Tales & Castles Family Tour - 8D/7N

photo courtesy of Holland Tourist BoardThe Netherlands is often called Holland because of the role the two western provinces North and South holland played in its history. This region encompasses Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and other well known Dutch cities. During the Golden Age, Holland was the Capital of the World. It is a country of water; ever since the 16th century, many Dutch people have been living on the bottom of former lakes. Part of the country is covered by large rivers, whose estuaries form an immense delta. Ijssel Lake, a large freshwater lake, still covers 296,400 acres. Windmills are used to drain the land and keep it dry. They still form an important element of water management in these low lying lands.
Amsterdam, one of the great cities of Europe has many faces. You may know the romantic canals, the numerous bikes and the exciting night-life, however, Amsterdam offers so much more. It has a wide range of places of interest, historical monuments and more than 40 museums. Arts and antiques are for sale in quaint quarters, fashionable and upscale products in chic shopping streets.

Included: Accommodation, full board (breakfast, packed lunch and dinner), bicycle with gears and pannier, travel guidance, visit windmills Kinderdijk.

Accommodation: Double room cabins.

Departures: On Request.

photo courtesy of Holland Tourist BoardItinerary

  • Day 1: Saturday; cycling ± 10 km - Arrival in Amsterdam, checking in aboard the barge. You’ll meet the crew and your tour leader. Sailing trip to Vreeswijk where you stay for the night. Short testride to get to know your bicycle.
  • Day 2: Sunday: cycling ± 20 km - First the barge takes you Vianen where you start today’s cycle ride. You follow a winding canal till the town of Gorinchem, the stay for the night.
  • Day 3: Monday: cycling ± 20 km - In the morning you visit a cosy market in down town Gorinchem. By ferry you go to take a visit to Castle Loevestein, which used to be a prison in the middle ages. Once a famous Dutchman escaped from here in a bookcase. You cycle to picturesque Heusden, a fortified town, where you’ll spend the night.
  • Day 4: Tuesday - Today is Family Day! This means you are free to spend the day with your own family (or join another family if you wish!). Here are some ideas: a visit to fairy-tale park Efteling, going to a swimming-pool or spend a day at the dune area of Drunen (make a walk and visit the playground nearby). At the end of the afternoon you cycle back (on your own) to the barge in the village of Waspik.
  • Day 5: Wednesday: cycling ± 20 km - Early sailing trip to the famous 19 windmills of Kinderdijk: nowhere in the world can you find so many traditional mills together! From here you cycle through the polderland Krimpenerwaard which is appr. 2 metres below sea level to cheese town Gouda.
  • Day 6: Thursday: cycling ± 20 km - From Gouda you cycle to a cheese farm and do a game of Dutch golf; meaning: your golf club is a wooden shoe! In the afternoon there’s time to explore the town of Alphen aan de Rijn and you have the opportunity to visit Avifauna, a birds zoo.
  • Day 7: Friday: cycling ± 25 km - The barge drops you off at Kudelstaart and you make the cycle trip alongside the river Amstel all the way to the port in Amsterdam. The afternoon is free for visiting Amsterdam. After dinner your guide invites you for a short city walk and you may wish to make a roundtrip of the Amsterdam canals.
  • Day 8: Saturday - End of your tour: you say goodbye to tee crew, your tour leader and your fellow travellers.

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Also tagged with: Biking, Europe, Holland, Active Travel, Educational, Shopping, Cultural, Art / Architecture, Culinary / Wine Discoveries, Join-In Tour, Flower Event, Photography, Restaurants, European River Cruises


Vantage World Strongly Recommends Insurance for all your Travel Programs

Insure My Trip We provide, through TravelSafe Insurance, one of the nation's largest and most respected providers of travel insurance, a TravelSafe Custom Plan, where you decide the benefits YOU want and the levels of protection YOU desire including access to their 24-hour emergency assistance service from anywhere in the world. Click the link below the Plan Benefits table for plan details.