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Dutch Bike Tours Cycling holiday Sand and Sea Tour
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Cycling days
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Sand and Sea Tour
Sand and Sea Tour
Type :
Hybrid :
E-Bike :
Duration :
11 days
Cycling days :
 9
Comfort :
period:
May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Code:
11-00
Cities Seacoast IJsselmeer History Nature
price from € 1.300
Sand and Sea Tour
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Sand and Sea Tour

Bike Tour: Sand and Sea Tour - 11 days

If you love the sea and beautiful sandy beaches and if you’re interested to find out about Holland’s struggle against the waters and about our seafaring history, this might well be the tour for you. The landscape is so varied; it will never cease to delight you. The beach is backed by beautiful windswept dunes. Behind the dunes, in spring, multicoloured bulb flower fields will take your breath away. A string of coastal villages and resorts lead you down to modern Rotterdam which has the largest port in Europe. River landscapes, lush meadows, ancient farmhouses and dikes will feature on the last part of the tour. 

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Route
Day 1: Arrival in Utrecht/Bunnik
Day 2: Utrecht- Harderwijk
Day 3: Harderwijk - Enkhuizen
Day 4: Enkhuizen - Alkmaar
Day 5: Alkmaar - Zandvoort
Day 6: Zandvoort - Scheveningen
Day 7: Scheveningen - Rotterdam
Day 8: Rotterdam - Papendrecht
Day 9: Papendrecht - Gorinchem
Day 10: Gorinchem - Utrecht/Bunnik
Day 11: Return Home

Day 1:    Arrival in Utrecht/Bunnik

Arrival in Utrecht.

Day 2:    Utrecht- Harderwijk
61 km

Hidden away in the woods, hamlet Lage Vuursche will surprise you with a famous pancake inn and Queen Beatrix castle Drakensteyn, where shell return when she retires. Next stop is her parents palace. Along the shores of Randmeren lakes youll reach Harderwijk which used be a prosperous port but is now no longer by the sea... find out what happened!

Day 3:    Harderwijk - Enkhuizen
61 km

Cycle through the woods and farmland of Flevopolder to Lelystad. In Nieuwland Museum you can see an exhibition on how the polder came to be. Cross Lake IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen atop a 30 km dike! You will see our Golden Age reflected in the historical buildings of pretty Enkhuizen. Dont miss the excellent Zuiderzee Museum! There is an exhibition about the days when trading ships from towns on the Zuiderzee sailed the seven seas. Moreover, in the park you can visit a recreated Zuiderzee village of old.

Day 4:    Enkhuizen - Alkmaar
59 km

After looking around pretty Hoorn, which also made its fortune trading in the Golden Age, you will set off on today’s coast-to-coast bike route from Lake IJsselmeer to the North Sea. You will pass by Holland’s oldest polder, Beemster, drained by windmills in 1612(!). You can also visit an interesting "museum windmill” as well as "cheese town Alkmaar. The traditional cheese market is on Friday mornings.

Day 5:    Alkmaar - Zandvoort
57 km

The sandy beaches of the North Sea are backed by dune systems that safeguard the hinterland from the sea. Today you will cycle through a Dune Reserve and a National Park that protect the many species of dune flora and fauna. Cross the North Sea Canal by ferry and then set course for Zandvoort, a well-known seaside resort.

Day 6:    Zandvoort - Scheveningen
43 km

This stretch of the cycle tour takes you through sandy dunes and past multicoloured bulb fields (daffodils, hyacinths and tulips). On the coast, check out the resorts and beaches which each attract their own crowd.

Day 7:    Scheveningen - Rotterdam
64 km

Cycle south, along the coast through dunes and past seaside resorts. Then pedal east along the New Waterway ship canal, past fishing villages, windmills and jenever distilleries, to Rotterdam.

Day 8:    Rotterdam - Papendrecht
31 km

Modern Rotterdam offers architecture, art, port tours, a maritime museum and shops galore. The re-developed inner-city harbours are hotspots. You'll cycle via the village of Kinderdijk, explore the site 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. Your destination, Papendrecht, is just a ferry crossing away from of one of Holland’s oldest towns; Dordrecht. Dordrecht is completely surrounded by rivers. Beautiful bridges take you across the water into the heart of town. Around the harbour you will see many monumental buildings.

