Explore the amazing cycling paths of the Netherlands, off the beaten track!
This Dutch tour is called the Hanseatic Tour because it is primarily based around visiting the trade cities that were so important for the seafaring nation the Netherlands once was. With the cities of Zutphen, Deventer and Kampen. The Hanseatic cities connected trade between many Northern Countries in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and even Norway!
But we visit not only Hanze cities; we also visit a major harbour town of the VOC, from where overseas trade with the East Indies was conducted: Hoorn. These towns flourished in the 17th Century, and much of their beauty is still there.
We also visit the biggest National Park, Hoge Veluwe. Once, many dunes and hills were leftovers of the last Ice Age. Now, it is a beautiful nature reserve with a unique museum with a private collection of Van Gogh, the most significant collection after the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Even if you are not a museum visitor, you will like the compact museum with its great sculpture garden where you can have lunch.
The cycling on this trip is superb! We are mainly outside the most crowded part of our little country, on bike paths and in the countryside. We follow the river here and there, sailing on the IJssel and the IJsselmeer.
Read moreDay-to-day
-
Arrival at Amsterdam
On our first day, you are welcome to board at around 1.30 pm. Today there is no sailing and no biking yet! You can drop off luggage after 9.15 am and explore the city centre that is pretty close to the docking in the Oosterdok.
In the afternoon we will have a welcome meeting and a guided walk through Amsterdam.
-
Amsterdam to Wijk bij Duurstede
During breakfast, we will start sailing on the Amsterdam Rijn Channel and follow that for a few hours. We start cycling from there and see if we arrange for a pick-up or if you cycle to Wijk Bij Duurstede.
Wijk Bij Duurstede is an old waterway crosspoint with a castle ruin and a walled inner historic city. And a windmill, YES!
-
Wageningen to Arnhem
Today is a special day, for we will cycle through the largest National Park of the Netherlands: de Hoge Veluwe. In this park we will pay a visit to the Museum, which holds the largest collection of Van Gogh Paintings outside of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
A private collection, now belongs to a foundation. After this great break, we will down to the Rhine Valley where the IRIS is docked. Next to the John Frost bridge, known from the Allied Operation Market Garden in 1944.
-
Arnhem - Deventer
After a nice sail on the Rhine, we enter the IJssel, a side arm of the Rhine, ending in the former Zuiderzee, now the IJsselmeer (IJssel Lake).
Doesburg is the first of many lovely towns along the IJssel where we will start cycling. We will have a break in Zutphen and continue to Deventer, with its narrow streets that put us right back in past times. What a great city. Enjoy a drink at the town square. The ship is docked on walking distance!
-
Deventer Kampen
Our route takes along beautiful countryside, dikes and meadows, and the meandering IJssel river. Our destination is Kampen, once the biggest and most important town of the Dutch Hanze Cities, and still a regional center. We are now close to the place where the IJssel flows into the IJsselmeer.
-
Kampen - Hoorn
Today we will sail a while before the captain drops you off to go cycling, along the dike that connects the cities of Lelystad and Enkhuizen. A lot of nature development is happening here, and we will see the masts of the ships docked in Enkhuizen from far ahead. In Enkhuizen, we would like to visit the Zuiderzeemuseum, a partly open-air tribute to the seafaring history of the old inner sea ( called the Southern Sea), now turned into a lake, called the IJsselmeer.
After this visit, we continue cycling to Hoorn, another beautiful town with its glory days in the 18 hundreds. Loads of amazingly well-kept monumental buildings make it easy to imagine the past.
-
Hoorn - Volendam - Amsterdam
One last morning sail brings us to the world-famous town of Volendam. This former fishermen’s village is still unique. A Volendammer (as we call the inhabitants) will live his life here, marry a local girl and visit his parents and grandparents every Sunday. Volendam is a tourist hot spot, so we will have a stroll through it, but start cycling in a bit to be back in the countryside again!
You will be amazed at how close we are to Amsterdam already! The countryside is still lovely and quiet, and we will follow the canal to enter the city.
We will ride into Amsterdam on cycle paths, and use the ferry to return to the harbour, where the IRIS will await you.
-
Amsterdam
Time to say goodbye! Last breakfast at 8.00, leaving at 9.00 at the latest.
Photos
Accommodations
-
the IRIS
In 2023, we have installed a brand-new main engine, 400 PK, which will greatly reduce Nitrogen and CO2 output.
This investment brings us amongst only a few passenger barges that make a difference by truly striving to have a lower footprint.
-
our new cabins, separate beds
picture says it all
-
or rather a double bed?
picture says it all
-
view into the modern bathroom
picture says it all
-
to the left...
picture says it all
-
to the right!
picture says it all
Included: on barge IRIS
7 nights on board
Bed linen and towels
Breakfast
6 x dinner on board, two on your account
Packed lunches for bike trips
Coffee of all sorts, hot chocolate and tea on board 24/7
Tour guide (from 18 guests, 2 guides)
Cabins cleaned daily
Climate-controlled cabins
Helmets, panniers and waterbottle
Entrance of National Park Hoge Veluwe and Kroeller Mueller Museum
Fish tasting
Entrance to the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen
Not included:
Bike rental € 110– (2024) for a regular bike, € 120,–( 2025)
Travel and cancellation insurance
Miscellaneous beverages and expenses on excursions.
Gratuities for Staff and Guides advise around 130 euros per guest (2024), 140 euros per guest (2025)
The Bike & Barge tours do not use a Van. Guests can stay on board instead of biking. The guide will explain the daily cycle route every day and will cycle in front of the group!