Description

The Best of The Netherlands

Cycling Tour The Best of The Netherlands – Self-Guided Cycling Tour
Start dates: Daily from April 1 to September 24
8 Days – 7 Nights
Total distance – 225km – 140 miles

Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft, Gouda, and Woerden rank among our cyclists’ all-time favourite cities—each with its own character and rich in classic Old Holland charm together in one carefully designed route to create the ultimate cultural cycling holiday. With relatively short daily distances, there’s plenty of time to explore historic centres, museums, and local highlights. Although the route stays within the Randstad, you’ll be surprised by the peaceful, rural landscapes along the way, where polders, windmills, lakes, rivers, and—come spring—vibrant bulb fields steal the show. All in all, this journey offers seven unforgettable days of cultural treasures set amid the idyllic Dutch countryside.

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Pedalling Through Old Holland: Historic Cities and Timeless Landscapes

Your journey starts in Amsterdam, you soon trade city streets for quiet cycle paths through polders and green farmland, finishing in historic Haarlem or the peaceful village of Santpoort on the edge of the dunes. Starting your day in Haarlem leads through classic Dutch scenery of canals, estates, and open fields, with bulb flower fields brightening the landscape in spring, before arriving in the lively university city of Leiden. Cycling south along waterways and tranquil green corridors, you pass windmills and meadows en route to Delft, a beautifully preserved city known for its canals, history, and famous blue pottery.

The next cycling day is defined by wide-open polder landscapes, lakes, and rivers in the Green Heart of Holland, ending in Gouda with its iconic market square, historic town hall, and cheese heritage. A relaxed ride through some of the Netherlands’ most rural countryside, following narrow dikes and waterside paths to the friendly town of Woerden, rich in history and small-town charm. The final stage winds through peaceful river landscapes and green surroundings before gradually returning to the vibrant atmosphere of Amsterdam, completing a journey that perfectly blends culture and countryside.

Happy Cycling!

Team Cycle Classic Tours

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Day 1

Arrival in Amsterdam

Get here early and opt to wander around the gorgeous and surprisingly peaceful seventeenth-century canal ring area (World Heritage Site). If you like bustle, make your way to the city’s famous squares: Dam, Rembrandtplein, and Leidseplein. Should you prefer to roam off the beaten track, saunter up Brouwersgracht, or hire a canal bike and find out what the city looks like from the water.

Day 2

Amsterdam - Haarlem/Santpoort - 30km

Spend the morning visiting your favourite Amsterdam museum, or sitting in the sun on Rembrandtplein watching the world go by, or go for a walk along the canals. The possibilities are endless. As you leave the capital in the early afternoon, the urban buzz will soon make way for the peace of the countryside. This region is called Zuid-Kennemerland. In the low-lying peat landscape, clouds are reflected in the water, and reed sways in the wind. The steam mill Cruquius, just before you cycle into Haarlem, is itself a National Monument for the steam history of the engine within, and it has also been declared an Anchor Point of ERIH, the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is thought to be the largest steam engine – and certainly the largest beam engine – ever built. The reclamation of Haarlemmermeer by means of steam power marked the breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution in the Netherlands. Top off your day roaming lovely downtown Haarlem, from the impressive Grote Markt square, to the white drawbridge on the River Spaarne. Idyllic courtyards, known as ‘hofjes’, will set your heart a-flutter. Haarlem is home to the oldest hofje, dating from 1395. It can happen that we will book a hotel in Santpoort instead of Haarlem, due to availability. The hotel is located in a manor house with a beautiful park, surrounded by nature, about 7 km outside Haarlem. Please check the extra price of Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg Hotel in Santpoort in the price overview below. The price includes dinner for this night.

Day 3

Haarlem/Santpoort - Leiden - 43km

Haarlem, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, deserves to be explored extensively before your bicycle tour today. In the monumental city center, with many sights, you can stroll around for hours without getting bored for a moment. The famous photo spot is the small white drawbridge over the Spaarne with the two gabled houses in the background. On the market, you will find the Grote Kerk with the organ that Mozart played on when he visited Haarlem. Fancy a morning of soaking up art? Then visit the Frans Hals museum with unique art from the Golden Age, including works by Haarlem painters Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Pieter Saenredam. After Haarlem, get ready for a bike ride through the famous Dutch Bulb Region, the area where much of Holland's flower bulb cultivation takes place. Cycle through the dunes past well-known seaside resorts such as Noordwijk and Zandvoort. Noordwijk is a seaside resort of international stature with a 13 km long sandy beach. Surrounded by beautiful forest areas, rugged dunes, and the flower bulb region near De Keukenhof, Noordwijk is also referred to as the flower resort of Europe. Formula 1 fans know the CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, which is known as a real ""Old School" circuit, with fast, undulating and challenging corners formed by the natural dunes. With a track length of 4.3 kilometers, it is one of the shorter circuits on the F1 calendar. Almost nowhere else do drivers race past race fans so often! In the late afternoon, you will arrive in Leiden, another beautiful historic city rich in attractions. The city has much to offer. Beautiful are the seventeenth-century houses and characteristic canals. Also worth a visit are the oldest university in the Netherlands, the historic botanical garden, and the Gothic St. Pieterskerk.

