8-Day Netherlands North Bike & Barge Dutch Culture Tour

Please meet at the Passenger Barge Iris at 2:30pm. The barge will be docked near the Amsterdam Nemo Museum. You will find it tied up at Jetty #2 on the dock area called the Oosterdok. You may drop off luggage as early as 12:30pm. After introductions of your crew and leaders and a brief orientation around 5:45 p.m., enjoy your first dinner on board.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Dinner

A morning departure takes you out of Amsterdam, and through the locks to the Amsterdam Rijn Kanaal (channel). Your cycling starts in Nigtevecht. Spin along the beautiful and winding river Vecht with its enchanting background of imposing castles, country houses and quaint tearooms. Follow the Vecht into the center of Utrecht where you have the opportunity to explore the beautiful historical city center - the Dom Cathedral with its tower, the canals, special shops and cafes. In the afternoon, you continue by ship to Wijk bij Duurstede.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 25 miles (40 kilometres)
Terrain: Easier 

While you are enjoying breakfast, the barge cruises to Wageningen. Then you bike through woods and moorlands toward Hoge Veluwe National Park. There you visit the Kroeller Mueller Museum — a private collection of outstanding Impressionist art, famous for the large collection of Van Gogh paintings!

At the end of the day, pedal through the suburbs and past lovely parks such as Sonsbeek and Zijpendaal to Arnhem, where you spend the night close to the city center. During the Second World War, Arnhem was the scene of Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne battle in history. The operation ended in a failure because of the inability to capture a bridge over the Rhine River resulting in the destruction of the British 1st Airborne Division. Our ship docks close to that bridge.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 21 or 28 miles (33 or 38 kilometres)
Terrain: Easier

Today’s cycling takes you along the “Hanseatic Town Route” to the small village of Doesburg and along the IJssel to Bronkhorst — which has the distinction of being the smallest town in Holland. (The Hanseatic League was a unique collaboration in the Middle Ages designed to protect trade across several cities in northern Europe.)

Guests have two choices today: a shorter tour along the riverbank to Zutphen, or a longer bicycle trip via Vorden passing country houses, castles and rural estates. During dinner, the barge sails to Deventer where you enjoy an optional short, guided walking tour in the evening.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Biking: 16 or 27 miles
Terrain: Easier

This morning you bike ride along the IJssel riverbank before boarding a ferry at Wijhe to cross the river to Hattem. The 800-year-old town of Hattem has a rich history that is still clearly visible today. You have the opportunity to stretch your legs with a longer bicycle trip through east Veluwe hills. During dinner, the ship sails to Kampen where you may go on a walking tour in the largest Hanseatic town in the Netherlands.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 21 or 27 miles
Terrain: Easier

Today you leave the Ijssel and enter the Ijsselmeer. You traverse the bottom of the former Zuiderzee. This “polder” area is the latest reclaimed land addition to the Netherlands. Its main town is Lelystad, where you visit the Batavia wharf. There, you can see examples of wooden boatbuilding skills and the nautical life from as far back as the 1600s. From Lelystad, you leave at about 3 p.m. to cruise for a few hours to the world-renowned village of Hoorn, a prosperous port city.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today, a tasty breakfast is followed by biking out of Hoorn, the former Dutch East India Company town, which was — in the 17th century — one of the world’s foremost harbors. Along the way, you pass Edam … which is known for its famous Edam cheese, covered in red or yellow wax. This adorable village was once an industrious shipyard and port. That’s why, in the 17th century, Edam cheese became one of the most popular cheeses in the world. Sailors took wheels of Edam on their voyages — it doesn’t spoil easily and could be traded for spices and other riches of the East.

Later in the afternoon you see a series of windmills and then bike to the barge docked in Amsterdam.
Accommodation: Passenger barge Iris
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Biking: 32 miles
Terrain: Easier

After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to the ship! It’s only a short stroll to the Centraal railway station in Amsterdam. Or take a taxi to the airport for departures.
Accommodation: Not applicable
Meals: Breakfast