Eurosail Bike & Barge

Transcription

1 Eurosail Bike & Barge Holland - Belgium Program 14 days Itinerary: Amsterdam - Zaanse Schans - Alkmaar- Texel - Medemblik - Enkhuizen - Volendam - Weesp - Vianen - Dordrecht - Tholen - Antwerpen - Dendermonde - Ghent - Bruges Included: 14 days, breakfast, packed lunch, 12 x dinner, bed linen, tour guide, welcome drink, bike rental, entrance Zuiderzee museum, canaltrip in Ghent. Holland - Belgium The first week of this trip we will bike in the province of North Holland. You will get to know the folkore and tradition in the flat polder-land, along the North Sea coast and in romantic fishing villages. You will cycle across a distinctly rural area, a former lake and marsh land area. Since the 17th Century, this area has been reclaimed from the sea, in ancient times by pumping it dry with windmills. Various landscapes, typical Dutch polder-land, sand dunes and the beautiful North Sea beaches, the island of Texel and the picturesque harbours of the IJsselmeer coast: that is what the beautiful Northern Tour offers. In the second week of this trip the historical Flemish cities are central: Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges. But before we arrive there, you will get to know a very beautiful part of the Netherlands. You bike along the winding river Vecht with its impressive mansions on its banks, and you visit the Dutch windmills in Kinderdijk. From the fortified town Willemstad, which is situated on the impressive wide Zeeland streams, we head for Belgium. There we spent the night in Antwerp, the city of Rubens, whose paintings you can admire in the cathedral. You bike from Antwerp to Ghent along the beautiful tidal river Nederschelde, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of the days of old in the town center, with its impressive Belfort and the St. Baafs-cathedral, where you can admire the famous triptych of painter Jan van Eyck. Final destination is Bruges, with its picturesque town center probably the most beautiful of the historical Flemish cities.

2 Day 1 (Sat): Amsterdam Zaanse Schans Bike tour: about 15 km h Arrival h The barge leaves the harbor and sails to the Zaanse Schans. The crew will welcome you aboard the barge with coffee and tea h Safety lecture h Test ride from Zaandam to the Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans, a unique hamlet where people live and work, with original houses and windmills from the river Zaan area. The hamlet is dominated by operating wind mills, the oldest built in 1673, for grinding mustard, spices, paint and oil and for sawing wood into planks. As you walk through thevillage you will see a clock mu seum, an old-fashioned grocery store, a house with period furniture, a clog maker and a cheese farm. Day 2 (Sun): Zaanse Schans Alkmaar 9.00 h After breakfast your bike tour leads you to the beautiful town of De Rijp. Centuries of history are still evident here in De Rijp s wooden facades, beautiful church, lock and town hall. From here, your ride continues across the Beemster Polder, an almost untouched open polder landscape. Your next stop is at the former windmill complex of the Schermer Polder. Here we visit the Schermerhorn Windmill Museum. After that you bike to Alkmaar. The town is 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 Day 3 (Mon): Alkmaar St. Maartensvlotbrug Den Helder Bike tour: about 50 km 9.00 h Bike tour starts from Alkmaar via artist village Bergen to the North Sea. Along the, through the sand dunes and the flat polder- and coast land to the naval port of Den Helder.

3 17.00 h You will meet the barge in Den Helder and we will cross the Marsdiep to the harbour Oudeschild on the island of Texel (depending on weather conditions: also possible on Tuesday morning) Day 4 (Tue): Den Helder Texel Medemblik 9.00 h Bike round trip on the largest of Dutch islands, Texel. Through beautiful natural areas with the possibility to have a break on the most beautiful beaches. Recommended: pay a visit to the seal sanctuary "Ecomare" and/or cycle the beautiful Thijsse-route on the southern part of the island through picturesque villages and landscapes h Barge leaves from the Island over the beautiful Waddenzee to the mainland H Dinner while sailing Day 5 (Wed): Medemblik - Enkhuizen 9.00 h Bike tour Medemblik through the inlands or along the IJsselmeer (former "Zuider zee") coast to Enkhuizen: beautiful harbour, historical town and the very interesting Zuiderzeemuseum. in town

4 Day 6 (Thu): Enkhuizen Volendam 9.00 h Bike tour via Hoorn (short visit of the beautiful historical town) and cheese town of Edam to the old fishing harbour of Volendam: taste the famous smoked eel paling or salted herring. Day 7 (Fri): Volendam Weesp 9.00 h Bike tour through the beautiful Waterland area with its hundreds of small lakes and canals, if you wish with a de-tour to the former island of Marken, through the Garden of Amsterdam. Final destination for today is Weesp, beautifully situated at the river Vecht.

