Holland – Old Towns and Villages
This tour shows you the rich history of proud Dutch cities and their medieval origins. And there is also a guided city tour into the bargain. The cycling route linking these towns runs along the North Sea, the Dutch lowlands and through genuine historic village centers. You’ll scenic bike tour will take you to Haarlem, Leiden Delft, Rotterdam and Gouda using cycle paths most of the way. Each night a comfortable accommodation awaits you and your luggage gets transferred each day.
Tour Difficulty
This is considered an easy tour on flat terrain with daily distances between 30 – 50 km
- Hybrid bikes and e bikes are available for this tour.
Tour Highlights
- Guided tour in Haarlem
- Authentic lodging in the historic town centers
- Route through the tulip fields in April
- Gouda Cheese museum
2025 Price: €1850 Euros (includes hybrid bike rental) pp double occupancy
Price Includes:
- 7 nights’ accommodations with breakfast
- luggage transfers
- phone assistance during tour
- GPS tracks to be downloaded to phone or personal GPS
- walking tour of Haarlem
- use of hybrid touring bike
Price Does Not Include:
E-bike rental, lunches, dinners, beverages, transfers to the start of tour or from the end of the tour
Itinerary
Day 1- Discover Haarlem
Only 15 minutes away from Amsterdam, you’ll find the lovely city of Haarlem. It’s called ‘Amsterdam light’ for having the same beauty as our nation’s capital, but not the crowds of tourists and people enjoying our liberal soft drugs policy.
Your tour starts at 3:30 in the afternoon with a 1.5-hour guided walking tour in center of authentic Haarlem. Your local guide will pick you up at 15:30 (3:30 PM) and will share fascinating stories about the long history and evolution of Haarlem. You will be guided to places that remain inaccessible or hidden to others. During the tour you will see most highlights of the city such as the magnificent 1370 St. Bavo church, Haarlem’s narrow streets and some of the numerous courtyards and historic buildings dating back to the 14th century. In the evening, enjoy one of the many restaurants in Holland’s dining capital. Accommodation for tonight is in the historic town center of Haarlem.
- We’re happy to extend yours stay in Haarlem; Enjoy the peacefulness and friendly rates of this historic city while visiting Amsterdam. Eight trains per hour will take you to Amsterdam central station within 15 minutes.
Day 2 – Southward to Leiden – with a tulip route in April – 40km/25mi or 30km/18mi
You will meet our representative at your Haarlem hotel or B&B for equipment delivery and tour instructions at 10:00 (10 AM). Today your route brings you to Leiden, another famous Dutch town. Leiden is the home of some interesting museums and is famous for the Siege of Leiden that took place between 1573 and 1574 when the Spanish attempted to capture this rebellious city during the ‘Eighty Years’ War, but didn’t succeed. The shorter route option takes you through an agricultural region with pleasant cycling along the little backroads. If you prefer to cycle for a little longer, we have planned a route along part of the famous North Sea cycling path, wending its way through the beautiful dunes.
Each year during the month of April, the bulb fields around Leiden and Haarlem are in full bloom. So if you are doing this tour in April, the short route option takes you through the famous Dutch bulb fields. The route provides you with a dramatic and multicolored display of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. This route also goes past the Keukenhof Spring Gardens. The Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower and tulip park and there are many species and hybrids on display, along with every color you can think of!
Day 3 – To the gentile city of Delft – 25km/16mi or 45km/28mi
Again there are two interesting route options today for cycling to the delightful town center of Delft. The shorter route heads out of Leiden and alongside a lake and through a park area. The longer route initially takes you to the fishing village of Katwijk. You now turn southwards, and cycle along another part of the North Sea cycling path. Then you continue inland to chic residential area of Wassenaar before reaching Delft.
Day 4 – Exploring Delft, The Hague or Rotterdam
A day full of options:
- Spend the day in Delft to explore the historic town center and take a boat tour on the city canals.
- Bike (25km/16mi loop tour) or go by train (15 minutes) to The Hague and visit its museums and the parliament buildings.
- Go to Rotterdam by train (15 minutes) and experience the modern architecture of its town center and the vibrant harbor complexes.
Day 5 – Into the ‘Green Heart’ – 35km/22mi or 50km/31mi
East of Delft is an area of intense agricultural activity, and because of the many glasshouses for growing crops, it is also called the “glass city”. Once you have left this behind, you enter the ‘Green Heart’ of Holland. You cycle past the windmills at Zevenhuizen and also one of the oldest polders in Holland before eventually arriving in Gouda. Your overnight stay is in the historic town center. Gouda is famous for its cheese, candles and clay pipes. The center is dominated by a number of ancient churches and of course the imposing and beautifully decorated town hall, standing right in the middle of the large market square.
The longer 50 kilometer route heads south, through one of the lowest polders in the Netherlands. You first cycle to Rotterdam, where you take the fast ferry to Kinderdijk. You will cycle along the famous group of windmills, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A short ferry crossing of the Rhine river brings you to the village of Bergambacht and further north to Gouda.
Day 6 – Extra day in Gouda
With this extra tour day you have two options: cycling (35km/21mi) or walking, or a combination of both. Follow the cycling route we have created that crosses the typical polder landscape around Gouda, and visit the medieval town of Oudewater. In the Oudewater town center you will find the historic Witches Weighhouse. During the 15th century, those who were considered light enough to fly on a broomstick ended up on the pyre. The ones on ‘the safe side’ received a ‘Certificaet van Weginghe’, or weight certificate. As in the past, visitors can still stand on the large scales to determine whether or not they are witches! You return to Gouda through delightful farming and pasture lands. During the walking tour of Gouda you can visit the Gouda Cheese Museum, located at the impressive Gouda Weigh house (‘Goudse Waag’) and built in 1668. Here the weekly cheese market takes place every Thursday morning between April 7 and August 25. While in Gouda, don’t forget to taste the traditional Dutch syrup waffle, and also take a look at the authentic, traditional ships moored in the picturesque little harbor.
Day 7 – Historic villages – 42km/26mi
You head northwards into the ‘Green Heart’ of Holland again. The first part takes you along a small river and picturesque villages. Midway through the day you pass through the historic town center of Woerden. Today you also pass through quaint farming villages and through the typical Dutch pastoral green grasslands. Eventually you reach the lakes at Nieuwkoop and your accommodation for the night.
Day 8 – Back to Haarlem – 40km/25mi
The last day of your tour brings you back to Haarlem. Say goodbye to your bicycle with a picturesque ride through cow dotted polders, small villages and along waterways and lakes. Half way you pass the Haarlemmermeer, this used to be a lake but is now reclaimed land 5 meters / 16 feet below sea level. You will meet our representative at the Haarlem railway station. You can either take the train to continue your journey (e.g. 15 minutes to Amsterdam central or 30 minutes to the airport) or add an extra overnight in Haarlem.