Cycling the highlights of Holland - Windmills, Canals, and Tulips

Every year, large swathes of countryside in the Netherlands are covered in a colorful blanket of flowers. Seeing the beautiful spectacle for yourself is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Discover many of Holland’s fantastic highlights, including a true celebration of the beautiful tulip. In addition to tulips, you'll witness crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and more (7 million bulbs of various flowers, to be exact) at the magnificent Keukenhof flower garden.

To underline the celebratory nature of this tour, it includes sumptuous and stylish accommodations and every aspect of this tour is private and personal, exclusively for you. You’ll be riding on the country’s extensive network of safe and scenic cycle paths and will be staying in luxury hotels right at the heart of historic towns.

This tour is the perfect addition to your stay in Amsterdam or as an extension to your already planned bike tour through Holland!

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Highlights

• Keukenhof flower gardens

• Tulip and bulb fields in bloom

• Boskoop horticultural area heritage site

• Woerden historic town and castle

• Historic town houses and canals

• Coastal path across rolling sand dunes

Learn More

Learn more about self-guided tours.

Daily program

Please note: this tour begins on a cycling day. We recommend arriving a few days earlier and booking at least one pre-tour night in Amsterdam and/or in elegant Haarlem, where the tour starts. Haarlem is 15 minutes from the centre of Amsterdam by train and gives you the best start to your tour. Additionally, this tour is a perfect add-on to other tours in Holland.

Day 1: Haarlem – Leiden (26 miles/43 km)
Your tour starts this morning with your personal welcome meeting and introduction in Haarlem.

Cycle across Haarlem’s historic square, past the St. Bavo Church and Frans Hals Museum, and see the ‘hofjes’ with their ancient alms houses. Through an enchanting forest you get to the coastal village of Zandvoort where you turn onto the scenic cycle path across the rolling sand dunes.

Soon, you’ll see the tulip fields. Witness the astounding explosion in all colours of the rainbow from crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, all with their own flowering seasons. You can easily spend hours gazing at this colourful patchwork but make sure to save enough time for your visit to the Keukenhof gardens with its beautifully presented displays.

Finish your day in a fantastic, ancient town: Leiden – home to the oldest Dutch university, founded in 1575. Even though it’s a lively city nowadays, it treasures its history including the medieval fortifications dating back to the 9th century (‘Burcht van Leiden’), the Botanical gardens and the impressive city canal ‘Rapenburg’.
Overnight in Leiden.

Day 2: Leiden – Woerden (25 miles/40 km)
Cycling out of Leiden, you will pass the enormous Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude and then enter the ‘Green Heart’ of Holland with it’s lowland ‘polders’, windmills and canals.

It’s worth stopping off in Boskoop. Since Count William I donated his Buckiscope estate to the Abbey of Rijnsburg in 1222, Boskoop developed into the largest connected horticultural area in the world. The Nursery Museum’s cottage and garden show the life of a nursery family at the end of the 19th century, or visit the highly-rated Esveld park & nursery.

Finish your ride today in picturesque Woerden. Though not as famous as Gouda, Edam or Alkmaar, it has long had a cheese market and you can still visit the traditional Reypenaer cheese warehouse. The town’s main highlights, all situated in the old centre, are the imposing windmill De Windhond (‘The Greyhound’) and the 600-year old castle.
Overnight in Woerden.

Day 3: Woerden – Abcoude (25 miles/40 km)
Continue your ride through the ‘Green Heart’ and enjoy the majestic landscape divided by lines of tall trees, traditional farm houses, fields with grazing cows, and rivers and canals with water fowl and other birds. A great place to stop for a break will be De Haar, the largest castle in the Netherlands, situated in 135 acres of parkland with impressive trees, old gardens and ponds.

Next, you will get to the river Vecht which is lined with (more) castles and the country houses built by wealthy 17th century merchants from Amsterdam, often with elegant gardens. The historic village centers of Loenen and Breukelen are worth a visit and the perfect spot for an afternoon break. You’ll end your tour in Abcoude, a historic town with a charming centre, not far from Amsterdam.

A local representative will be on hand for your personal end-of-tour meeting. There is an easy connection back to Amsterdam (20 minutes). Or why not add a night in Abcoude?

Note: Although the route to Keukenhof is included in your route documents, entry is not included. Please be sure to book a time slot and purchase your tickets prior to your tour.

Surface and terrain

Almost all the cycling will be flat and along paved routes and cycle paths. The cycling is sometimes interrupted by ferry rides across canals or rivers.

Hotels

These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

You will be staying in comfortable ‘Standard’ 3* and 4* hotels within walking distance of the local sights so you can explore in the evening and find a choice of restaurants for dinner.

Leiden: Boutique Hotel Huys van Leyden

Woerden: Stadshotel Van Rossum

Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.

How to get there

Tour start
Nearest airport: Amsterdam, Holland
Nearest train station: Haarlem, Holland

Tour end
Nearest airport: Amsterdam, Holland
Nearest train station: Abcoude, Holland

Tips on getting to and from your tour

Dates

Prices

Included services

• 2 nights in double rooms (shower/toilet) in 3- and 4-star hotels
• Breakfast/breakfast buffet
• Tour briefing on arrival
• End of tour meeting
• Luggage transfer from hotel to hotel
• Tour documentation (tourist and route info)
• Breakdown assistance
• Hotline for assistance during tour
• Top-class aluminum standard multi-speed bicycle with handlebar bag
• GPS with itinerary (per group)
• Equipment delivery in Haarlem; pick up in Abcoude

Bike rentals

The bikes available and included in the cost of the tour are:

• Koga 8-speed standard touring bikes

• Sturdy child bikes (20", 24" and 26")

The bikes available to rent (must be reserved at the time of booking):

• Electric bikes

Tandem bikes, child trailers, tag-alongs, and road bikes are available upon request (additional fees may apply).

All bikes are equipped with a route package including:

• Handlebar bag
• Repair kit
• Pump
• Water bottle
• Cable lock

Additional equipment available upon request for an additional charge:

• Saddle bags
• Helmet
• Poncho
• Luggage trailer

Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.

Pedals:
The bikes have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, we will do our best to fit these for you. Don’t forget to bring your own shoes to go with them.

Helmets:
Helmets are not mandatory on this tour, but available upon request for an additional charge. We recommend that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes.

Tour Company