2006

Holland

Adventure Itinerary

Day 1 - Monday: Biking to Slot Zeist - 10 miles After meeting in Amsterdam, we shuttle to our first night’s lodging. After lunch, we get ready to ride. You’ll roll to the castle “Slot Zeist” dating from the 17th century. Tonight we enjoy our first dinner together at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Meals included: L & D
Day 2 - Tuesday Biking to Breukeleden - 18, 35, or 50 miles Today we start out with a ride to the quaint village of Breukelen. Like its American namesake, Brooklyn, NY, it has a bridge too, but that’s where the similarity ends! After exploring the town square, you’ll hop on our private charter boat for a leisurely cruise up the scenic River Vecht. A popular spot for Dutch pleasure cruises, the river is lined with mansions dating from the Dutch Golden Age and ornate flower gardens. After our boat ride we stop at a family-run dairy farm where you can learn how Gouda cheese is made and sample the nine varieties of their cheese. After our tour you have the option to either shuttle to the next hotel or bike the rest of the way past the pastoral lands to our lodging. Meals included: B, L & D
Day 3 – Wednesday: Biking to Naarden– 14, 46 or 56 miles After breakfast, we ride toward the landlocked sea, the Ijsselmeer and the impressive Muiderslot Castle. After strolling through its galleries containing suits of armor, we head on to the double-moated and walled village of Naarden. You’ll not doubt the historical necessity of the wall after learning of the 1572 massacre when Spanish occupiers killed 800 residents of this now peaceful village. After lunch in Naarden, you’ll have the choice to shuttle back to our inn or continue biking. Meals included: B, & D
Day 4 – Thursday: Biking to Leiden – 19, 32 or 51 miles We shuttle out to the coast today to the town of Zandvoort. We’ll bike through the dunes along the Noordzee, known in English as the North Sea. We continue biking to the university town of Leiden where we’ll get to step inside the working windmill there. After enjoying lunch in Leiden, you’ll have the choice to shuttle to our next accommodations or bike the remaining distance. Tonight you are free to explore the restaurants in the area or taxi to Den Haag, you may know it as the Hague, to dine there. Meals included: B & L
Day 5 – Friday: Biking to Delft - 21, 34 or 53 miles We start the day with a bike ride to the beautiful town of Delft, home of the artist Vermeer and setting for the recent book and film “Girl with a Pearl Earring” based on the painting of the same title. You’ll tour the Royal Delft ceramics factory and see how this famous hand-painted pottery is made in the same manner as it has been for over 400 years. We then will walk around Delft to learn the history of this beautiful town. After lunch, you have to option to shuttle or bike back to the hotel. Tonight we enjoy our final dinner at another Michelin-starred restaurant and recount our many adventures from the week. Meals included: B & D
Day 6 – Saturday: Biking to Mauritshuis – 11 miles This morning we enjoy our final bike ride for the week into Den Haag to the Mauritshuis museum, home to a variety of Dutch masterpieces including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. The famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring” will be there for you to view. After our ride we enjoy lunch at the hotel before shuttling back to Amsterdam and say our goodbyes. Meals included: B & L

PLEASE NOTE:

The nature of adventure travel is the unexpected sometimes happens. It’s part of the experience. In order to enjoy our trip to the fullest, we need to embrace change and be open to some fluctuation. Thus, the above itinerary is subject to change depending on a variety of factors. In every case, we will endeavor to make you aware of changes as soon as possible, but, occasionally, we must make changes immediately prior to, or during, a departure. We strive to offer the best quality trip for each area and will make every effort to offer a comparable or better vacation. Rest assured, our goal is to leave you with the best possible experience so that you’ll choose to travel with us again and again.

Lodging Information

Our trip lodging is at three small B&Bs. All are comfortable offering private bathrooms and are conveniently located near the center of the quaint Dutch villages and towns we stay in.

Trip Price Includes:

Lodging for five nights
13 of 16 meals
Museum admission fees and all activities mentioned in the trip itinerary
Bike rental
Services of professional AMERICAN trip leader(s) & Local Guides
Van support as needed
Transportation during the trip
Porterage service

Meeting & Departing:

While you may prefer to arrive just in time for the trip start and depart the day the trip ends, you may prefer to add time before or after the trip in the Amsterdam or elsewhere. We easily accommodate you either way. We will pickup you up at a hotel in Amsterdam at noon on the meeting day and drop you off at your hotel in Amsterdam or at the airport, as you desire, around 2:00 pm on the day the trip ends.

Planning Flights:

Amsterdam is served by Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport, airport code: AMS. The following major airlines serve this airport.

Air Canada
Air France
British Airways
Continental
Delta
KLM
Northwest
United
US Airways

Arriving: If you are arriving the day the trip starts, then please schedule your flight arrival time before 9:30 am.

Departing: If you are departing the day the trip ends, then please schedule your flight departure time after 5:00 pm.

If for some reason you are unable to arrive or depart at these times, then please contact us before booking your flights. We will make every effort to meet your needs, but should we be unable, you may need to arrange your own ground transportation at your own expense. The cost is considerable (US $100+) for the taxi ride to/from the trip start and end hotels, so it's best if you try to fly at the recommended times.

Flights from the West Coast run about $900-1200 and take 10-15 hours depending on connection times. Some non-stop flights are available. Because of the 9-hour time change added to the flying time, most flights to Europe depart in the evening and arrive the following morning. On the way back to the US the time change cancels out most of the flying time, so the arrival time is typically just a few hours later than the departure time.

Flights from the East Coast run about $700-1100 and take 7-12 hours depending on connection times. Some non-stop flights are available. Because of the 6-hour time change added to the flying time, most flights to Europe depart in the evening and arrive the following morning. On the way back to the US the time change cancels out most of the flying time, so the arrival time is typically just a few hours later than the departure time.