Cycling Holiday in the Netherlands

Sunday afternoon 15 Km biking
Getting to know each other, receiving and adjusting for each participant his personal Pedelec that would be his best 'friend' for the next week.

In that point participant's luggage will be delivered directly to the amazing authentic "Be My Guest" Hotel at Wijk Aan Zee. Meanwhile the group will do the first 2 hour biking at the National Park along the beautiful coast line of IJmuiden and Wijk Aan Zee.

After a calming green ride while breathing the breeze from the North sea we will arrive to "Be My Guest" Hotel at around 6:30 pm.
Free time for receiving the rooms (your luggage will be already inside your room), organizing yourselves and exploring the local vibe of this magical area.

The unique dinners are made every day with a lot of love by Ella & Martin with some help from local friends. Every day there is a new menu! Dinner will be served at 8:30 pm.

Monday 51.9 KM biking
After having a unique breakfast at "Be My Guest" we will start biking north along the coast line of the North Sea. In this first full day we will visit Noord-Holland to where the most beautiful bulb fields, the biggest, uninterrupted flower bulb area in the world.

On spring time (April-May) we will find ourselves biking along an endless trail of colorful tulip fields along the dunes and over the horizon.

The "Schoorlse Duinen", is a nature area with the highest and widest dunes in the Netherlands, which reaches about 60m above sea level with more than 5 km wide in some places.

We will bike through the lovely town of Bergen that is known as the home of many painters, writers and architects since 1900, no wonder with such an amazing atmosphere!

Alkmaar will be our next stop and then we'll have a break to explore the old city center of Alkmaar by walk. Don’t worry about the bikes or luggage as we will take care of watching your "Pedelec" while biking and along the walking breaks.

At Alkmaar we promise not to miss our favorite bakery "Beerse Brood & Banket" to have some extra ordinary unique bread, pastry and cookies.
It is one of the most loved scents in the world for more than 100 years. People talk about it, we will enjoy the tastes along our road and understand exactly why.

From Alkmaar we will bike through the old town of Heiloo ("sacred height") - one of the major pilgrimage destinations in the Netherlands, attracting pilgrims to visit the church from the 12th century known as the 'Witte Kerk'.

We will arrive at around 6:00 pm to have our rooms at "Fletcher Hotel" some free time and a lovely dinner at "Heiloo" restaurant.

What a day! In that point we will be so happy to know that we still have 5 more full days of total fun.

Tuesday 47.9 KM biking
In this second full day of biking we will get up in the morning, have our breakfast and feel enthusiastic to go on our personal "Pedelec" to have another amazing day in The Netherlands. Today we will bike south toward North Amsterdam and then East to our final destination Edam.
A piece of cake.

On our way we will pass many gorgeous areas. It feels like being in a movie that you only want it to go on and on.

A mixing of green environment combined with nature all around, Dutch tradition as a part of a beautiful culture, the green fields and the blue water as a perfect background to the fine houses, gardens, flowers, cows, ducks, birds and other relaxing homely animals.
Full of life, yet calm environment that allows you to be a part of this entire dream.

First destination of today would be Limmen - the so-called "bollencentrum" (bulb-center) of the northern part of The Netherlands. The annual "Bloemendagen" (Flowerdays) are a tradition in Limmen every year on May. People living there make mosaics with the flowers and set up the mosaics in front of their house. People from around the Netherlands come to visit Limmen on these days.

Our next destination for today is Zaandam - a city in the province of North Holland located on the river Zaan just north to Amsterdam.
In the Dutch Golden Age, Zaandam served as a large milling center.

Today we will visit the famous neighborhood at the south of the city, Zaanse Schans that is best known for its collection of well-preserved historical windmills and houses, we will bike inside of Zaanse Schans outdoor museum.

Our last destination for today before we will arrive to our Golf Hotel "BurgGolf" at Purmerend, is the city of cheese - Edam.
Edam is famous by its original cheese source with the same name, we won't miss the opportunity to taste some new flavors like pesto cheese, coconut cheese and many other unique tastes.
We will bike through the old town center, within the borders of the old city walls, which is nowadays protected by the government, on our way to relax at our golf hotel "BurgGolf" before having a relaxing dinner with nice wine to end this great day on our journey.

