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ToursNetherlands8-day Sail & Bike Tulip Tour
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8-day Sail & Bike Tulip Tour

Springtime, tulip areas, cheese

Difficulty
  • Level 1: easy tours, very flat terrain
  • Level 2: quite easy tours, mostly flat terrain
  • Level 3: requires a higher level of exertion, medium hilly terrain
  • Level 4: for experienced cyclists, hilly terrain with climbs
Difficulty level 1
Difficulty level 1
Duration of the tour.
time
8 days
Guidance
  • Guided cycling: A tour leader will guide you during the cycling days
  • Independent cycling: No tour leader, the ships’ crew does daily briefing, independent cycling
guidance
Guided cycling

Enjoy Holland in the springtime in an unforgettable way, exploring enchanting Dutch landscapes by wheels and water during our Tulip Sail & Bike tour. Smell the tulips when cycling through the countryside, feel freedom in the breeze while sailing across the Wadden Sea and Lake IJsselmeer, and enjoy comfort and camaraderie on one of the beautiful sailing ships the Leafde fan Fryslân or Mare fan Fryslân. Best tulip areas of the Netherlands During this fascinating Sail & Bike trip, you will discover the best tulip areas that the Netherlands has […]

From €1299 p.p.

A sailing adventure on a three-/four-mast ship

Tulip fields in South & North Holland

Visit the Wadden Island of Texel

Sailing ships with max. 38 passengers

Monday to Friday
Amsterdam: 08:30 to 22:00
New York: 6:00AM to 7:00PM
+31 20 72 35 400 NL
+1 203 814 1249 USA
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8-day Sail & Bike Tulip Tour

About this tour

Enjoy Holland in the springtime in an unforgettable way, exploring enchanting Dutch landscapes by wheels and water during our Tulip Sail & Bike tour. Smell the tulips when cycling through the countryside, feel freedom in the breeze while sailing across the Wadden Sea and Lake IJsselmeer, and enjoy comfort and camaraderie on one of the beautiful sailing ships the Leafde fan Fryslân or Mare fan Fryslân.

Best tulip areas of the Netherlands
During this fascinating Sail & Bike trip, you will discover the best tulip areas that the Netherlands has to offer. Not only will you visit the famous Keukenhof gardens, known for its hundreds of thousands of blooming tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and other bulb flowers. You will also bike through less famous, but equally gorgeous areas where tulips bloom in the spring months.

Polder landscapes
But it is not only about tulips; during your week-long Sail & Bike tour, you will spend plenty of time in the historical cities of Hoorn and Enkhuizen — gems hidden from mass tourism. You will discover typical Dutch cultural highlights and cycle through pleasant, flat polders, the result of centuries of extensive land reclamation from the North Sea and the former Southern Sea (now IJsselmeer). The region you will cycle through has undergone such extensive impoldering, that you will soon realize the truth behind the proverb, “God created the earth, but the Dutch made Holland”.

Highlights of this tulip tour
Given the Dutch love for cycling, the region is crisscrossed with many quiet cycle tracks that stretch from one end of the region to the other. You will be amazed by the beauty and expanse of the North Sea beaches, the extremely bicycle-friendly island of Texel, the splendid flat landscapes, small dreamlike farm villages, and romantic, picturesque harbor towns. And all of this completed with the occasional fields full of beautiful flowers.

Lend a hand or relax on board
You will also sail across the large lake IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen and Hoorn. If you like, you may — instructed by the experienced crew — lend a hand during navigating and hoisting the sails. Sailing experience is not necessary. Of course you are also very welcome to just relax and enjoy the sailing and scenery.

The ship – Your sailing hotel
In between cycling excursions, you cruise along with the ship, which travels to a new destination every day. You dine, sleep and eat breakfast on board. You’ll receive a packed lunch every day, and you can usually choose between a longer or shorter bike ride. It’s also possible to spend a day on board if you like. There are rental bikes on board, but you can also bring your own if you mention it when booking.

