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I was booked by UkuleleAdventures.com to travel with, and teach ukulele to, a group of ukulele enthusiasts aboard the sailing ship Leafde fan Fryslân run by Bike-Boat Tours. The 3-masted ship was to chug her way along canals – eventually to sail on the open sea – as we pedalled along polders and cycled through villages to each new port of call – all under the guidance of Captain Eelke and Hugo, our multilingual tour guide. My job onboard was to lead ukulele time in the form of classes and play-along sessions. Preparation for…

The last couple of years have been a stressful time. Do you want to really relax and feel like yourself again on vacation? You’ve come to the right place! When you hear “relaxing vacation,” the first thing you might think of is a wellness resort, where you can lie around all day, get a massage and soak in healing thermal baths. But that‘s not the only way to leave the stress of everyday life behind and really rest. Our cycling and boat trips are also a real treat for body…

Ursula from Germany participated in the Sail & Bike Wadden Sea Tour with her husband and two friends. It was a wet trip with many sunny highlights: Saturday – The departure “We got up at 6.30 am and left on our bikes at 7.30 am for the German town of Viersen. After crossing the Niers river it started to rain. On Friday we’d searched intensively for my rain pants but couldn’t find them. So we just had our raincoats. The rain stopped shortly before we reached Viersen. We waited on…

Sailing and cycling is an adventurous way to discover the Netherlands! On our Sail & Bike trips you will spend the night on a luxurious three-masted ship. A great chef sails along and a crew member shows you the ropes – literally – so you can lend a hand if you want to. Blogger Jessica de Korte accompanied us for a week. Would you like to learn more about our Sail & Bike tours? We’ve made an e-book of our sail & bike tours, containing plenty travel stories and the…

In July 2020 we booked the Sail & Bike tour which sails on the IJsselmeer and docks at Frisian towns along the way. The ship is called Wapen fan Fryslân. We sailed together with our two children, aged 12 and 15. At first we’d planned a relaxing vacation abroad, but because of the corona pandemic we searched for a vacation in our own country. A friend pointed us to Boat  Bike tours. Clicking on the website, we became enthusiastic. The reason we booked this trip is that besides cycling, we…

Who wouldn’t want to spend a day shopping or soaking up history in the old center of Amsterdam or hip Rotterdam? The Netherlands has plenty of hotspots. But there are also lots of great places that have not yet been overrun by tourism. Especially now, in the age of corona, it’s fun to discover the hidden gems where it’s not so busy, and where you can cycle through ancient streets or savor a cappuccino with a view of the water. The great thing about a cycling and boating holiday with…

The province of Friesland has it all: wide landscapes, wild and romantic islands, tiny historical towns and beautiful natural areas. Especially in summer, when the meadows are in bloom and the cows are in the pastures, you can spend wonderful long days in the fresh air here. And you can enjoy what Friesland has in abundance: water! Take a boat across the IJsselmeer, spend a day at the beach on the island of Terschelling, or bicycle along the shores of the Frisian lakes. Feel that vacation feeling! We have collected…

These two words are sometimes used interchangeably, and it’s no wonder because a barge is a riverboat. However, not every riverboat is a barge. Confused? Let us explain: 1. Flat bottoms (No, not that bottom!)   Both barges and riverboats have a flat bottom. They’re both built for travel on inland waterways like rivers and canals, which aren’t deep and don’t have waves like the ocean. 2. Narrow build   It doesn’t come as a surprise that both barges and riverboats are long and narrow. Riverboats, in general, are longer…

Would you like to book an entire ship and experience a unique travel adventure with your own group? We at Boat Bike Tours will work with you to put together a tour that meets your expectations to a T. And that includes choosing the right accommodation for your travel group! Which floating hotel would you most like to stay in? On a stately sailing ship with classic furnishings and a surprising amount of comfort? On a family riverboat, on which you feel as at home as in your own living…

Historically, the Netherlands used a waterlinie, a series of “water lines” many miles long, as an ingenious means of defense, made up of waterworks and fortresses. It’s not surprising in a country that is so focused on keeping the sea at bay and regulating its water that the water itself would be used for defense: strips of land could be flooded during an attack to keep the enemy out. Today, the Netherlands still has more than a hundred fortresses along water lines. Many have become nature reserves, or there is…