Wednesday 60.8 KM biking
Good morning The Netherlands! Today we are going to bike 60 KM, starting from "BurgGolf" hotel at Purmerend all the way south to the one and only amazing Breukelen. The well known Brooklyn in New York City, is named after this province in The Netherlands.
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This morning we will visit Volendam and Monnickendam - 2 popular and authentic tourist sites, looks like the time stopped over there and everything remained exactly the same as it was for the last hundreds of years.

Volendam is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing that are still worn by some of the residents.
Originally, at the 13th century Volendam was the harbor of the nearby Edam.

In the early part of the 20th century it became something of an artist's retreat, with both Picasso and Renoir spending time here.
The majority of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church which is deeply connected to the village culture.

In around 15 minutes of biking we will enter Monnickendam, on the coast of the Markmeer. The town was founded by monks, the name Monnickendam means 'Monk's dam'. Although it is a small fishing village today, it was an important port in earlier centuries. Monnickendam possesses a 17th century weigh house, once used by merchants and port officials, and a bell tower dates from 1591.
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After 2 breaks for refreshment and exploring these sites, we will bike to north east Amsterdam, crossing the Zaan river on a traditional fairy on our way to the lovely Bruekelen, province of Utrecht.

During the 17th century, many wealthy Amsterdam merchant families built their mansions along the Vecht river - near Breukelen. Due to the Dutch policy and regulation of preserving the history all over the country, we will bike like "in a movie" towards our destination - the "Geesberg" B&B and restaurant - beautifully renovated monumental building aside the Vecht river.

After a short break for check in and refreshment,"De Dylan" - exclusive boat with its Capitan will take us for a 2 hour sailing through an amazing view along the Vecht river while celebrating this day with a rich buffet and drinks on the boat as a promo for the special BBQ in "Geesberg" style that will be ready for us as we come back from sailing.

Thursday - 46.9 KM biking
As we leave "Geesberg", we will experience the daily life in a real Castle!
Around 20 minutes of biking, just outside the city of Utrecht, "Slot Zuylen" is one of the oldest castles along the Vecht river. The castle has a rich history, passing through various families and boasting some influential inhabitants - including several powerful women, like the writer Belle van Zuylen. During a visit to "Slot Zuylen", we will experience daily life in a real castle with a guided tour by one of the Zuylen's family that lives in the castle , enjoy the Museum Café', relax and recharge over coffee, tea, organic juices, baked goods and fresh vegetables from the castle garden.
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Utrecht would be our next destination in this lovely day. Utrecht was the most important city in the Netherlands until the Dutch Golden Age. We shell bike through the old city center of Utrecht. Utrecht's ancient city center features many buildings and structures. It has been the religious center of the Netherlands since the 8th century. Several churches and monasteries were built inside, or close to, the city of Utrecht. The most dominant of these are the Cathedral of Saint Martin and the 112 meter high Dom tower inside the old Roman fortress - the hallmark of the city.

Our next destination would be Gouda, the queen of the cheese since the 11th century. The first mention of Gouda cheese dates from 1184, what makes it one of the oldest recorded cheese in the world and still being made today. Cheese making was traditionally a woman's task in the Dutch culture, with farmer's wives passing their cheese making skills on to their daughters. Most Dutch Gouda is now produced industrially. However, some 300 Dutch farmers still produce “farmer's cheese” which is a protected form of Gouda made in the traditional manner, using unpasteurized cow milk.
Of course we won't miss the opportunity to taste some of Gouda's cheese while exploring the old city center and watching Gouda's 15th century Town Hall.

Old City Hall at the Market square, built between 1448 and 1450, most impressive and one of the oldest Gothic city halls in the Netherlands.
At the old harbor quarter a local guide will show us the wide range of art and culture that the center of Gouda offers. Then we will enjoy three course dinner in "Eet & Drinklokaal Kamphuisen" - a restaurant along Gouda's most beautiful canal.

