Holland: Southern tour :: Boat-Bike Tours

Description
Program
Details
Ship

Holland: Southern tour - Description

Historical town, touristic highlights and the 'Green heart' of Holland

Major highlights, famous towns and cities, beautiful scenery - „Southern Tour“ With bike and barge you will visit famous historical towns, picturesque cities and beautiful landscapes in the surprising varied “Green Heart” of Holland. Highlights are a.o. Amsterdam with it’s beautiful canals, Dom-city Utrecht, harbour city Rotterdam, Delft with it’s famous Delftware factories, cheese city Gouda, the windmills at Kinderdijk, silver city Schoonhoven, the historical centre of Haarlem, the dunes and the North Sea beach and the open air museum “Zaanse Schans”. The Southern tour is the perfect tour to explore the variety of area in the central part of the Netherlands with it’s many small canals and lakes, and also the beautiful old cities during daytime and in the evening. You will live and on board of the ANNA MARIA AGNES, for many years one of the beloved ships for boat & bike tours in the Netherlands.

Holland: Southern tour - Programme

Day 1 (Sat)

Arrival and embarkation in Amsterdam

Afternoon: As from 2 P.M. embarkation in Amsterdam (centre). Explore downtown Amsterdam: time for shopping, to visit a museum or to make a canal tour (reduced tickets available on board, until 10 pm): this is an unique way to see the capital of Holland from another side.

Day 2 (Sun)

During breakfast: Amsterdam – Breukelen | Breukelen – Utrecht (ca. 30-40 km / 19-25 miles**) | Afternoon: Utrecht – Rotterdam

A bike tour from Breukelen along the beautiful small river Vecht. Along this river you will see very nice villas, cottages and small castles. You will follow the Vecht into the centre of Utrecht with its Dom (Cathedral) tower, 111 m. high. In the afternoon: continue by ship from Utrecht to Rotterdam. In the evening: a short city tour.

Day 3 (Mon)

Rotterdam – Schiedam – Delft – Rotterdam (ca. 40 km / 25 miles) | Evening: Rotterdam – Dordrecht

Cycling tour for example via “jenever-city” Schiedam and through the Delfland to Delft. Visit the beautiful city centre with it’s beautiful canals, picturesque streets, bridges and alleys. For many guests a visit to the Delftware factories “Royal Delft” is one of the highlights of the tour. “Dinner cruise” from Rotterdam to Dordrecht. Arrival around 8 P.M.

Day 4 (Tue)

During breakfast: Dordrecht – Kinderdijk | Kinderdijk – (Gouda) - Schoonhoven (ca. 30-50 km / 19 – 32 miles **)

With the ship from Dordrecht to Kinderdijk. Visit Kinderdijk (Unesco World Cultural Heritage) with 19 windmills in one line. Then you have the choice between a short bike tour through the Alblasserwaard to the "Sliver City" of Schoonhoven at the river Lek or a longer bike tour with a visit to beautiful cheese city Gouda, to end your cycling tour in Schoonhoven.

Day 5 (Wed)

Schoonhoven – Oudewater – Utrecht (ca. 50 km / 32 miles) | Afternoon: Utrecht – Beverwijk

Cycle tour from Schoonhoven through the beautiful “Green Heart” via Oudewater (visit the Witches Weigh House) to Utrecht. In the late afternoon you sail with the ship to Beverwijk.

Day 6 (Thu)

Beverwijk – North Sea coast – Haarlem – Beverwijk (ca. 40-50 km / 25-32 miles**) | Evening: Beverwijk – Zaandam

Today offers 2 bike tours, both leading to Haarlem: the long tour goes through the dunes via Bloemendaal and Zandvoort and along the North Sea coast; the short tour goes through the inland to Haarlem. Both tours return to Beverwijk. In the evening your ship will sail to Zaandam.

Day 7 (Fri)

Zaandam – Amsterdam (ca. 30 km / 19 miles)

From Zaandam you will cycle to the open air museum „Zaanse Schans“ (a.o. traditional wooden houses, windmills, cheese farm and wooden shoe „clog“ manufacturing). Continue bike tour through recreational area „Twiske“ to Amsterdam. Afternoon and evening in Amsterdam. If you didn’t go for a canal tour on the First day, you will have the opportunity to do it today.

