Amsterdam - old-Dutch villages - Alkmaar-Northsea-Haarlem
Enjoy impressive polders, beautiful dune landscapes, meanering rivers and Lake IJssel. Visit Holland rich history including windmills in its cities and villages in the North.
Saturday: Welcome on board!
Embark in Alphen at 4pm. Welcome with coffee and introduction of the crew and the programme. During the evening, you have time to spend as you wish, for example visiting the cosy local city center.
Sunday: Amsterdam
We leave for the first sail under engine trip over the Amstel river. In Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, you get off board to start the bike tour: bike through the astonishing landscape with pittoresque villages to Amsterdam. Here, the ship waits you on a beautiful place in one of the canals. During the evening you can visit the city.
Monday: Purmerend-Edam-Volendam
In the morning, we leave again and navigate over the 'North-Holland Canal' through the typical polders to the old-Dutch Purmerend. In the afternoon, you can make a very special bike trip over the original dykes and through the polder to the beautiful harbour- and cheese village Edam. Here is a local museum and many historical houses with their old-Dutch facades and dinky canals. The route continues with a beautiful view over the IJssel Lake to the typical fishermans village Volendam, and via Monnickendam back to Purmerend.
Tuesday: Alkmaar and the Northsea
We set 'sail under engine' along other polders to Alkmaar. Here, you can visit the famour cheese city, or make a bike tour through the unique forrest&dune landscape to Schoorl at Sea. Enjoy the sun at a terrace or make a beach walk and bike back through the art village Bergen at Sea to Alkmaar.
Wednesday: Zaanse Schans en Haarlem
Early in the morning, we leave for the famous 'Zaanse Schans': th open-air museum with wooden houses with their typical style, windmills that are still in function, a cheese- and clogfactory and much more. We continue by boat to Spaarndam, from where you can make a beautiful bike tour to Haarlem. In this cosy historic city, there are plenty of good restaurants and beautiful routes to walk in the evening.
Thursday: 'Lakes of Kaag and Braas'
Enjoy a beautiful tour over the Spaarn river and the Ringcanal, over the Lakes of Kaag and the Braassem, back to Alphen. Here starts the last biketour: over old church paths, polder dykes and along characteristic farms.
Friday: back in Alphen
After breakfast, we say goodbye and you disembark. We wish you a safe trip back home.