Fully Guided
Accompanied by a competent, professional and multilingual tour leader, you and the group will visit interesting sights and places on the daily cycling tours. During the bike tour, they will explain the local history and culture behind the things you encounter along the way. You can also choose to ride individually with the help of the Ride with GPS app and our BBT cycling map (available on board).

Please be aware that the overview map on the right is not the correct one for the mentioned day-to-day program.

Prepare yourself for this tour with our Travel Prep-tips

Preparation is half the fun, so why not start straight away?
See all tips

Day to day program

Parts that are printed in italics parts will be covered by the ship.

All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours.
The tour details are barring changes, a.o. as a result of nautical, technical or meteorological reasons.

Day 1: Amsterdam – Hoorn

You are welcome to check in on board between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., where your crew will welcome you with coffee and tea. At 2.30 p.m., the ship leaves the harbor. While the ship sails to Hoorn, your tour leader will stoke your anticipation by telling you about the tour, the cycling and safety procedures. Upon arrival, you will have the option to take a little test ride. After enjoying a delicious dinner on board, the tour leader will take you on a walk through Hoorn. Hoorn, the former Dutch East India Company town, which was, in the 17th century, one of the world’s foremost harbor.

Day 2: Hoorn – Schoorl (39-47 km / 24 – 30 mi.) | Schoorl – Medemblik (transfer)

On this first cycling day, a tasty breakfast will be followed by a bike tour to the polders of the Province of North Holland, wedged between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer. In the past this area was tidal sea, and you will see on your tour a lot of windmills which helped the Dutch to get dry feet.
Closer to Alkmaar you will find the first beautiful tulip fields. We pass the historical city center of Alkmaar. This town is well known as a Dutch cheese city. As you wander through the streets, you’ll be amazed by the beauty of Alkmaar’s old town, with its well-preserved 17th-century buildings and narrow, winding canals.
Close by — and certainly worth a visit — is the artist’s village of Bergen.
We finish our bike tour of today near Schoorl, from where we are transferred to Medemblik. In Medemblik the ship waits for you.

Day 3: Medemblik – Schoorl (transfer) | Schoorl – Den Helder | (- Oudeschild) (42 – 50 km / 26 – 31 mi.)

After our overnight in Medemblik and a fine breakfast, we are transferred to the area of Schoorl, where we finished our cycling yesterday.
Our destination today is Den Helder. First cycling along the coastline of the North Sea along dikes and dunes, before we are heading more inland to polders and unknown, but beautiful tulip fields. Keep your camera ready!
Den Helder is the harbor for the Dutch Navy and the offshore industry. Weather dependable, we sail in the evening to the Island of Texel (Oudeschild) or stay for overnight in Den Helder.

Day 4: (Den Helder-) Oudeschild | Wadden island of Texel: round trip (42 – 50 km / 26 – 31 mi.)

Today you can choose to cycle a shorter route or to take a longer tour around the island. You will cycle through delightful natural parks, and even on Texel you will bike through fields of blooming flowers! The signposts of which lead you through picturesque villages and landscapes, and even to the Ecomare seal sanctuary. At the end of your cycling tour, you can enjoy a locally-brewed, well-deserved beer during a visit to the small brewery near Oudeschild.

Day 5: Oudeschild – Enkhuizen | Sailing day

Today your ship will set sail to Enkhuizen. You may lend a hand during navigation and hoisting the sails. Previous sailing experience is not at all necessary. Of course, you are also very welcome to just relax and enjoy the sailing and scenery as you progress along the IJsselmeer. While sailing you will enjoy an extensive lunch on board. In the afternoon, the ship will arrive in Enkhuizen, an old city with many centuries of maritime tradition. You can spend some time exploring here; “the herring city” boasts a beautiful old harbor and an old town full of history.
No dinner will be served tonight, to enable you to explore the city. You can make yourself a picnic meal or try one of the nice restaurants of Enkhuizen.

