Warmup Ride in the Tulip Fields - (5-10 miles)

Leiden - We’ll meet at 11 a.m. in the arrival hall of the central station in Leiden, a short train ride from Amsterdam. After lunch and a brief orientation meeting we’ll stroll through Leiden’s beautiful city center. We’ll “follow in the footsteps of Rembrandt” and visit St. Peters Church, where the American forefathers (The Pilgrims) prayed, before they departed to Delftshaven where they sailed on to Plymouth in Massachusetts.

Noordwijk - In the late afternoon we’ll transfer to our charming, four-star hotel in Noordwijkerhout, close to Holland’s famous tulip fields and bordering beautiful dunes. After fitting your bike, we’ll take an optional warm-up ride through the glorious tulip fields just inland from our hotel near the sand dunes. Tonight you’ll hear about the program for the next day and the routine for the rest of the week while enjoying your first scrumptious Dutch dinner in our hotel restaurant.

Noordwijk – Keukenhof - Vogelenzang – Noordwijk – 25 miles

Keukenhof - In the morning we’ll beat the crowds as we make an early visit to the Keukenhof, the world’s most spectacular flower garden with over 6 million bulbs, fantastically arranged amid fascinating outdoor sculptures, ponds, and fountains. Originally this was the 15th century kitchen garden of the Countess Jacoba van Beieren. You’ll certainly want to photograph this sensational display of color. After our Keukenhof visit, we’ll cycle north to Vogelenzang, stopping in one of the many tulip fields to take a group photo. After lunch, Herman van Amsterdam, a historian, writer, tulip expert, and local resident for over 30 years, will join us. He’ll bike with us for the afternoon, sharing the history of the tulip fields and the process of planting and harvesting bulbs. He’ll be able to answer many of the questions you might have about the local tulip industry. We’ll travel through the prosperous villages here, where we’ll admire private gardens in bloom and, of course, more tulip fields! Dinner is on your own tonight.

Noordwijk - The Hague - Delft (37 miles)

The Hague - We’ll say goodbye to the tulip fields and depart Noordwijk, taking a bike path through more of Holland’s most lovely sand dunes (rolling hills!). We’ll pass through Katwijk, a lovely former fishing village, and continue on to the Wassenaarse Slag. Here we’ll leave the dunes and cycle past the elegant estates of Wassenaar. We’ll follow a winding bike path through lovely woods and finally arrive in front of King Willem Alexander’s private mansion. From here, we’ll bike on to the center of the Hague, where we’ll admire many handsome buildings of the Dutch Government and the official palace of the king.

Delft - We’ll have a hearty Dutch pancake lunch before biking the twelve-kilometer distance from the Hague to Delft, where we’ll be staying right in the center of town. Just before we reach our hotel we’ll have a chance to visit a Delft pottery factory where the world-renowned “Delft Blue” china is created. Our dinner tonight will be the famous Indonesian “rijstafel” which features a large assortment of dishes presented on warming plates right on our table. It’s a true feast and everyone always enjoys this night! After dinner we’ll go on a short orientation tour of Delft so you can imagine what you’d like to do on your own the following morning.

Delft Roundtrip (20 miles)

Delft - In the morning you’ll be free to visit the historic center of Delft by foot. You might like to visit the New Church (completed in 1380) where William of Orange is buried, or climb the steps to the bell tower where you’ll have a wonderful view over the red tiled roofs of Delft. You can also browse the town’s numerous shops and boutiques. For lunch, if you’re brave enough, you could try the famous “new herring” at a six-hundred-year-old fish stand near the magnificent town hall.

• Expert multilingual guides available
• Support van for assistance
• Scenic Canal Tour of Delft
• Included lunch to refuel
• Six nights in 4-star hotels
• Delicious dinners provided
• Keukenhof entrance fee included
• Use of bicycles for exploring
• Visit to the Royal Delft Pottery Museum

• Lunch x 1
• Dinner x 2
• Airfare
• Travel/cancellation insurance