Day 9:    Papendrecht - Gorinchem
59 km

Today you cycle through a part of Biesbosch National Park, one of the few remaining freshwater tidal areas in Europe. The countless islands of marshy willow woods, reed-lands and grasslands are surrounded by creeks and rivers. The place is a resting, foraging and breeding site for water birds. Nature lovers should visit Biesbosch Centre Dordrecht for information on this fascinating area. Before you arrive in Gorinchem you can, if you wish, take a boat trip to visit the interesting Loevesteijn castle. The town of Woudrichem is definitely worth a visit.

Day 10:    Gorinchem - Utrecht/Bunnik
58 km

Gorinchems walled town centre has a long, turbulent history and over two hundred monuments to remember it by. It used to be big in fishery, markets and trade, but was often plagued by floods and conquerors (the town was the gateway to Holland). In the heart of the city of Utrecht lies the peaceful Oude Gracht (= Old Canal). Its characteristic wharves are unique to Utrecht. Nowadays they are the pleasant setting for waterside cafes and restaurants. Explore the Museum Quarter and go (window) shopping on some of the quieter shopping streets.

Day 11:    Return Home
After breakfast in your hotel, you will return home.
Prices
Starting dates:
Daily from May 1 till September 20. 

Price pp
Double room, breakfast 1,295.00
Single room, breakfast 1,845.00
Extra night double room, breakfast only 80.00
Upgrades pp/night
Hotel Mitland - Suite upgrade, Utrecht 40.00
Rental bike
Child bike 110.00
Hybrid 130.00
E-bike 280.00
Extra services
Bike Breakdown pass € 4.00 x 10 40.00
Child seat € 5.00 x 10 50.00
Bike theft insurance € 3.00 x 10 30.00
E-bike theft insurance € 6.00 x 10 60.00
Extra luggage € 5.00 x 10 50.00
Tag-along bike € 10.00 x 10 100.00
Child trailer € 18.00 x 10 180.00
Bike helmet per piece 10.00
SGR per piece 5.00

Starting point:
Utrecht, Bunnik or Harderwijk

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 Mitland **** (Utrecht)
Best Western Hotel Baars **** (Harderwijk)
Hotel Restaurant Die Port van Cleve *** (Enkhuizen)
Grand Hotel Alkmaar **** (Alkmaar)
NH Zandvoort **** (Zandvoort)
Boulevard Hotel *** (Scheveningen)
ss Rotterdam **** (Rotterdam)
Leonardo Hotel Papendrecht **** (Papendrecht)
Hotel Gorinchem *** (Gorinchem)
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.  


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 (only available for children over 5 years). 


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

10 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

CS Utrecht

Parking possibilities at the hotel

Any ferry crossings are not included

Arrival info

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.

Reviews

22-09-2024

This was a wonderful trip and everything was as described. The highlight of the trip was staying on the hotel SS Rotterdam as it was such a unique experince. All the accomodation was above expectation. The cycling was varied and interesting scenery, from the towns and cities to the sand dunes and the Alkmaar cheese market. The Zuider Zee museum was well worth a visit. Using the ferries added to the interest. Self guided was easy to follow and gave good independence.


Julie Rowland - GB

30-05-2019

...Cycling through the wetlands, hearing the birds, and being on dedicated cycle lanes, and talking with the friendly and helpful Dutch people...

06-08-2018

...Global level was Ok (much easier than Paris-london we did with our luggage just before :-) ) One day was too short but it was easy to extend the route with Maps. Very nice bike trip...

26-04-2017

...The route was well planned and we loved the variety we saw in the Sand & Sea tour. Loved the bike route and pace of our trip - one of our best trips...

24-08-2015

....Thanks, the tour was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. I also rode to Bunnik and back home (via Harwich Ferry), so I did 850 kilometres from my front door and back again. It was good to have luggage transfer as I could get my two panniers carried each day. It is much harder work with them on - I had five days riding with them on, so having them carried on the tour itself was very welcome. The GPS turned out to be essential on the tour, and made finding the way on each stage so much easier. On the non-tour days I used the Fietsersbond App on my android phone and it was okay, but not as good as a proper GPS. All the hotels were good, but I think that Hotel Gorinchem was the best of the lot. I have done bike and boat tours, and this time I wanted to do Hotel-Hotel touring, and travel light, so this is perfect and just what I wanted - about 50-60km a day and a three/four star hotel each day.  So a self-guided tour of this type is definitely my preferred way of cycle-touring. I did start trying to plan one myself, but in the end you took care of all of that for me and made it much easier, and I only then had to pick one or two hotels either side of the tour....

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