike that connects the cities of Alkmaar, Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Medemblik and Schagen. On this route, you can also see numerous birds in the nature reserves of Twisk and Oostermare, as well as characteristic farmhouses and square buildings.

Visit the village of Barsingerhorn, which is a beautiful display of gorgeous Kolhorn. Your stop for the day is Den Helder. To get here, you will go through the largest flower bulb area in the world. It started as a whaling village, and the city centre was destroyed in the Second World War and thus, the city looks relatively modern today. You can shorten this leg on the journey by continuing to follow the dike between Winkel and Kolhorn.

Today, you will start and end the day in the same place, but do an exciting excursion to Texel. You will cross from Den Helder to Texel by ferry; this is the largest of the five Wadden islands, which are an area of outstanding natural beauty. This island is an excellent place to explore by bike – enjoy villages, countryside, dunes, beaches, etc. and can be enjoyed on numerous routes.

On the last day of cycling, you will be heading down the North Sea past wide beaches, seaside resorts, woods, and the dune resort of Zwanenwater. These dunes protect the land from being flooded by the sea. However, this was not the case in Petten; here, the dunes have been washed away, and thus a wall has been built. There is an exhibition called “De Dijk te Kijk” which tells you in much more depth about the sea wall.

Another route you can take is through the bulb fields. The tulip colours sit just behind the dunes.

Departure from Alkmaar or spend extra nights in the city or the surrounding region.

Arrival: Alkmaar

Departure: Alkmaar

Nearest Arrival airport: Amsterdam Schiphol

Nearest Departure airport: Amsterdam Schiphol

We also recommend travelling by train to all cycling holiday starting and departure points. We can help you plan your journey to Alkmaar by rail. Car parking is available on all tours at the first hotel or a nearby public parking location. Full details are available on request. Please do not book travel until an official invoice confirms the cycling holiday.