The Green Heart is a rural area surrounded by the big cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. What saved it was its wetland and marshes: poor building ground! Instead, the bogs were used to harvest peat. This bike tour will take you to the southern part of this area.
Here you’ll find the picture book Holland of old: low-lying peat meadows with grazing cattle; vast polders under beautiful skies; lakes, streams and rivers; and pretty villages with monumental farmhouses. You will sleep in attractive historical towns, including "cheese town” Gouda.
| Day 1 | Arrival in Utrecht/Bunnik | |
Arrival in Utrecht. Utrecht lies in the very center of the Netherlands, near woodland and the small River Kromme Rijn. The centre of Utrecht is not far away and has shops galore, museums and a friendly night life. |
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| Day 2 | Utrecht - Gorinchem | 58 km |
Start cycling from the hart of Holland and travel south, you'll reach "Glass town Leerdam, a meeting place where glassblowers from many countries demonstrate their craft. Further on, you´ll come across two more Dutch Water Line fortresses: Asperen and Vuren. Before you'll reach Gorinchem you can cross the River Waal by ferry boat and you will reach infamous and interesting Loevesteijn Castle. The nearby fortified town of Woudrichem is also well worth a visit. |
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| Day 3 | Gorinchem – Gouda | 62 km |
Get your camera out for Kinderdijk, a UNESCO world heritage where 19 windmills have been standing majestically in rows since 1740. They were used to drain excess water out of the low-lying polder up into the River Lek. One of the mills is open to the public. |
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| Day 4 | Gouda - Woerden | 38 km |
Today the route will take you past the river Vlist to the historical town Oudewater, famous for its monumental ‘Heksenwaag’. The 16th century Witches Weighhouse now serves as a museum. This town is a great place to stop for lunch and admire the beautiful historical buildings. Oudewater is also known for its many storks, so keep your eyes open along the way for these beautiful birds. You will end your day in historical Woerden, known for the cheesemarket on Saturdaymorning (apr-aug). Wander around the old fortress walls, enjoy the canals and taste the local products. |
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| Day 5 | Woerden – Utrecht/Bunnik | 45 km |
The landscape of rivers, polders, lakes, woods, parks and marshy fens makes for a wonderful bike trip today. The last part will take you along the water, through Breukelen, to your hotel. At the end of your day you have time for a final visit to Utrecht. In the heart of the old inner city lies the peaceful Oude Gracht (= Old Canal). Its characteristic quaysides are unique to Utrecht. Nowadays they are the pleasant setting for waterside cafes. Explore the pretty Museum Quarter, or go (window) shopping on some of the quieter shopping streets. |
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| Day 6 | Return home | |
After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home. |
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Starting dates:
Daily from April 1 till September 25.
| Price pp | € | |
| Double room, breakfast | 599.00 | |
| Single room, breakfast | 899.00 | |
| Extra night double room, breakfast only | 80.00 | |
| Upgrades pp/night | € | |
| Hotel Mitland, Utrecht | 40.00 | |
| Relais & Châteaux Weeshuis Gouda, Gouda | 100.00 | |
| Stadshotel Woerden, Woerden | 10.00 | |
| Rental bike | € | |
| Child bike | 55.00 | |
| Hybrid | 65.00 | |
| E-bike | 140.00 | |
| 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 | € 10.00 x 5 | 50.00 |
| Child trailer | € 18.00 x 5 | 90.00 |
| Bike helmet | per piece | 10.00 |
| SGR | per piece | 5.00 |
| discount | per piece | -20.00 |
Starting point:
Utrecht or Bunnik
The hotels or B&Bs on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. A list of the hotels we work with appears below. If a certain accommodation is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will request a comparable alternative.
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.
5 Nights included
3/4 Star hotels
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
Utrecht / Maarssen. For more information:
Parking possibilities at the hotel
Any ferry crossings are not included
Nearest Airport is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
The train from Schiphol to Utrecht departs 4 times per hour. Travel time is about 30 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.