The Green Heart of Holland

The Netherlands sure is densely populated - the sprawl of large cities, from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, from the Hague to Gouda has grown together and now surrounds Holland’s green heart - in Dutch, this is referred to as the “Randstad”. This region is shaped by agriculture and abundant nature: bodies of water, as well as farms and windmills paint an impressive picture of this country. But you’ll also get to see North Sea beaches, Rotterdam’s harbour and obviously you can’t miss the enticing, colourful city of Amsterdam.
Here are the details on MS Flora, MS Sarah and MS Gandalf.

Day 1 Arrival in Amsterdam
Embarkation starts at 2 pm, leaving enough time to discover Amsterdam's historical centre, which is best done on a canal boat.

Day 2 Boat trip, Zaandam - Haarlem, 40-55 km/25-34 mi
The museum village of Zaanse Schans is well worth a visit, after which the bike tour commences, taking you to the picturesque town of Haarlem.

Day 3 Haarlem - Leiden, 42-50 km/26-31 mi
Past pristine sandy beaches, you’ll be cycling to the university town of Leiden, which is home to beautiful houses from the 17th century.

Day 4 Leiden - Delft, 35-41 km/22-25 mi
There are several tours to choose from - a visit to one of Delft’s many china factories is highly recommended.

Day 5 Boat trip, Kinderdijk - Gouda, 23-66 km/14-41 mi
Today begins with a tour of Rotterdam’s harbour, after which you’ll be cycling past the many windmills of Kinderdijk into the town famous for its cheese. Enjoy the evening in Gouda and let yourself be spoiled there in one of the city's restaurants.

Day 6 Gouda - Kudelstaart, 45-55 km/28-34 mi
The bike tour leads through idyllic villages and past stately farms towards Kudelstaart, the “Dutch St. Tropez” and watersports hub.

Day 7 Kudelstaart - Amsterdam, 30-37 km/19-23 mi
You’ll further cycle along the river Amstel through Amsterdam’s giant park “Amsterdamse Bos”. The entire Amsterdam “fortress belt” site is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Day 8 Disembarkation and departure
Your trip "Green heart of Holland" concludes after breakfast, disembarkation until 09:30 am.

Here are the details on MS Flora, MS Sarah and MS Gandalf.

Included in your package "The Green Heart of Holland":

• 7 nights aboard in your chosen category
• full board (7 x breakfast, 6 x packed lunches, 6 x dinner, no dinner in Gouda)
• daily coffee/tea
• daily cabin cleaning
• bed linen and towels supplied
• welcome drink
• ferry trips and water bus
• bike tours with english speaking tour guide
• daily cycling stage briefings
• detailed travel documents in english
• GPS tracks
• optional rental bike
• optional rental helmet

Accomodation:

MS Flora:

• 8 outside cabins, approx. 8 sqm (86 sq ft)
  separate level-access single beds
• 2 outside cabins, approx. 8 sqm (86 sq ft)
  separate beds over corner
• 1 outside cabins, approx. 8 sqm (86 sq ft)
  double bed
• 2 cabins can be used as triple cabins with bunk beds for children ( max. 40 kg)
• all cabins with central heating
• openable portholes

MS Sarah:

• 8 outside cabins, approx. 10 sqm (108 sq ft)
  separate level-access single beds
• 2 outside cabins, approx. 10 sqm (86 sq ft)
  double bed
• 2 cabins can be used as triple cabins with bunk beds for children ( max. 40 kg)
• all cabins with central heating
• openable portholes

MS Gandalf:

• 10 outside cabins, approx. 10 sqm (108 sq ft)
  separate level-access single beds
• 2 cabins can be used as triple cabins with bunk beds for children ( max. 40 kg)
• all cabins with central heating
• openable portholes

Rental bicycles:

• We offer comfortable unisex-bikes with 7-speed gearboxes and freewheel, equipped with a bike bag and a bike lock. We also offer e-bikes if desired.

Travel time 2023:

• Arrival on saturdays
  MS Flora: full booked!
  MS Sarah: 16.09.
  MS Gandalf: full booked!
• Minimum number of participants: 12. This tour can be cancelled by the provider up to 4 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.

• 1119 € 2-bed cabin 29.04.
• 1169 € 2-bed cabin further dates

• 1644 € 2-bed cabin, single occupancy 29.04.
• 1719 € 2-bed cabin, single occupancy further dates

• 1059 € 3-bed cabin 29.04.
• 1069 € 3-bed cabin further dates

•     90 € rental bike
•   195 € e-bike
•     10 € rental helmet
•     10 € private bike
•     25 € private e-bike
•     15 € canal boat cruise in Amsterdam, 1 h

• booking code "The Green Heart of Holland":
  RS-NGF-7M
• how you can save some money
• costs of cancellation

The booking process

Arrival to the tour "The Green Heart of Holland":

• Arrival by car:
  There are three 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
  - Drive to the car park Oosterdok near Amsterdam Centraal station. Costs are approx. 175 € / week.
  - Make use of our parking service from Centralparking. 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. 150 € / week.
  - Make use of the free parking space P&R at the train station in Weesp. Back to Amsterdam Centraal station by train, duration approx. 15 minutes, cost approx. 4 €.

• Arrival by train:
  Amsterdam Centraal station, get the 48 bus to the quay, duration approx. 10 minutes, cost approx 3 €.

• Arrival by plane:
  Shiphol Airport, take the train to Amsterdam Centraal station (approx. 20 minutes, approx. 5 €), followed by the 48 bus to the quay (approx. 10 minutes / 3 €)
  Alternatively, get a taxi from the airport to the quay, cost: approx. 45 € per vehicle. There are several private and scheduled providers, see e.g. here.

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, the rivers’ water levels or technical issues can be undertaken at any time.