Day 4

Leiden - Delft - 29km

After taking your leave of lively Leiden, peace will reign once more in today’s typically Dutch scenery. Note all the orderly rectangles in this man-made polder landscape (mostly peatland reclamations). Let shining lakes and green pastures, old windmills and farmhouses pass you by whilst pedalling on to the famous city of Delft. The melancholy charm of historical Delft is breathtaking. Most will associate Delft with its blue and white hand-painted pottery: Delftware. But did you know that painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) lived in Delft all his life? The Vermeer Centre gives illuminating insights into his life, works, and city (no original paintings on show here).

Day 5

Delft - Gouda - 34km

This stretch of the tour takes you through the Green Heart: a stronghold against urban sprawl in the Randstad conurbation. Balancing atop polder dikes, delight in characteristic villages, far horizons, and pleasingly strict rectangles cut by ditches in fields of vibrant green. As you wander around the city of Gouda at the end of the day, don’t miss the Gothic town hall (1450), the Weighing House (1667), the romantic inner city canals, and the stained glass windows in St. John’s Church. Gouda is also famous for making syrup waffles (try one hot!) and candles. If you’re travelling in Summer, plan your trip so that you can witness the traditional Thursday morning cheese market at the start of Day 6 (early April till last Thursday in August).

Day 6

Gouda - Woerden - 38km

The vast landscape of your route today is graced by several small rivers, unique white bridges, and various crafts. Leaving Gouda, following the Hollandsche IJssel, you arrive in one of the most beautiful villages in the province of South Holland, Haastrecht. Haastrecht is one of the most beautiful villages of Zuid-Holland. Via the small river, the Vlist, the silver town of Schoonhoven now comes into view. Schoonhoven is known for its silver and therefore carries the nickname: Zilverstad ("Silver City"). Since the 17th century, silversmiths and goldsmiths have been working here. Today, Schoonhoven is still known for its silver. The route along the river then takes you to Oudewater, internationally known for its atmospheric and monumental town centre, including the Heksenwaag and the Rope Museum. Finally, you will arrive in the town of Woerden, the centre of the Green Heart.

Day 7

Woerden - Amsterdam - 49km

From Woerden, you cycle along the eight-kilometre-long Kamerikse Wetering, which was dug almost exactly in a north-south direction. Soon, Wilnis comes into view. For the first inhabitants, living in Wilnis was literally living in the wilderness. Around the 11th century, they settled in a swampy area. Those times are long gone. The area has since been reclaimed. Wilnis put itself on the map in 2003. In a dry summer, the dike broke, causing a major flood. Remarkably, there were no casualties. A monument on the reinforced dike commemorates this special event. Along the Vinkeveense Plassen, Vinkeveen soon comes into view. Vinkeveen's villagescape is like a postcard. On the north side of this lake area, you get a view of part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, Fort in the Botshol, a Unesco World Heritage Site. If you want to check out a typical 'Old Dutch' village, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is definitely recommended. Stroll through the pretty historic streets and don't forget to visit the old Jewish cemetery 'Beth Haim' (house of life). The cemetery, with around 28,000 graves, is a national monument. The mere fact that this place in the Randstad, out of reach of the encroaching city and modernisation, makes it special and unique. It is the oldest Jewish cemetery still in use in the Western world. Finally, Amsterdam welcomes you with romantic canals.

Day 8

Return home

After breakfast your cycling holiday has come to an end.

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Booking Information

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For inquiries, send an email to info@cycleclassictours.com

Hotels:

Westcord Art Hotel 3*/4* (Amsterdam)
Hotel Lion d'Or 4* (Haarlem)
Tulip Inn Leiden Centre 3* (Leiden)
Hampshire Hotel Delft Centre 4* (Delft)
City Hotel Gouda 4* (Gouda)
Best Western Hotel Woerden 3* (Woerden)

Nearest Airport is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
The train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Sloterdijk departs 6 times per hour. Travel time is about 10 minutes. A single ticket costs approx €4,- per person excl. bicycle.
For timetables and tickets, go to www.ns.nl/en. For bus details, how to reach the hotel, check : www.9292.nl/en.

Extra Information

Please do not make travel plans until you receive our confirmation.
Please be advised that we make every effort to ensure that all the information given on this site is accurate. All statements and information have been researched and supplied by third parties.
The information given is accurate and reliable, to the best of our knowledge. Should errors be found, we will rectify them as quickly as possible. However, we accept no responsibility for errors or inaccuracies.

Included

3*/4* star hotels
7 Nights
Tourist tax
Breakfast
Detailed roadbooks with maps and tourist information
7-days a week service-hotline
Luggage transfer (Max. 1 piece 20kg p.p.)
Route information available in the app

Not Included

Road Bike Rental Carbon Ultegra Disc €325
Gravel Bike Rental €300
Child Bike €77
Hybrid €91
E-Bike €196
Child seat €35
Child trailer €126
Helmet €10
Extra piece of luggage €35
Ferry crossings
Extra night double room €110 p.p.
Upgrade Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg, Santpoort €85 p.p.
Upgrade Relais & Châteaux Weeshuis Gouda €100 p.p.
Upgrade Stadshotel Woerden €10 p.p.
Upgrade Westcord Art Hotel, Amsterdam €10 p.p.

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The Best of The Netherlands

Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft, Gouda, and Woerden rank among our cyclists’ all-time favourite cities

Moderate

Apr 1 - Sep 24

3/4 Hotels

(On request)

+ €525

Included

Included

+ €110

Included

Available

7 days a week

Description

The Best of The Netherlands