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Cycling days
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Discover North Holland
Discover North Holland
Type :
Hybrid :
E-Bike :
Duration :
6 days
Cycling days :
 4
Comfort :
period:
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Code:
6-29
History Culture Nature Cities
price from € 660
Discover North Holland
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Discover North Holland

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Bike Tour: Discover North Holland - 6 days

The Netherlands has 12 provinces and one of them is "Noord-Holland”. It fits the nostalgic image that foreigners have of Holland. It’s a picture-postcard landscape of canals, wooden bridges, dikes and windmills. The delights of this region can easily be discovered by bike: charming historical towns with busy marinas, art and cultural history museums and traditional local architecture. If you can, come in springtime when tulips, hyacinths and daffodils come into bloom and the bulb flower fields are a sea of colour. We know you will have a great time exploring these truly Dutch landscapes.

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Route
Day 1: Arrival Alkmaar
Day 2: Alkmaar - Zaandam
Day 3: Zaandam - Volendam
Day 4: Volendam - Hoorn
Day 5: Hoorn - Alkmaar
Day 6: Return home

Day 1:    Arrival Alkmaar

Arrival in Alkmaar. If possible, plan your trip so you can see the world famous Friday morning traditional cheese market put on for tourists from April till September.
But Alkmaar has more to offer. Wandering through the city centre with its monuments, canals, shops, museums and terraces you will be amazed by the beauty of the old city. 

Day 2:    Alkmaar - Zaandam
43 km

The cycling route to Zaandam is very diverse. In spring, when tulips, hyacinths and daffodils come into bloom, the area around Heiloo and Limmen is a sea of color. Pedalling on, you will reach the Zaan region, named after the River Zaan and justly famed for the adorable wooden houses, painted green, with white lace curtains in the windows! You can see several prime examples at Zaanse Schans, also known the world over for its gorgeous row of windmills. This whole place is picture perfect! There are lots of things to do and see here. You can visit windmills, workshops, museums, find out how to make wooden shoes or Dutch cheese... all in the name of nostalgia. After all that, sit down for a well-deserved pancake.

Day 3:    Zaandam - Volendam
31 km

After a few pedals you'll reach recreational park Het Twiske. This is a favourite get-away for the people of Amsterdam. On a hot day, they’ll flee the city and cycle here to the lake for a dip. A varied landscape of wood, meadows and lakes will accompany you to Monnickendam, a splendid historical village that used to be one of the most important ports in the country. Freshly smoked fish was and still is the specialty here. Today’s cycling trip concludes in festive fishing port Volendam. Volendam village has long been a tourist magnet so join the crowd as they soak up the atmosphere at waterside cafes and check out the views of the lake and the harbour. Browse the home-decor and gift shops for a great find or visit Volendams Museum where you can find out all about this close-knit community’s history, culture and folklore. Inspiring period rooms, traditional costumes and jewellery are part of the permanent exposition. There’s a section on eel fishery complete with model boats. The art collection is a delight but just wait till you see that truly incredible mosaic... 

Day 4:    Volendam - Hoorn
26 km

Just north of Volendam lies Edam. Back in the Golden Age, cheese town Edam was specialised in shipbuilding and in shipping. The well-preserved buildings in the town centre date back to this prosperous 17th century period. Go for a walk and enjoy the bridges, squares, canals and monuments. Cycle further to Hoorn, taking in the ever-changing views of the glistening lake next to you. 

The pleasing historical town centre of Hoorn boasts many lovely buildings that hark back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It was then that the town became prosperous thanks to trade and shipping. Ships sailing out of Hoorn harbour navigated as far afield as the Americas (Cape Horn!) and Japan. At home, merchants invested their earnings not only in the arts but also in the building of houses and warehouses which can still be seen today. Find out more at Westfries Museum which has specialised in the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great enterprise and maritime supremacy which we now look back on with mixed feelings. In the harbour you can visit a replica of VOC sailing ship “De Halve Maen”. This was one of a fleet of over two thousand ships belonging to the Dutch East India Company, the world’s first multinational.

Day 5:    Hoorn - Alkmaar
36 km

Today’s route takes you from Lake Markermeer back to Alkmaar. Enjoy the polder scenery and pause for a photo opportunity in Schermerhorn where three polder windmills stand in a row atop a dike. One of them, Schermerhorn Museum Mill, can be visited. Learn how windmills were used to drain Lake Schermer in 1633 and continued to regulate water levels in the polder until 1929. After that head to your final destination Alkmaar.

Day 6:    Return home

After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home. 

Prices

Starting dates:
Daily from April 1 till September 25


Price pp
Double room, breakfast 655.00
Single room, breakfast 955.00
Extra night double room, breakfast only 80.00
Upgrades pp/night
Hotel Heavens, Hoorn 12.50
Inntel Hotel Zaandam, Zaandam 15.00
van der Valk hotel Hoorn, Hoorn 20.00
Rental bike
Child bike 55.00
Hybrid 65.00
E-bike 135.00
Extra services
Bike Breakdown pass € 4.00 x 5 20.00
Child seat € 5.00 x 5 25.00
Bike theft insurance € 3.00 x 5 15.00
E-bike theft insurance € 6.00 x 5 30.00
Extra luggage € 5.00 x 5 25.00
Tag-along bike € 6.00 x 5 30.00
Child trailer € 17.50 x 5 87.50
Bike helmet per piece 10.00
SGR per piece 5.00

Starting point:
Alkmaar

Accommodation

The hotels and the B&B on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. A list of the accomodation we work with appears below. If a certain accomodation is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will try to request a comparable alternative if possible. 

