Tulip tour

Feniks starts the 2023 season on April 15 with a tour in the bulb fields. In this week the daffodils and hyacinths are at the peak of their blooming, turning the fields in yellow, purple and blue. You will bike in the sweet scent of the hyacinths, adding a special sensation to the experience of this tour. Highlight is the visit of the Keukenhof.

This tour is suited for everyone and people of all ages. On flat terrain, with daily distances of 40 – 50 kms. About 4 hours by bike.

  • Dates 2024:
  • Tulip Tour 6/4 – 13/4, fully booked
  • Tulip Tour 13/4 – 20/4, 2 cabins available
  • Tulip Tour 20/4 – 27/4, fully booked
  • Tulip Tour 27/4 – 4/5, fully booked


Interested?
Mail Marius info@fenikscharter.com

Day 1  Saturday: Amsterdam, boarding the latest at 2 pm, sailing to Kudelstaart. 15KM
When you arrive on board the ship, you can put your luggage in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper and crew and of course your fellow passengers. During dinner aboard the ship, the program for next day and the global planning of the week are discussed.

Day 2 Sunday: Kudelstaart – Gouda 45KM
From Kudelstaart you will continue your tour over country roads, along river banks and channels through the Green Heart to the city known for its cheese: Gouda. Who thinks of Gouda, not only thinks of cheese, pipes, ‘stroopwafels’ (treacle-waffle) and pottery, but also of beautifull stained glass windows, a fairy-like town hall and atmospheric canals. Gouda is a beautiful old Dutch city with a mostly intact city centre. As on most days, after dinner you can take a walk through the city.

Day 3 Monday: Gouda – Alblasserdam, ferry to Rotterdam and sailing to Delft 40KM. From Gouda you cycle past scenic polders via Kinderdijk to Rotterdam. Kinderdijk has the largest group of windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills at Kinderdijk were still actively used until 1950. These days, a large pumping station is responsible for controlling the water level in the polder. After visiting the windmills of Kinderdijk you take the ferry to Rotterdam. In Rotterdam you embark and from there the ship takes you to Delft. Delft, the town famous for its pottery, the ‘Delft blue’. The Prinsenhof Museum is housed in the former St Agatha’s monastery. In 1572 William of Orange chose the convent as one of his residences. It was from here that he led the revolt against the Spanish tyranny of Holland. He was murdered on the steps of the Prinsenhof on July 10, 1584, by Balthazar Gerards, a Spanish sympathiser. Two bullet holes in the wall of the stairs bear witness to this event.

Day 4 Tuesday: Delft – (Katwijk) – Leiden 36KM
From Delft we cycle in the direction of The Hague, through ‘het Haagse Bosch’, a large park, and past the former Royal Palace ‘Huis ten Bosch’. The long tour leads you over tranquil cycle paths through the dunes to Wassenaarse Slag. Here you can see the remains of the Atlantikwall. Five bunkers are connected by nearly 3,000feetlong brick tunnels. Now the underground network serves as a bat reserve. The route continues through the dunes, to Katwijk aan Zee, an old fishing village. The old inhabitants of Katwijk still speak their own dialect, ‘Kattuks’. Following the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river we cycle to Leiden. Leiden boasts 14 museums, including the Oudheidkundig Museum. The ship is moored near the Zijlpoort, a gate that once formed part of the city walls.

Day 5 Wednesday: Leiden – visit to Keukenhof by public transport
Today you visit the Keukenhof gardens, the most beautiful spring park in the world. The Keukenhof is the place where the spring breaks. In the Keukenhof various gardens and gardening styles can be found: the English Landscape Garden, the Historical Garden, the Natural Garden, the Japanese Natural Garden, the Formal Garden and three special colours gardens. Spread throughout the entire park there are approximately eighty sculptures from well-known Dutch artists as well as several other art objects, such as the collection ‘Surprising Tulips’.

Day 6 Thursday: Leiden – via the flower bulb fields – Haarlem 37KM
From Leiden you cycle through wonderful flower beds in the direction of Haarlem. In the period of March to May the bulb fields are blooming, starting with daffodils and followed by hyacinths, tulips and lilies. Once in the city of Haarlem you make a short tour through the city to see some typical ‘hofjes’ (almshouses), old houses around a central courtyard, now usually housing elderly people. These ‘hofjes ‘ are definitely worth a visit. Haarlem, which rendered its name to Harlem, New York, is a lively city with good shopping possibilities. The ship is berthed in the city centre, with a view of St Bavo’s Church and with easy access to the Grote Markt with its many outdoor cafés.

Day 7 Friday: Haarlem – Amsterdam 40KM
From Haarlem you sail to Spaarndam, a picturesque village on the edge of Haarlem, in the direction of Amsterdam. Spaarndam’s name comes from the dam built in the Spaarne River to limit the danger of flooding from the sea. Here you can find the statue of Hansje Brinker on the IJdijk. Hansje is a character from an American novel, which saved the country from flooding by putting his finger in the dike. The Buitenhuizen ferry takes you across the North Sea Canal and from there you cycle to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans, with its traditional weatherboard houses, warehouses and windmills may give you the feeling of stepping back into the 17th or 18th century.Yet this is no open air museum, but a lively neighborhood where people live and work. Among other things a cheese farm, a clog maker and an old bakery can be visited here.

Day 8 Saturday: Amsterdam, end of the tour after breakfast, before 10 am.

Please note that itinerary is indicative and can be changed by the guide or skipper due to weather or waterway conditions.