This stunning cycling tour combines the hidden gems of Holland with stays in characerful and elegant hotels offering award winning restaurants. It's a tour with it all - history and charm in abundance!
Start off in the cultural cauldron that is Amsterdam heading out through beautiful historic towns with their fabulous Golden Age museums and Gothic churches. Enjoy the Hoge Veluwe National Park, with the Kroller-Muller Museum with its world class collection of modern art. Explore a landscape of heathlands, sand dunes and woodlands, contrasted by the manicured Baroque gardens of Loo Palace that reach out into the riverbanks of the IJssel, teeming with birdlife. Beyond is the Giethoorn, the 'Venice of the North', its boat filled waterways, footpaths, meadows and centuries-old thatched-roof houses an evocative quiet backdrop. This is beautiful cycling as you head for the charms of the Dwarsgracht and the narrow streets of Kampen, the town a member of the historically powerful and wealthy Hanseatic League.
Holiday details
Price
- Luxury
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from £2,815 per person
Based on two people sharing a room
Duration
6 nights
Start & Finish
Starts daily (1st of April to 27th September) from Amsterdam and finishes Kampen, an hour by train from Amsterdam. Not available during Grand Prix last weekend in August
Hotels
- Luxury
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Deluxe hotels, each with its own charm and character
Holiday type
Self-guided so you are free to explore at your own pace. More info...
Activity level
Gentle cycling (1) More info...
Electric bikes
Available
Mileage
5 days of cycling 25 - 33 miles (40 - 53 km) per day
Terrain
Flat
What’s included?
Ensuite accommodation every night with breakfast. The services of our friendly local Hosts. Luggage transfers between hotels. Touring bikes and accessories. 24/7 phone contact number. Adventure Handbook with our local tips. GPS Routes on an App with waterproof phone holder. Guidebook or OS maps. Protection of your funds. Advice, help and guidance planning your trip.
Read About Our Trips for further details
Traffic-free
95%
Options
- spend additional nights in Amsterdam or any point on your route
- in Zwolle upgrade to Hotel de Librije - Michelin *** restaurant if dining reservation available.
Itinerary day-by-day
Luxury
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1. Day one
Amsterdam
Arrive in Amsterdam and settle into the luxurious Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park. There is so much to see and do in this amazing historic city, from world-renowned museums to picturesque canals, from cosy cafés to top-class restaurants. You may just want to book one or more extra nights.
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2. Day two
Amersfoort to Otterlo
Shortly after breakfast we will transfer you to the beautiful historic town of Amersfoort in the heart of the Netherlands. The taxi ride will last about one hour. In Amersfoort you will meet your local host who will brief you on your itinerary, provide you with your route directions and check that your bicycle is correctly adjusted for you. Then, ride through the beautiful medieval town. Founded in the 13th century, it became a centre of pilgrimage as well as the beer trade, and many of its ancient features still remain, including city gates, Muurhuizen ("houses within the city walls"), beautiful squares and canals. It is also the birthplace of the pioneer of abstract art, Piet Mondriaan (the family house is now a museum with some of his earlier works). The ride out of town is along quiet canals to the villages of Scherpenzeel, Renswoude and Lunteren. From Lunteren the landscape changes from open farmland to forest areas. Tonight you stay in Otterlo, right on the edge of the Hoge Veluwe National Park.
27 miles (43 km)
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3. Day three
Otterlo to Deventer
Your ride today takes you through the 'Hoge Veluwe' National Park, a beautiful landscape of heathlands, sand dunes and woodlands with an opportunity to visit the famous Kröller Müller museum and its leading modern and contemporary art collection. Built around a remarkable ninety paintings and a hundred and eighty drawings by Vincent van Gogh all collected by Helene Müller whose vision was a modernist art gallery in a natural setting also appropriate for displaying a hundred and sixty sculptures outdoors. From there you head for the historic town of Apeldoorn to admire Het Loo Palace built by King William III and Mary II, who became King and Queen of England in the Glorious Revolution, before heading on to your hotel in the historic town of Deventer, its narrow streets leading to the beautiful sixteenth century weighing-house or Waag. An early bicycle, a vélocipède, can be found in its museum.
30 or 33 miles (49 or 53 km)
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4. Day four
Deventer to Zwolle
Today is full of rivers, riverbanks, dikes and wetlands with plenty of plants and birdlife. The river IJssel was the lifeblood of towns like Deventer, Zwolle and Hattem, part of the Hanseatic League, which carried the trade that brought them great wealth in the 16th and 17th centuries. The bicycle paths along the river IJssel offer a very scenic ride with several short ferry hops too. And the area has quite a few grand old country estates, like the Nijenhuis castle, which is now an architect-designed museum of modern art and sculpture garden. Your final destination today, Zwolle, still displays many of its fortifications, a 14th-Century monastery, former breweries, and Holland’s only Michelin 3-start restaurant (and hotel), De Librije, is located in the ancient prison in the city.
26 or 29 miles (42 or 46 km)
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5. Day five
Zwolle to Giethoorn
More picturesque villages on your way today are Hasselt and Zwartsluis, but the highlight will be the Weerribben-Wieden National Park. It is one of the most breathtaking nature areas in the country and the largest marsh and fenland in Northwest Europe. Thanks to human hands cutting peat and reed, a unique landscape was created, full of lakes, canals, reedland and marshes. It’s a breeding ground for exceptional plant and animal species. There are also remote villages like Belt-Schutsloot and Giethoorn. The latter is affectionately known as the 'Dutch Venice', but much more rural and a must-see destination. Its bridges link the narrow paths to small islands with quaint farmhouses adorned by painted shutters and thatched roofs - great to explore on foot. Your hotel has a Michelin ** restaurant and early booking is essential if you wish to dine there.
25 miles (40 km)
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6. Day six
Giethoorn to Kampen
Your last cycling day is one of the most beautiful. Leaving Giethoorn you head for the charm of Dwarsgracht with its thatched houses scattered along canals and then Blokzijl with its buildings having traditional neck, bell and stepped gables. From there you cycle on to Kampen, also a Hanseatic city, situated at the mouth of the river Ijssel which made it one of the most powerful and wealthy cities of the time. Its unique history is still very visible in its squares, streets and alleys and the Boetiek Hotel Kampen where you spend your final night, is the last hidden delight of your amazing 'Hidden Gems of Holland' tour. Your host will meet you here to collect your bikes leaving you free to make the most of your evening exploring the beautifully preserved old town.
26 miles (43 km)
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7. Day seven
Depart Kampen
Enjoy your final breakfast and depart at your leisure. There is a direct train connection from Kampen Zuid station to Amsterdam which takes just over an hour.