At around 8:00 pm we will check in to our rooms at "De Utrechtsche Dom Hotel", the oldest accommodation facility of Gouda for more than 300 years, located in the center of the old city. Than, a surprise!!!
We will walk 5 minutes to "Gouda Spa" for the best relaxation at the unique salt stone sauna and traditional sauna, the wonderfully heated Roman bath, the Ottoman sauna and the Turkish steam room.
Best experience before having an overnight sweet sleep in an old-Dutch atmosphere. Unforgettable day!

Friday - 50.9 KM biking
Rotterdam would be our morning destination. We will bike through
"The architectural capital of the Netherlands" and explore its modern architecture and art on our way to one of Rotterdam's famous landmarks the "Markthal" - a very unique fresh market and the biggest artwork in the world.

Here we will take a break for a walking tour in the "Markthal" to get impression from this creation which also known as 'the Sistine Chapel of Rotterdam'.

Just next to the "Merkthal" we will pass along the famous unique
"Kijk-Kubus" - Cube house Museum - an architectural phenomenon for more than 30 years, have some coffee at the old port of Rotterdam before biking to our next destination, Delft.
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Delft developed into a city in the 13th century. From a rural village in the early Middle Ages, on 1246 Delft received its "charter" - city rights in law countries, from then Delft developed into an important strategic city since it was a home port of the "Dutch East India" Company.
From the 17th century until today Delft is known for the "Delft Pottery" ceramic products which were originally styled on the imported Chinese Porcelain.

On arriving to Delft we will bike along a large number of monumental buildings, canals, typical bridges, large nature and recreation area known as "Delft Wood" - altogether making this city a notable tourist destination. From Delft, we will bike to Den Hague!

From the 13th century onward, the counts of The Netherlands used The Hague as their administrative center and residence Scheveningen (53,425 inhabitants) is the wealthy northernmost district of The Hague.
A modern beach resort, Scheveningen is a popular tourist destination. It has a long sandy beach and its own esplanade, pier and lighthouse, but also a Pathé cinema, a musical theatre, a casino and a special Museum for Scheveningen. The district also includes a fishing harbor. Notable buildings include the Kurhaus and farther inland, the Peace Palace.
The Hague is the seat of the Cabinet and known as the home of international law.

Saturday - 54.2 KM biking
On our last day of biking we will have the best of The Netherlands history on the road, art monuments and museums, lovely nature everywhere, old windmills, blooming flowers in all colors, authentic food, unique souvenirs and gifts from us that you will never forget.
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First we will visit Leiden, A university city since 1575, Leiden has been one of Europe's most prominent scientific center for more than four centuries. Leiden is a typical university city, university buildings are scattered throughout the city.
Many students from all over the world give the city an international atmosphere.
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Leiden is a city with a rich cultural heritage art. One of the world's most famous painters, Rembrandt, was born and educated here.
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On our way around Leiden we won't miss the opportunity to see one of the impressive 35 meter high building with the contours of a human body, the famous museum "Corpus".
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Lisse, our next destination, is mostly famous because of the world's largest flower gardens of "Keukenhof", or in English "Kitchen garden".
Lisse located at the center of the "Dune and Bulb Region", The Netherlands flower-growing region. Approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted annually in this region. During the spring the fields around Lisse are covered with a colorful bloom while "Keukenhof" gardens are worthwhile a visit due endless amazing gardens full of colorful blooming tulips from all kinds.

Haarlem would be our last destination for this amazing tour.
The city is located on the Spaarne river, situated about 20 km west of Amsterdam. Haarlem has been the historical center of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears its other nickname 'Bloemenstad', or in English "flower city".
Beer brewing has been a very important industry for Haarlem going back to the 15th century. The original Haarlem beer called Jopenbier, or Jopen.
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At the central market square "Grote Markt" next to the former original Catholic cathedral "Grote Kerk" we will meet our Haarlem's local expert guide to find out the secrets and the charm of the city. We will have a nice and interesting walk around the city center.
At the end of the walking tour we will gather together in a local authentic bar to celebrate a "Goodbye" party. We will have the original Haarlem's "Jopen" beer with local Dutch food in addition to one of a kind unique gift for each participant.

That would be our last meeting for this time. Promise you satisfaction, excitement with hopes to meet again either in The Netherlands or in Tel Aviv.