5 Day 8 (Sat): Weesp - Utrecht - Vianen Bike tour: about 45 km 9.00 h We take off to Nigtevecht. We bike to Breukelen along the winding river Vecht. We visit a real Dutch cheese farm, where cheese is still produced according to traditional methods. We will visit the interesting town of Utrecht. By the end of the afternoon the barge takes us to Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek. Day 9 (Sun): Vianen - Dordrecht Bike tour: about 50 km 9.00 h In the morning our beautiful bike ride leads to Schoonhoven, the Silvertown. From Schoonhoven we continue to Kinderdijk right across the Alblasserwaard. There an impressive row of large windmills appears, built to drain the Alblasserwaard. We can visit one of the mills. From Alblasserdam the barge takes us further to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland, and an important junction for shipping traffic. There we spend the night in the historic port of Wolwevershaven. Day 10 (Mon):Dordrecht - Tholen Bike tour: about 35 or 50 km h During breakfast we cruise to Willemstad, an old fortified town on the Haringvliet h From there we bike along the impressive complex of locks de Volkerak to Tholen. Tholen once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Nowadays Tholen is connected to the mainland in vari ous ways. But it is still a picturesque village with many relics of an eventful past. Day 11 (Tue): Tholen - Antwerp Bike tour: about 35 km 9.00 h We bike through a forest area, the Wouwse Plantage, towards the south. The barge waits for us at the end of the dam and from there we cruise the impressive port of Antwerp to the center of the city.

6 13.00 h Lunch on board. Antwerp is not only known as diamond city, but also as native city of painter Rubens. In the Cathedral of Our Lady we can admire his work. Around this church and the Market Square beautiful town houses from a rich past are situated h Today there is no dinner on board. You can select one of the local restaurants of Antwerp. Day 12 (Wed): Antwerp - Dendermonde Bike tour: about 30 or 55 km 9.00 h After breakfast we lock out of the port to the Zeeschelde. We follow this beautiful but capricious tidal river upstream to Dendermonde. There is a beautiful bike path along the river, and the landscape around the Schelde is magnificent. We can join the ship again halfway in Temse or continue all the way to Dendermon de, a friendly little town along the river. In Dendermonde we will visit the beautiful town hall and have a little beer tasting. Day 13 (Thu): Dendermonde Ghent Bike tour: about 35 km 9.00 h The bike tour follows again the river Scheldt in the direction of Ghent, a lively univer sity city, again one with a rich past. In the afternoon you have the opportunity to discover the city some more, or to shop in the lively center. The city has its origins in Roman Times, at the place where the rivers Leie and Scheldt converge. This favorable situation brought a great deal of prosperity over the years, which had its peak late 13th, early 14th century. Textile industry brought great wealth. In the city center many old patrician houses have been preserved. In the Cloth makers Hall (1425) textile merchants used to meet. Major church is

7 St. Baafs Cathedral, raised in various ages and in various styles. In the cathedral you can admire a number of masterpieces of mediaeval painting, of which the Ado ration of the Lamb by Jan van Eyck is the most famous. Day 14 (Fri): Ghent - Bruges Bike tour: about 45 km 9.00 h Our bike tour through the pleasant country side of Western Flanders to Bruges starts right out of town. Today our final destination is Bruges, also called the Venice of the North, maybe is the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. Its old center, which dates from the Middle Ages, is almost completely intact. At the time Bruges was a metropo lis, center of trade and art, which we can still fully enjoy. Day 15 (Sat): Bruges 9.00 h Departure info@eurosailtravel.com Tel: