Cycling in South Holland

This tour will lead you through the Dutch province of South Holland, always starting from the shore, as a dense network of canals connects these well worth seeing towns and cities. Amsterdam, Utrecht, Delft, Gouda, Rotterdam, as well as the UNESCO world heritage site of Kinderkijk and the famous open air museum of Zaanse Schans - these are only some of the highlights of this cycling tour in South Holland, which is perfectly suited for both expert cyclists and beginners.
Here you can find more details about the ship, the MS Normandie.

Day 1 Arrival in Rotterdam/Schiedam
Embarkation from 4 pm. Take time for the lively "City of architecture", famous for its modern buildings and the largest seaport in Europe. The city center is approx. 10 km away and easily accessible.

Day 2 Rotterdam - Dordrecht, approx. 49 km/30 mi
Kinderdijk with the row of windmills is probably one of the most famous photo motifs in the country. Then you cycle to Dordrecht with picturesque gabled houses and great views from the Grote Kerk.

Day 3 Dordrecht - Gorinchem, 46-53 km/29-33 mi
Today is all about water and nature. Take your time exploring de Biesbosch National Park, which served as a hideout for partisans during WW2, before heading to Gorinchem with its picturesque old town.

Day 4 Gorinchem - Utrecht, approx. 47 km/30 mi
Via Leerdam, famous for its cheese, and the fortified city of Vianen, you cycle to Utrecht, dominated by the Buurkirche and cathedral. Several feuds and wars were settled here, e.g. the War of the Spanish Succession.

Day 5 Utrecht - Schoonhoven, 42-52 km/26-32 mi
The bike tour leads through the vast polder country to the silver town of Schoonhoven. Even today, the art of silversmithing is still alive here.

Day 6 Schoonhoven - Schiedam, approx. 53 km/32 mi
Either you cycle directly to Gouda, e.g. for the windows of St. John's Church, or you while away the time in the Reeuwijkse Plassen lake district.

Day 7 Roundtrips from Schiedam, 32-66 km/20-41 mi
Today there are several options: exploring Rotterdam, visiting the Delft Porcelain Manufactory or cycling to the North Sea beach.

Day 8 Disembarkation and departure
After breakfast, your bike holiday "Cycling in South Holland" sadly reaches its conclusion. Disembarkation until 9:00 am.

Here are the details on MS Normandie.

Included in your package "Cycling in South Holland":

• 7 nights aboard in your chosen category
• 7x breakfast
• 6x packed lunches or a little lunch aboard
• 7x dinner, excl. beverages
• complimentary coffee/tea in the afternoon
• cabins are cleaned daily
• bed linen and towels supplied
• welcome drink
• on-board tour guide
• daily cycling stage briefings
• digital travel documents in english
• optional rental bike
• optional concession tickets to local attractions, bookable aboard

Accomodation:

• outside cabins, approx. 10-11 sqm (108-118 sq ft),
  seperated, level-access beds
• 2 single cabins upper deck, approx. 7 sqm (75 sq ft)
• central air conditioning
• upper-deck cabins have adjustable windows
• upper-deck cabins ECO: during sailing and manoeuvres the engine sounds can be more audible here

Rental bicycles:

• We offer comfortable unisex-bikes with 7-speed gearboxes and coaster brakes or freewheel, equipped with a bike bag and a bike lock. We also offer e-bikes if desired.
• If you choose to wear a helmet, we recommend using your own due to the variety of head sizes and shapes and for hygienic reasons.

Travel time 2027:

• Arrival on saturdays
  27.03. + 03.04. + 10.04. + 17.04. + 24.04.
  01.05. + 08.05. + 15.05. + 19.06. + 26.06.
  03.07. + 10.07. + 17.07. + 24.07. + 28.08.
  04.09. + 11.09. + 18.09. + 25.09. + 02.10. + 09.10.
• Minimum number of participants: 60
  This tour can be cancelled by the provider up to 3 weeks prior to its commencement. If this is the case, we will
  strive to supply our customers with an equivalent offer.

Prices:

All prices are per person.

*book by 31.10. & get an additional 150 € discount/person

• booking code "Cycling in South Holland":
  RS-NSNO-7M
• how you can save some money
• costs of cancellation

The booking process

Arrival to the tour "Cycling in South Holland":

• Arrival by car:
  There are various options of parking your car for the duration of the trip. In any case, please drive to the quay first and bring your luggage and (if applicable) personal bike aboard. Then
  - Make use of our parking service. We will arrange for your car to be picked up from the quay, stored safely and returned to the ship. Your vehicle is insured against all types of damage or theft and will be parked in a protected underground facility. Cost: approx. 190 € / week.
  - drive to the parking garage ParkBee Heiman Dullaertplein 4 in Rotterdam. From there approx. 11 min by taxi to the jetty, costs approx. 130 €/week
  - drive to the Passage Schiedam car park at Koemarkt (junction Broersvest - Rotterdamsedijk), approx. 2 km from the jetty, costs approx. 105 €/week
  - use the unguarded, free Park & Ride car park at Vijfsluizent metro station. Distance to the jetty approx. 3 km.

• Arrival by train:
  Schiedam Centrum, by bus (line 54) to the jetty, duration approx. 20 min, departure approx. every 30 minutes, costs approx. 2 €. Helpful page: www.ret.nl

• Arrival by plane:
  Rotterdam The Hague Airport

Personal bikes:
In principle, you can bring your own bike along. However, please note that your bike will be loaded on and off the boat twice a day along with several others and therefore slight cosmetic damage to individual bikes cannot be ruled out, which is why we do not take responsibility or liability for such damage. We recommend reserving one the excellent rental bikes we offer.

Perfectly looked after:
During your tour, we are available between 8 am and 8 pm, 7 days a week. We are happy to help with any kind of problems you might be having. You will find this emergency number in your travel documents.

Please note:

• As is the case with all boat trips, changes in travel itineraries due to the weather, high or low water levels, technical issues or regulatory requirements can be undertaken at any time.