When selecting the accomodation, we try to take into account as much as possible a safe and closed bicycle shed. However, we cannot do this with all of them guarantee and this partly depends on the number of bicycles of other guests.

Hotel Alkmaar **** (Alkmaar)
Best Western Zaan Inn *** (Zaandam)
Hotel Old Dutch *** (Volendam)
Hotel de Keizerskroon *** (Hoorn)
Bikes

If you don’t bring your own bike, you can rent one from us. Our touring bikes are 24-speed gear. You can find all the information regarding our rental bikes below.

You will find your rental bike waiting for you at your first hotel. The hotel reception staff will give you the keys for your bikes and direct you to the bicycle shed. All bikes are provided with chain locks. 

Why the Dutch don't wear helmets! 

Instruction video hybrid bike and e-bike

 

 

Our hybrid bikes have 24-gears with hand brakes. 
The hybrid bikes are circa 16,5 KG.

Rental bike

The e-bikes have a small electric engine and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric engine. The weight of the e-bike is ca. 25 KG. We recommend a minimum height of 160 cm for the e-bike.

E-bike

For children who are at least 120 cm, we can also arrange bikes (these are 24”or 26” for children that are bigger than 140 cm). 
The child bikes come with at least 7-gears and hand brakes. 
The maximum body height for a child’s bike is 155 cm. 

24" child bike:

26" child bike:
Child bike 26 inch

Bell

All our rental bikes come with a bell.


Brakes

All our adult bikes come with hand brakes. 


Childseat

For children up to 30 months old (max. 15 KG) it is possible to rent a front child seat. This is not possible with e-bikes, due to the display.

For children older than 30 months (max. 22KG) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.

Both front- and rear child seats are €5,- per day.  


GPS

It is possible to rent a GPS device when you start your tour in Amsterdam, Bruges, Utrecht, Huizen or Bunnik for €20,-. 


Helmet

Helmets are not mandatory in the Netherlands, but can be rented for €10,- per piece.
Available sizes: Adult: 54-61 cm, Child: 50-55 cm. 


Lights

All our bikes come with both front- and rear lights. You need to push the button on the lamp and it will flash three times. This means that the lights will automatically start working when it gets dark. 

When you push again, the lamp will flash one time and the lights will be turned off.


Locks

Our bikes come with a defender lock with plug in chain (cable lock that is attached to the regular lock, see picture).

You need to turn the key a bit, take out the pin from the cable lock and attach it to a pole/other bike/fence etc.

When you push the pin back into the regular lock, you need to lock the regular lock as you always do, and both locks will be secured.


Pannier

1 pannier is included at the 'standard' bikes and the e-bikes.

Height: 42 cm
Depth front to the side: 17 cm
Wide top: 32 cm
Wide down: 23 cm
Volume: 20 liters
It has an easy click-on/click-off system. The panniers are water resistant, so everything will stay dry.


Pedals

The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals. 


Quickrelease

All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars. 


Repairkit

There is one small puncture kit included, which can be found in the pannier. In case a rental bike has another problem, we always advise you to go to a bike repair shop or call the bike breakdown emergency number which is provided in the travel documents when you book this extra service.


Saddle

Saddles can be adjusted in height without using any tools, see ‘Quick Release’.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover. 


Waterbottles

Dutch Biketours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.


We have a limited amount of tandem bikes available on request.
Tandem bikes are suitable for two adults only.
The tandem bikes have a frame size of 48 cm.
We mostly use the Victoria Spezial 8.7.
This tandem bike comes with 24-derailleur gears or nuvinci gears.
The height of the handle bars on a tandem bike cannot be adjusted.

We have limited family tandem bikes available on request.
The family tandems have 7-gears and can be used for one adult and one child with a minimum body height of 125 cm.

 

A tag-along bike is a good option for children between approx. 100 cm and 125 cm, as they can pedal themselves and on their own pace but don’t have to worry about other traffic.

 

Child trailers can be rented for a maximum of two children who are up to 100 cm (max. 35 KG in total).
We mostly use the XLC Duo 2 child trailer.
Child trailers are not possible in combination with e-bikes.  

Mile after wonderful mile of untroubled cycling is what we would wish our clients. However there is a minimal chance of breakdown along the way. If this thought is a nagging worry to you, a Bicycle Breakdown Assistance insurance policy may ease your mind. If you buy this insurance from our partner ANWB pechhulp in advance, their service is as follows. The costs are €4,- per bicycle per day. If your bike breaks down by the roadside an ANWB bicycle repair man will drive to you in his repair van and fix your bike so you can continue your tour. You won’t have to pay him repair costs. If you are cycling on your own bicycle you will be charged for any new spare parts your bike may require. If you are renting a bicycle through Dutch Bike Tours any new parts are at our expense. If it turns out the bicycle cannot be repaired on the spot, or if you can't continue cycling, the repairman can drop you off somewhere in his van. One companion plus bikes may join you in the van.

