This wonderful trip to the Bulb Flower district is recommended from April to mid-May; the period you’re most likely to strike lucky and see the tulip fields in full bloom (although nobody can predict exactly when spring will set in). Opening times for world-famous Keukenhof park vary each year but fall roughly within this timespan.
Also take a look at our Tulip tour in North Holland.
Day 1 | Arrival 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. Parking in Amsterdam is difficult. |
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Day 2 | Amsterdam - Haarlem/Santpoort | 53 km |
It may be tempting to linger in Amsterdam, but today is the day you get to see your first tulip fields! Set off early to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the lively capital and enter a region called South Kennemerland. Firstly, head for Cruquius, a steam-driven pumping station for a lesson in Dutch water management. The steam mill Cruquius, Haarlem, is itself a Netherlands 'Rijksmonument' 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. You cycle from Cruquius in a loop around Haarlem and just after the village of Bennebroek you can catch your first short glimpse of the tulip fields. Top off your day roaming lovely downtown Haarlem, from 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. |
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Day 3 | Haarlem/Santpoort - Leiden | 38 km |
Downtown Haarlem deserves to be explored thoroughly. We recommend a city walk to discover the city’s hidden "hofjes”. A hofje is a square of tiny almshouses set around an idyllic courtyard, often built by the church or by private charity to house single older women. Also dating back to the Dutch Golden Age, the works of Haarlem painter Frans Hals (group portraiture) and his townsmen including Jacob Ruysdael (land- and seascapes) and Pieter Saenredam (church interiors) are on display at the Frans Hals museum. In the afternoon get set for a colourful bike trip through the Dune and Bulb Region. Try to time this holiday before mid-May to capture the bulb flower fields in their full splendour! Tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths are grown here commercially (for bulb export) and temporarily transform the landscape into one of the country’s best-loved tourist attractions. Should www.keukenhof.nl you want to spend a day at world famous Keukenhof flower exhibition, we recommendyou book an extra night in Leiden. Leiden is our oldest university town It has a very busy cultural events calendar and a friendly city centre with canals, monuments windmills and museums. The historical botanical gardens get special mention. The route back to Amsterdam takes you past several lakes, across rural ‘Green Heart’, to the River Amstel. On the banks of this lovely river, you will encounter pretty villages and grand country houses. This is one of the greenest routes there is to get you right into Amsterdam back to your hotel. As you may have guessed the city is named after the river. In the 13th century, Amsterdam started out as a fishing village by a dam at the mouth of the river. The oldest part of Amsterdam is around the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Known as Amsterdam’s living room, it’s the oldest building in the city. |
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Day 4 | Leiden - Amsterdam | 63 km |
The route back to Amsterdam takes you past several lakes, across rural ‘Green Heart’, to the River Amstel. On the banks of this lovely river, you will encounter pretty villages and grand country houses. This is one of the greenest routes there is to get you right into Amsterdam back to your hotel. As you may have guessed the city is named after the river. In the 13th century, Amsterdam started out as a fishing village by a dam at the mouth of the river. The oldest part of Amsterdam is around the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Known as Amsterdam’s living room, it’s the oldest building in the city. |
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Day 5 | Return home | |
After breakfast your cycling holiday has come to an end. |
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Starting dates:
Daily from March 29th till May 10th
Please note: a minimum stay of 2 nights in a row is required in the hotel in Amsterdam on the following dates (and a higher price will be charged):
March 29th, 30th and 31st 2024
April 20th 2024
April 26th and 27th 2024
May 9, 10th and 11th 2024
May 17th, 18th and 19th 2024
Price pp | € | |
Double room, breakfast | 599.00 | |
Single room, breakfast | 879.00 | |
Extra night double room, breakfast only | 80.00 | |
Extra night double room, breakfast only Amsterdam | 100.00 | |
Upgrades pp/night | € | |
Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg, Santpoort | 70.00 | |
Westcord Art Hotel, Amsterdam | 10.00 | |
Surcharge per person | € | |
Stay in Amsterdam on Saturday | 25.00 | |
Stay in Amsterdam from:
17/05/2024 - 19/05/2024 |
40.00 | |
Rental bike | € | |
Child bike | 44.00 | |
Hybrid | 52.00 | |
E-bike | 108.00 | |
Extra services | € | |
Bike Breakdown pass | € 4.00 x 4 | 16.00 |
Child seat | € 5.00 x 4 | 20.00 |
Bike theft insurance | € 3.00 x 4 | 12.00 |
E-bike theft insurance | € 6.00 x 4 | 24.00 |
Extra luggage | € 5.00 x 4 | 20.00 |
Tag-along bike | € 6.00 x 4 | 24.00 |
Child trailer | € 17.50 x 4 | 70.00 |
Bike helmet | per piece | 10.00 |
SGR | per piece | 5.00 |
Starting Point:
Amsterdam
The hotels and the B&B on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. A list of the accomodation we work with appears below. If a certain accomodation is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will try to request a comparable alternative if possible.
When selecting the accomodation, we try to take into account as much as possible a safe and closed bicycle shed. However, we cannot do this with all of them guarantee and this partly depends on the number of bicycles of other guests.
4 Nights included
3/4 Star Hotels
Breakfast included
Detailed roadbooks with maps and tourist information
The possibility of renting our bikes
7-days a week service-hotline
Luggage transport to your next hotel
Amsterdam Sloterdijk / Amsterdam CS
Parking possibilities at the hotel
GPS-tracks availible
Any ferry crossings are not included
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.