Boat & bike in South Holland

This tour will lead you through the Dutch province of South Holland by boat & bike, always starting from the shore, as a dense network of canals connects these well worth seeing towns and cities. Amsterdam, Utrecht, Delft, Gouda, Rotterdam, as well as the UNESCO world heritage site of Kinderkijk and the famous open air museum of Zaanse Schans - these are only some of the highlights of this boat & bike tour in South Holland, which is perfectly suited for both expert cyclists and beginners.
Here you can find more details of the ship MS Arkona.

Day 1 Arrival in Amsterdam
Embarkation starts at 2 pm, leaving enough time to discover Amsterdam's historical centre, which is best done on a canal boat.

Day 2 Bike ride to Utrecht, 20-39 km/12-24 mi, boat trip
This cycling stage from Breukelem to the Dome city of Utrecht is particularly relaxed. There's also loads to see on the boat trip into the pulsating metropolis of Rotterdam.

Day 3 Round trip to Delft, approx. 48 km/30 mi
Today's cycling stage showcases lovely dutch historical towns and beautiful porcelain from Delft. In the evening you can explore the city of Rotterdam.

Day 4 Waterbus, bike ride Ablasserdam - Schoonhoven, 30-58 km/19-36 mi
Today you will cycle to the UNSECO World Heritage site Kinderdijk. The longer route will take you through the cheese town Gouda. Both tours end with a visit at a silversmiths in Schoonhoven.

Day 5 Schoonhoven - Utrecht, 36-44 km/22-27 mi, boat trip
The landscape along today's stage thoroughly deserves its nickname as "Holland's green heart". In the evening, you can enjoy some live music aboard the ship.

Day 6 Round trip Haarlem, 40-50 km/25-31 mi, boat trip to Zaandam
Haarlem is unbelievalbly picturesque and is home to one of the North Sea coast's most beautiful sandy beaches. Today, you can choose from two different routes.

Day 7 Zaandam - Amsterdam, 32-53 km/20-33 mi
The musuem village of "Zaanse Schans" is well worth visiting and the subsequent bike ride into the metropolis is utterly idyllic.

Day 8 Disembarkation, departure or extension
Your trip "Boat & bike in South Holland" concludes after breakfast.

Here are details about MS Arkona.

Included in "Boat & bike in South Holland":

• 7 nights aboard in your chosen category
• 7x breakfast
• 6x packed lunches
• 7x dinner, excl. beverages
• complimentary coffee/tea until 4 pm daily
• cabins are cleaned daily
• bed linen and towels supplied
• 1 music night on board
• several short guided city tours
• welcome drink and chat where we will provide you with all the relevant information
• on-board tour guide that is also doing all the cycling
• daily cycling stage briefings
• detailed travel documents in english
• GPS tracks
• optional rental bike
• optional concession tickets to local attractions, to be purchased on board

Accomodation:

• outside cabins, approx. 11 sqm (118 sq ft)
• seperated, level-access beds
• individuelly adjustable A/C units
• upper deck cabins with french balcony

Rental bicycles:

• We offer comfortable unisex-bikes with 7-speed gearboxes/freewheel, equipped with a bike bag and a bike lock. We also offer e-bikes if desired.
• If you choose to wear a helmet, we recommend using your own due to the variety of head sizes and shapes and for hygienic reasons.

Travel time 2025:

• Arrival on sundays
  06.04. + 20.04.
  04.05. + 18.05. + 01.06. + 15.06.

Prices:

All prices are per person.

• booking code "Boat & bike in South Holland":
  RS-NSAr-7M
• how you can save some money
• costs of cancellation

The booking process

Arrival to "Boat & bike in South Holland":

• On the day of arrival you can leave your luggage on board the ship from 01:00 pm.
   
• Arrival by car:
  There are options of parking your car for the duration of the trip. In any case, please drive to the quay first and bring your luggage and (if applicable) personal bike aboard. Then
  - drive to the car park Oosterdok near Amsterdam Centraal station. Costs are approx. 185 €/week.
  - make use of our parking service from Centralparking. We will arrange for your car to be picked up from the quay, stored safely and returned to the ship. Your vehicle is insured against all types of damage or theft and will be parked in a protected underground facility. Advance booking necessary.
  - if you have bike racks mounted on the car, the cost increases by 35 €/week.
  - you can park your car free of charge in the streets or on a P+R- parking lot in Abcoude. Good train connection to Amsterdam, duration approx. 20 minutes, departure approx. every 30 minutes, cost approx. 4,20 €.
  Parking details are included in the travel documents.

• Arrival by train:
  Amsterdam Centraal station, get the 48 bus to the quay, duration approx. 10 minutes, cost approx 3 €.

• Arrival by plane:
  Shiphol Airport, take the train to Amsterdam Centraal station (approx. 20 minutes, approx. 5 €), followed by the 48 bus to the quay (approx. 10 minutes / 3 €)
  Alternatively, get a taxi from the airport to the quay, cost: approx. 50 €.
  There are several private and scheduled providers, see e.g. here.

Personal bikes:
In principle, you can bring your own bike along. However, please note that your bike will be loaded on and off the boat twice a day along with several others and therefore slight cosmetic damage to individual bikes cannot be ruled out, which is why we do not take responsibility or liability for such damage. We recommend reserving one the excellent rental bikes we offer.

Perfectly looked after:
During your tour, we are available between 8 am and 8 pm, 7 days a week. We are happy to help with any kind of problems you might be having. You will find this emergency number in your travel documents.

Please note:

• As is the case with all boat trips, changes in travel itineraries due to the weather, the rivers’ water levels or technical issues can be undertaken at any time.