Day 6: Enkhuizen – Keukenhof – Amsterdam | Full day bus excursion

Today a beautiful bus ride leads you through the oldest tulip fields of Holland to the famous Keukenhof Gardens. You will have plenty of time to discover the most beautiful bulb park in the world — Keukenhof is the place where spring springs. It features an overwhelming blaze of colors: seven million flowering tulips in a magnificent 80-acre setting of traditional and modern gardening architecture. You also can admire various hyacinths, daffodils, and many other vibrant flowers. In the afternoon the bus will bring you back to Amsterdam, where your ship moored today.
We have a fine dinner on board and stay for overnight.

Day 7: Amsterdam – Zaandam – Zaanse Schans – Amsterdam ( 43 km / 27 mi.)

Our last cycling day of this tour. We make a round trip to Zaandam and Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet where people live and work alongside original houses and windmills built next to the river Zaan. This tiny village is dominated by its operating windmills — the oldest of which was built in 1673 — and these were used for grinding mustard seeds, spices, and paint components; extracting plant oil; and for sawing wood into planks. As you walk through the village, you will see a clock museum, an old-fashioned grocery store, a house with period furniture, a clog maker, and a cheese farm.
On the way back to Amsterdam we pass Twiske, a recreational park and Waterland, an open area very close to the Capital.

Day 8: Amsterdam

End of your tour: after breakfast, you can disembark until 9.30 a.m.

Good to know
  • Cycling route distances in the travel program are approximate.
  • On some days you can choose between a longer and a shorter cycling route. Please note that on the shorter routes you may not be able to visit all the highlights mentioned.
  • If you prefer not to cycle on a particular day, you’re welcome to stay on board and relax while the ship cruises to the next landing place.
  • The tour itinerary and route are subject to possible changes due to nautical, technical or meteorological reasons, or other unforeseen events.
  • On the arrival day, you can leave your luggage on board the ship from 11.00 am.
  • Detailed cycling maps and a GPS app are available for guests who wish to cycle individually and at their own pace. The tour guide is always available via cell phone in case of questions, breakdowns or emergencies.

 

ABOUT THE SAIL & BIKE  TOUR:
A little bit of adventure is part of every Sail & Bike tour. As for the rest, the planned daily sailing routes partially depend on the strength and direction of the winds. The skipper decides day by day on the best route and discusses the options with his guests. The crew does whatever it can to run the program according to plan and to offer you a fascinating, varied and active week, in which nature and culture play a major part. It is however possible that departure times and the time spent on the water – and even the order of the program itself – have to be adjusted. So, enjoy the ride and let yourself be led by the elements!

Whenever possible, various passages will be undertaken fully rigged. Anyone who likes to help the crew sail and steer the boat is welcome to do so. Of course this is absolutely up to you. Sailing experience is not necessary.

 


The bicycles of Boat Bike Tours

Always the best rental bikes

The rental bikes on our ships are unisex bicycles with a low bar and a comfortable upright sitting position. These are stable and dependable bikes, good for miles in the saddle. Decide which kind of bike you want to rent and simply fill in your preference with your reservation. We’ll make sure you get the right bike for you. On most of our tours, the bike rental cost is not included in the tour’s price.

Every Boat Bike Tour rental bike is well equipped. The bikes consist of a lightweight aluminum frame and have highly-responsive handbrakes, at least seven speeds, an adjustable gel seat, normal flat pedals (no clips), an easy-to-use lock attached to the frame, and special puncture-resistant tires. All told, this is a light, stable and reliable bike, very suitable for touring long distances pleasantly.

Our e-bikes also have at least seven speeds and handbrakes. The motor runs on a 400Wh battery and offers three levels of power-assistance. The e-bikes include comfortable gel seats that can be adjusted for height, have a lock attached to the frame, and sport anti-puncture tires. Note that some of the ships have their own bikes on board. They may look a bit different, but qualitatively they are equal to Boat Bike Tours’s e-bikes.

Bicycle helmets
The use of bicycle helmets is not required in the Netherlands, but for safety’s sake they are suggested. If you wish to rent one, you can do so during the booking process. If you book a premium tour and rent a bike or e-bike, then the helmet and a “limit of liability for damage or loss” for your bike or e-bike is included in the rental price.

