View at the city Alkmaar

Cycle tour - North Holland - Peninsula - self-guided - 5D/4N Classic

Cycling holidays through Polders and Dunes

From
599€
Choose a Journey
  • Duration

    5 Days
  • Difficulty

    Very easy
  • Distance

    148km
  • Landscapes

    • Sea/Ocean
    • Nature
    • City
  • Theme

    • E-Bike
    • Culture 
    • Weekend
  • Type of Journey

    Self-Guided

Description

This is Holland at its wettest and flattest! This part of North Holland province fits the image that most foreigners have of Holland. The polders, often consisting of many rectangles of damp meadows separated by ditches, are encompassed by dikes and canals. When you cycle on a dike you’ll be able to see the difference in water levels between the canal on the one side and the lower lying ditches in the polder on the other side. This cycle tour will also take you to the dunes on the North Sea coast which not only protect the hinterland from the sea but also the harbour and many species of dune flora and fauna. You will certainly enjoy the coast of the former Zuiderzee (now Lake IJsselmeer) and the small towns of Edam and Volendam.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Cycling along rivers
Historico-cultural landscapes
Pictoresque villages
Metropolis Amsterdam
Old city Utrecht

Characteristics of this journey/holiday

Day by day

Day 1 Alkmaar

Arrival in Alkmaar.

Day 2 Alkmaar – Amsterdam 63 km

This stretch of the tour is also very diverse. Zaanse Schans is a recreated (inhabited!) neighbourhood in the style typical of this area on the River Zaan in the 17th-18th Centuries: beautiful dark green wooden buildings, bridges and windmills. There are lots of things to see, including clog, cheese and tin making demonstrations. From here, make your way to Amsterdam. Amsterdam will welcome you with romantic canals, bridges and more than 800.000 bicycles! Amsterdam is for exploring. There is so much to see and do. Whether you like, art, culture, an evening out or just looking around the canal area, you’ll have a great time. A canal boat trip is a great way to get a better look at the canal houses.

 Day 3 Amsterdam – Volendam 35 km

Today you will cycle past and through villages such as Durgerdam and Volendam along Lake Markermeer. The beautiful stone houses in the distinctive heart of catholic fishing village Volendam seem to have been drawn up without an organised street plan. “De Dijk, overlooking the harbour, attracts many tourists who browse the souvenir shops and have a break at a pavement cafe or restaurant.

Day 4 Volendam – Alkmaar 50 km

On this coast to coast bike trip you will cycle right through the province of North Holland from east to west. You will enjoy different landscapes, from the coast of Lake Markermeer, through polders such as Schermer and Beemster (a World Heritage Site!) which were drained many centuries ago, do the flowers (April/May) behind Heiloo/Alkmaar. Cycle atop the old “sea dike of former Zuiderzee. Edam is a pretty, historical village. In its heyday, in the 17th Century Golden Age, it was a town of shipbuilders and traders. The well-preserved buildings youll see in the centre date back to this period. Go for a stroll and enjoy the bridges, squares, gables, canals and other monuments. In summer you‘ll love the weekly traditional cheese market on Wednesdays.

Day 5 Departure

After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home.

Accommodation

4 nights in charming 3-4-star-hotels

Included services

4 nights in charming 3-4-star-hotels
Daily breakfast
Daily luggage transfer (1 piece per people, 20 kgs max)
Route book, maps and information material
7/7 service hotline
GPS-tracks on demand
Tourist tax

Options available:
Bike breakdown insurance (18€/person)

City tax is not included and has to be paid on the spot.

Tour dates

Arrival: Daily 29.03. – 23.09.2024

*No start on

  • 13.05 -16.05.2024
  • 17.06. -18.06.2024
  • 07.11. –  11.07.2024
  • 13.09. – 17.09.2024

Additional informations

Grade: 90 % on asphalted cycling paths or side roads with little traffic. Mainly flat.

In case of staying overnight in Amsterdam on Saturdays a surcharge applies of € 28,- per person in a double room and in a single room.

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