Sailing home | Amsterdam to Bruges

Leaving in the evening.

Flight to Amsterdam.

Arrival at Amsterdam airport.

Transfer to your hotel.

Free time.

AM

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the houseboats.

2:00 pm: Boarding of the houseboats.

3:00 pm: Departure from the houseboats.

PM

Dinner and overnight stay on board the houseboats.

AM

Breakfast on the barge and preparation of your lunch box.

Bike ride | 45 km
Starting from Uithoorn, we will cycle towards Gouda through the Green Heart of Holland. When we think of Gouda, we not only think of cheese, pipes, syrup waffles, and pottery, but also of stained glass, the fairy-tale town hall, and the typical canals that run through the city. Gouda is a typically Dutch city with a warm atmosphere, and its center has remained practically intact. Lunch provided.

Evening: Dinner and overnight on board the barge.

AM

Breakfast on the barge and preparation of your lunch box.

Bike Ride | 40 km

Take the road that will lead you from Gouda to Kinderdijk. The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the most famous tourist sites in the Netherlands. You will then continue your journey to Rotterdam to arrive (by boat) in Delft. Delft is a city renowned for its blue faience, Delfts Blauw. The Het Prinsenhof Museum is located in the former Sainte-Agatha monastery. In 1572, William of Orange chose this monastery as one of his residences. From this place, the prince led the Dutch insurgency against Spanish domination over the Netherlands. On July 10, 1584, he was assassinated on the stairs of the Prinsenhof by Balthazar Gerards, a Dutchman who had sided with the Spanish. Two bullet impacts in the staircase wall still testify to this event.

Dinner: Lunch box and visit to a pottery.

Evening: Dinner and overnight on board the barge.

AM

Breakfast on the barge and preparation of your lunch box.

Bike ride | 40 km

From Delft, we will pedal towards The Hague, through the Haagse Bosch forest, along the royal palace, Huis ten Bosch. You will ride on a quiet cycle path through the dunes, towards Wassenaarse slag. There are still traces of the Atlantic Wall at this location. The underground brick corridors, almost 1,000 meters long, still connect the five bunkers to each other. This wall was a defense line 2,685 kilometers long. Today, this network is used as a nature reserve for bats. Further in the dunes, you will find Katwijk aan Zee, a fishing village since forever. Katwijk also has its own dialect: Kattuks. Passing through the Oude Rijn (old Rhine), we will pedal to Leiden. Leiden has fourteen museums, including the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (museum of anthropology) with many precious exotic objects. The boat is moored next to the Zijlpoort gate, which used to be part of the city walls.

Dinner: lunch box and visit to Mesdag art gallery in The Hague.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay on board the barge.

AM

Breakfast on the barge and preparation of your lunch box.

Visit of the Keukenhof by public transport
Today, you will visit the Keukenhof, the most beautiful spring park in the world. The Keukenhof is where spring suddenly appears. An impressive and colorful collection of 7 million blooming tulips, in a beautiful setting of very beautiful traditional or modern gardens. The Keukenhof consists of different style gardens: English garden, historical garden, natural garden, Japanese natural garden, formal garden, and three colorful gardens. Throughout the park, 80 statues made by Dutch sculptors are scattered. Several other works of art, including the Surprising Tulips collection, are also exhibited there.

Dinner: Lunch box.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay on board the barge.

AM

Breakfast on the barge and preparation of the lunch box.

Bicycle tour | 37 km
From Leyde, you will pedal along beautiful bulb flower fields towards Haarlem. During the period from March to May, the bulb flower fields are in bloom: first the daffodils, then the hyacinths, tulips, and lilies. Then, we will take a short ride through the center of Haarlem to visit some hofjes, typical of the city (houses for elderly people built around a private courtyard). The city of Haarlem, which gave its name to the Haarlem neighborhood in New York, is lively, and it is pleasant to do some shopping in its warm atmosphere. Our boat is moored in the city center. So, you can leisurely walk to the beautiful market square where you will find terraces and from where you can enjoy a splendid view of the Saint Bavo Cathedral.

Dinner: Lunch box.

Evening: Dinner and overnight on board the barge.

AM

Breakfast on the barge and preparation of the lunchbox.

Bike ride | 40 km
You will navigate from Haarlem to Spaarnedam, a picturesque village near Haarlem, in the direction of Amsterdam. Spaarndam was named after the dike that was built in the river, Spaarne, to limit the dangers of a sea flood. On the IJdijk dike, you will find the statue of Hansje Brinker. Hansje was a character from an American book, who saved the country from a flood by plugging a hole in the dike with his finger. Starting from the Buitenhuizen bridge, you will cycle towards Zaanse Schans. The village of Zaanse Schans, with its traditional wooden houses, warehouses, and windmills, will make you feel like you have traveled back to the 17th or 18th century. It is not an open-air museum, but a lively neighborhood where people live and work. You can visit a cheese farm, a clog manufacturer, and an old bakery, among other things.

Dinner: Lunchbox.

Evening: Dinner and overnight stay on board the barge.

AM

Breakfast on board the barge.

Transfer to the Park Hotel in Amsterdam.

Free time

AM

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport, flight and return to Montreal.