Other rental items
Other items such as children’s bikes, tandems, family tandems (child & adult), tag-along, trailers to carry toddlers and child seats are available on request.

Taking your own bike or e-bike?
The fee for parking your own bicycle is €10 per week. For an e-bike the fee is €25 to cover parking and charging the battery. For safety reasons it is not always possible to charge your e-bike batteries in your cabin. The crew will tell you where you can charge the battery on board the ship. Neither the crew nor Boat Bike tours is responsible in any way for any damage, loss or theft of a guest’s own bike or e-bike or its accessories. Note: not all the ships are suitable or have enough room for extra bikes, so make sure you check with us well ahead of travel.

Cyclists in a green landscape

Touring bikes

Our bicycles have a lightweight aluminum frame and are furnished with highly-responsive handbrakes, at least seven speeds and a gel seat whose height can be adjusted. Attached to the frame is an easy-to-use lock and the wheels carry puncture-resistant tires.

E-bikes

Our e-bikes also have highly-responsive handbrakes and a minimum of seven speeds. The motor runs on a 400Wh battery and offers three levels of power-assistance. The e-bikes include comfortable gel seats that can be adjusted for height, have a lock attached to the frame and special anti-puncture tires.

Taking your own bicycle

It is possible to take your own bike or e-bike with you, as long as it doesn’t have mirrors or other elements that stick out. There’s only limited space available on board for guests’ bikes. You can reserve a place for your bike for a small fee. Boat Bike tours is not responsible for damage to your bike or for theft.


Prices & availability

To view the availability of this tour and/or book online please click on the button below. A new screen will open.

On selected departures, you will receive a discount of 100 euro per person. The discount is only valid for new bookings and cannot be combined with other discounts. In the calendar, discount dates are highlighted in orange.

 


Prices & information

Pricing overview - 2025
Cabin type For Season A Season B Season C
Small Twin cabin (Leafde) 2 pers. Not available € 1199 € 1299 Twin cabin 2 pers. € 1299 € 1399 € 1499 Junior Suite (Leafde/Mare, max. 1) 2 pers. € 1499 € 1599 € 1699 Suite upper deck (Leafde) 2 pers. Not available € 1999 € 2099 Single cabin (Leafde, max. 2) 1 pers. Not available € 1699 € 1799 Twin cabin for single use (max. 2) 1 pers. € 1948.50 € 2098.50 € 2248.50
Included in this tour
  • 8 days / 7 nights
  • 7 x breakfast
  • 5 x packed lunches & 1 x 3-course lunch on board
  • 6 x 3-course dinner on board & 1 x picnic meal
  • Coffee and tea on board
  • Welcome drink
  • Use of bed linen and towels
  • Daily cleaning of the cabin
  • Daily briefings
  • Fully guided cycling tours
  • Some short walking tours
  • Full day bus excursion including Keukenhof Gardens
  • Bus transfer Schoorl – Medemblik v.v.
  • BBT cycling maps (1 per cabin)
  • GPS tracks
  • Use of a waterproof pannier bag
  • Biodegradable water bottle
  • Wi-Fi
  • Carbon offset payment to the non-profit organization Justdiggit
Excluded in this tour
  • Drinks
  • Bicycle rental or e-bike rental
  • Helmet rental
  • Personal insurances
  • Gratuities (at your discretion)
  • Entrance fees and excursions
  • Fees for ferries
  • Transfers to/from the docking place
  • Parking fees
SGR Insolvency protection (mandatory consumer contribution SGR insolvency protection guarantee scheme: € 5 per person - will be specified separately on the booking confirmation)
Additional options & information - 2025

2025:

  • Rental bicycle : €91 per week (optional)
  • Rental E-Bike : €245 per week (only a limited number of electrical bikes available: pref. reservation by booking)
  • Helmets: A helmet can be rented for €10 per week, only on prior reservation and payment
  • Limitation of liability (damage) rental bicycle €14/week
  • Limitation of liability (damage) rental e-bike €28/week
  • Please click on this link for more information
  • Parking own bicycle: €14 per week (only a limited number of parking places available: pref. reservation by booking)
  • Parking own E-Bike: €28 per week (only a limited number of parking places available: pref. reservation by booking)
  • Please click on this link for more information about the rental and own bicycles/E-bikes
  • Parking in Amsterdam (valet parking): you can find more information and the reservation form here.
Discounts

On selected departures, you will receive a discount of 100 euro per person. The discount is only valid for new bookings and cannot be combined with other discounts. In the calendar, discount dates are highlighted in orange.

