Pearls of Holland

After making your own way to Amsterdam, get to know the Netherland’s famous capital. Visit 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. Should you arrive early, you can visit the tree-lined canal systems, thin townhouses, and the 17th-century canal ring, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city truly does have endless things to do and deserves the popularity it has.

Start your day nice and early and perhaps gain entry to the famous Van Gogh or Anne Frank Museum, then it’s time to bid farewell to Amsterdam. You will next head through Kennemerland, a beautiful area of natural beauty full of polders, wild gardens, country estates, woods, and peatland. Your stop for the night will be in Haarlem, this sophisticated city has multiple shopping opportunities, art, culture, and chances to relax in local cafes. If you do this tour in April and early May, you can extend the route and see tulip fields.

We recommend getting up early enough on this day to have a final explore of Haarlem to leave no stone untouched, for examples with the iconic “hofjes”. These are beautiful courtyards surrounded by tiny alms-houses. You can also visit the works of Haarlem painter Frans Hals, famous for his group portraits. In the afternoon your cycling will take you through the Dune and Bulb region, we recommend doing this before mid-May to capture this area in full bloom. You will see tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths being grown here, which are used for commercial purposes. They truly create a magical, colourful landscape. You can also opt to spend an extra night in Leiden if you want to visit the Keukenhof flower exhibition. Leiden is the Netherland’s oldest university town and has a bustling social calendar, full of cultural events. Enjoy this pleasant city of canals, monuments, windmills, and museums.

It’s time to leave the culturally exciting Leiden and head again through the beautiful Dutch landscapes. The polder landscapes are organised in perfect rectangles, which sit near glistening lakes and green fields with old windmills and farmhouses. Delft is your destination for the night, this can often be recognised due to its blue and white hand-painted pottery (Delftware). This city is also notable as painter Johannes Vermeer lived here for his entire life, from 1632 – 1675; celebrate his life with some of the tributes in the city.

Head into a more idyllic landscape in “Groene Hart” or green heart, here you will find typical polders, peat meadows and feeding livestock. The scenery here is strikingly flat and open and is filled with church spires and windmills reflecting into the lakes and canals. Gouda has been a popular market destination for hundreds of years, with people coming from miles away to buy horses, cows, meat, turf, seeds, cheese and so on. In the evening why not take a small walk in the Old Town and embrace the historical atmosphere. You will find a beautiful market square, 15th century town hall and Weighing House or “Waag”.

After a filling breakfast it’ll be time to embark on the longest journey of the tour. Once again heading through the Green Heart area, you will be in a bird lover’s paradise – so make sure you take your binoculars! You will head past beautiful landscapes such as meadows, lakes, and small villages. Why not stop somewhere for some Dutch style apple tart accompanied by a coffee before you get back to Amsterdam? Should you want to cut the journey a bit shorter, you can split this section by staying an extra night in Woerden to make two parts of 38km and 49km.

Have a last breakfast and then your tour will come to an end. We can assist you in arranging a transfer.