Day 8 (Sat)

Amsterdam: end of the tour

After breakfast: disembarkation and end of the tour

In italics printed parts will be covered by ship.
**: Both possibilities are being offered: the guest can choose.
All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours.
Departure Southern Tour on April 21 and 28 and May 5: on Thu. opportunity to visit the World famous Tulip exhibition park “Keukenhof” in Lisse (if necessary partly with train+bike; entrance fee not incl.).
Program + details barring changes, a.o. as a result of nautical, technical or meteorological reasons.

Holland: Southern tour - Details

Included:

• Tour and accommodation on board 8 days / 7 nights (Sat.-Sat.) from/to Amsterdam, cabin in the booked category;
• Full board (7 x breakfast, 6 x picnic lunch during bike tours, 7 x three course dinner);
• Use of bed linen and towels (change of towels daily possible); daily short cleaning of the cabin;
• Welcoming drink and -speech on the first evening;
• Tour leader (multilingual) with daily briefings of the bike tours, some short city tours, during the day the tour leader is cycling the daily bike tour and reachable on his cell phone;
• Printed instructions and detailed maps;
• Daily coffee and tea till 4 PM.

Not included:

•Transfers to/from the docking place in Amsterdam;
• Reservation costs €15,00 (obligatory surcharge);
• Rental bicycle, other transfers, parking fee, entrance fees & excursions, fees for ferries;
• Drinks on board, personal insurances, gratuities (at your discretion).

Bicycles:

The bicycles on board are mostly unisex touring or trekking bikes with light-weight frames and normal mount (ladies model), with 7 gears, hand brake & hub brake and pannier bag. Prices of other bikes (e.g. E-Bikes, children’s bikes, “slip streamers”, tandems, parent-and-child tandems etc.) and child’s saddles (front or rear) are on request.
Guests are also allowed to bring their own bicycles (at no extra cost). However, the crew or tour operator are in no way responsible for any damage, loss or theft of such bicycles. In the Netherlands bikers are not obligated by law to wear a bike helmet. Bike helmets are not available on board.

Background information:

The General Conditions (travel conditions) of CCH Tours B.V. (incl. Boat Bike Tours) apply to cycling cruises, as well as to confirmation and cancellation of such tours. We would be pleased to send a copy of these conditions on request. These conditions constitute an essential part of the travel agreement when booking a tour.
In principle, children are very welcome on board. However, before booking, we advise you to satisfy yourself that your child is able to manage a cycle trip of 30-60 km. Children’s bikes, tandems, parent-and-child tandems, slip streamers etc. or child’s saddles are available on request. Of course you may stay one or more days longer on board (children under the age of18 years must be under supervision).

The interior of the ship is a no-smoking zone: smoking is only allowed on the sun deck. As a safety measure, a statutory smoking ban applies in all cabins; this means that all cabins and rooms on board are no-smoking zones

Anna Maria Agnes

In 2005 the “Anna Maria Agnes“ has been introduced on our self-guided, Southern "Boat and Bike" Tour. This medium-sized river cruiser has 34 (mainly) twin cabins (22 cabins on lower deck, 12 cabins on upper deck) for approx. 64 (max. 72) passengers, all cabins with en-suite facilities (shower, toilet) and a full air-conditioning system. A few cabins have one single or a double bed, or (on request) a third bed as bunk bed.

The salon with its large windows is very spacious and offers a restaurant area and a semi-separate lounge with bar and a small dance-floor. The partially covered sun deck has sitting places (chairs + tables) for all guests, as well as some deck chairs. Bicycles can be stored on a seperate part of the sun deck. The vessel has a length of 72 metres (236 ft.)

The ship has been refurbished/modernized in 2004/2005. In medium and low season (late September until mid April), the vessel is available for river cruises (a.o. on the Rhine river) in Germany and Holland, as well as for various customized tours and packages, incl. short breaks.

Holland: Southern tour

Famous historical towns and the surprising varied “Green Heart” of Holland