 

Loyalty discount

Explore our Loyalty Discount!

After your tour, you’ll receive an exclusive discount code:

  • You get 3% on your second tour with us.
  • From the third tour onwards, you will receive a 5% discount.
  • Enjoy savings on any of our upcoming trips in 2025.

 

Check your post-tour email for details. You can combine this discount with other promotions for additional savings. Join us again for another adventure by boat and bike!



Reviews

based on 25 reviews on
22 May 2024

Jeannette Selbstaedt

I enjoyed the staff, there was definitely not enough to help with the ship and they did not know the ship well. There was no medical assistance when I got injured, more training for possible injuries should be happening. Also I had to bike out injured and should not of have to do that.

Reply from Boat Bike Tours 18 Jun 2024

Hi Jeannette, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear about your injury and the challenges you faced during your stay. We are glad you had a positive experience with the suite on the top deck and the staff, but it is clear there are important areas for improvement. Once again, our sincere apologies for the inconveniences you experienced. We greatly value your feedback and will use it to improve our services. We hope to offer you a much better experience in the future. Warm regards, Romy

23 Apr 2024

Billy Janes

Great people Great time

Reply from Boat Bike Tours 26 Apr 2024

We are happy to hear that you had a great time with us! Thanks for sharing your positive feedback! Best regards, Boat Bike Tours

23 Apr 2024

Liza

My experience was a great one! The team is amazing; Marvin, Jarre, Tieme and Anna were fun, helpful, easygoing and really great individuals! The food: 4+++ stars every night !!! The ship is amazing, comfortable, clean, with enough space for everyone on board. I highly recommend this tour !

Reply from Boat Bike Tours 2 May 2024

Dear Liza, Thank you very much for your nice review! We are glad to hear that your trip was a great one and that our team, including Marvin, Jarre, Tieme, and Anna, made it memorable for you. It's fantastic to hear that you enjoyed the food so much! We strive to provide delicious and satisfying meals for our guests, and we're glad that you found them to be deserving of 4+ stars every night.Thanks for sharing your positive feedback! Best regards, Boat Bike Tours

23 Apr 2024

Carrie D

The trip exceeded all expectations! The weather modified our plans a bit, but we were still able to see so much of the beautiful Netherlands and several charming, historic cities. We started planning our next trip with Boat Bike Tours before the end of this trip!

Reply from Boat Bike Tours 2 May 2024

Dear Carrie, Thank you very much for your nice review! We're thrilled to hear that your trip exceeded all expectations, despite any modifications due to the weather. We can't wait to welcome you back onboard for another memorable adventure in the future. Thank you for choosing to travel with us, and we look forward to seeing you again soon! Best regards, Boat Bike Tours


Can we help you?


Available ships for this tour

Sail & Bike ship Mare fan Fryslân Netherlands

Jacuzzi

Cozy bar and lounge

Three masted ship

Teakwood deck

max. 41 passengers
14 cabins
2 tours available with this ship
Sail & Bike ship Leafde fan Fryslân Netherlands

Jacuzzi

Four-mast schooner

Upper deck suites

Air-conditioning

max. 38 passengers
20 cabins
3 tours available with this ship
Sail & Bike ship Wapen fan Fryslân Netherlands

Jacuzzi

Cozy bar and lounge

Third bed available

Openable windows in cabins

max. 36 passengers
12 cabins
2 tours available with this ship

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  • Level 2: quite easy tours, mostly flat terrain
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Difficulty level 1 Difficulty level 1

Your selected tour:

8-day Sail & Bike Tulip Tour

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