Do you wish to insure your bike against theft? The cost is € 3,- per day per standard hybrid bicycle.
For an electric bicycle, premium bike or racing bike: € 6,00 per day per bicycle.
Please see the General Terms and Conditions for Bicycle Hire and Insurance. 

If a rental bike gets stolen or damaged, we will hold the client responsible.
If your insurance does not cover this event, you will have to pay the costs yourself.

Article 1 Bike Rental Price

The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the Dutch Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.

Article 2 Payment

a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.

b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, Dutch Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.

c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.

Article 3 Rental Period

a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (the departure day), as stated in the booking confirmation.

b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.

c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.

d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip. 

e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).

f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. Dutch Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.

Article 4 Improper Use

a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.

b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.

c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.

d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.

Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft

The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.

Article 6 Theft Insurance

It is possible to purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance. Covered are: damages arising out of the theft of the bicycle; and damages to the bicycle as a consequence of the theft. Not covered are: theft of bicycle parts; and damages arising out of attempted theft.

Article 7 Theft Insurance Premium

a. The premium for Bicycle Theft Insurance is € 3,00 per day per standard hybrid bicycle. For an electric bicycle € 6,00 per day as well for a Premium bike and racing bike.

The number of insurance days is the same as the number of cycling days as stated in our booking confirmation.

Article 8 Liability in the Event of Theft

a. If you did not purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us before the start of the holiday, you will be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.

b. If you did purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us, but you failed to lock the wheel lock and failed to produce the original wheel lock key and failed to produce an official theft report drawn up by the police, you will still be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.

Article 9 Costs During the Rental Period

Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs.

 

Practical info

5 Nights included

3/4 Star Hotels

Tourist tax included

Breakfast included

Detailed roadbooks with maps and tourist information

The possibility of renting our bikes

7 days a week service hotline

Luggage transport to your next hotel included

Alkmaar

Parking possibilities at the hotel (free at hotel outside city center, fees at city hotel)

GPS tracks available

Any ferry crossings are not included

Arrival info

Nearest Airport is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)

The train from Schiphol to Alkmaar departs 2 times per hour. Travel time is about 50 minutes. A single ticket costs approx €10- per person excl. bicycle.

For timetables and tickets, go to www.ns.nl/en. For bus details, how to reach the hotel, check : www.9292.nl/en.

Reviews

23-08-2023

I enjoyed all the routes.Eye candy almost all the way. Such pretty and bucolic countryside,villages ,towns. I felt very safe even though I was cycling alone.
The hotels were clean,cosy and friendly. 
I highly recommend the services of Dutch Bike Tours. Always friendly and respectful. 

13-08-2023

Der Norden von Holland konnten wir in konfortablen kurzen Abschnitten erkunden. Der Scharm und dem Lebensgefühl man ganz nahe.

12-06-2023

This 5-day bike tour was the highlight of my three week vacation in Europe. I would have loved to do more days, however one can get slightly sore from the seat if you are not used to riding for several consecutive days. I did purchase a bike seat cushion (which I am bringing back home with me) and that helped quite a lot. The countryside was stunning and I would say that the best part of the tour was the smaller towns and the bikeways between them, including riding through tiny villages. If I do this again, I would make sure to avoid larger cities/towns. I would also want to avoid any larger hotels in favor of small places, bed and breakfast, etc.

11-04-2023

Wonderful Dutch countryside, friendly people en route. Great service from Dutch bike tours. Routes well planned and just the right length. Very happy.

03-10-2022

It was very rainy on the first two days, but this did not detract from the enjoyment of the experience

04-06-2019

...The ferry trip to Marken from Volendam and cycling round the island were very pleasant. There was a lot of wonderful bird life on the Polders...

29-05-2019

...Big thumbs up for Dutch-Biketours as everything went even better than we originally expected. The hybrid bikes that we rented were brand new and it was nice to have the water-proof pack on the back of the bike and one smaller one in front of the bike. Our luggage was always transported on time to the next hotel and all the hotels had at least some form of bike-storage to store the bikes so we didn't have to worry about leaving them to the streets. The route was planned in a way that you would mostly cycle in quiet cycling roads away from the heavy traffic and that way you could really enjoy the nature and the nice views. We also encountered a lot of windmills and a lot of sheep as to be expected lol. :) Finally a tip for everyone: Buy a water-proof phone holder for one of the bikes and use the mobile app (OsmAnd) if you are not that good navigating and you have a bad sense of direction as we have. :D This app allows you to import the .gpx files (routes) to the app and it tells you turn-by-turn directions of all the routes. It was really useful! (I think the app is available for both Android and iOS but works best with Android phones). Thanks for Dutch-Biketours for the awesome trip and awesome memories!...

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