Overview

Your Trek Travel guides will meet you at Restaurant IJ-Kantine at 9:00 AM on the first day of the trip. You can reach the IJ-Kantine with a 10 minute taxi ride from the city center or with a free ferry service from Amsterdam's Central Station. This former factory on the shores of the river IJ (pronounced similarly to "eye") in North Amsterdam has been converted into one of the most unique restaurants in town. After a short round of introductions, your guides will discuss the rules of bike safety and specific cycling tips for riding in the Netherlands before familiarizing you with your Trek bicycle and ensuring a comfortable fit. Then it’s off on your first ride towards the seashore and along the canals to Edam, well-known for its rich tradition in cheesemaking. Stop here for a sample, but don’t sit too long, as we have several charming Dutch villages to spin through on our way to Beemster and Schermer, both historic UNESCO World Heritage sites. Both are known for the low-lying land that sits below sea level, known as polders, which are bounded by dikes on all sides. We’ll cap off today’s ride with lunch at a local restaurant followed by a shuttle to The Hague, our home for the next three nights, which just happens to also be the home of the Dutch royal family!

Overview

Wake up to a great day planned for you in the Netherlands! After a delightful breakfast with your new friends, you’ll take off to the coast and ride through a "Dune Park" and picturesque coastal towns to arrive to the flower bulb region. From here, you'll continue through fragrant, colorful fields of tulips and flowers with our eyes set on the biggest and most impressive flower garden of the Netherlands, Keukenhof. Take a stroll and breathe in the floral air, as this garden is a sheer delight for all your senses, and truly a one-of-a-kind destination! Choose to shuttle or ride back along the famous Dutch canals to The Hague by the university town of Leiden, the center of the flower bulb region and the birthplace of Rembrandt. Dinner tonight will be together in The Hague's old town at a charming, locally-celebrated restaurant.

Please note: The Keukenhof flower garden typically closes in mid-May, which marks the end of the tulip season. While dates vary with the weather, if you're hoping to see tulips, we recommend choosing a trip between late March and early May.

Overview

This morning you'll discover windmills, canals, and the Netherland's most famous food on today’s adventure. It starts with a 45-minute shuttle to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinderdijk. The canals, mills, and pumping stations of Kinderdijk are a testament to engineering that endures, keeping water under control for 700 years. Choose to ride around the windmills and then get up-close and personal with a visit to the museum mills for the backstory of these marvels. Then, it's off to Cheese Valley to taste the Gouda goods with our local friend and cheesemaker. Together we’ll learn the process of what it takes to make perfectly-aged, rich, delicious cheeses like Gouda. After the cheese tasting and lunch, it’s time to get back on your bike and head toward the cheese capital, the namesake town of Gouda. You can choose to stop here and shuttle back to the hotel or continue on our Avid option through rural areas and nature preserves to Delft, home of the Dutch Royal Family and Johannes Vermeer. This town is also known for amazing, hand-crafted pottery and an extremely vibrant town square. Stop and take in the sights before riding all the way back to our hotel. Dinner tonight is your choice in town, and your guides will be happy to provide you with their favorite recommendations!

Overview

Are you ready to cross international borders by bike today? After breakfast, a two-hour shuttle takes you to Breskens on the Dutch seaside. Begin your ride along the scenic sand dunes, then head inland towards the distinguished city of Bruges. En route, pause at the picturesque town of Sluis, a charming village where you'll enjoy some time to explore and have lunch. From Sluis, you'll soon cross the border into Belgium and continue along a canal all the way to Bruges. This capital city of West Flanders is known for its unique look and feel, with plenty of cobbled streets, canals, and pristinely maintained medieval architecture. This evening, we’re headed to the oldest family-run brewery in the area, De Halve Maan, where you can taste the unique Brugse Zot beer, which will taste extra-refreshing once you've conquered the 220 steps on your brewery tour! Tonight's dinner is on us as you explore Bruges on your own; your guides will direct you to a carefully chosen restaurant where you can dine at your preferred time.

Overview

Fuel up at breakfast and prepare to explore the Belgian countryside with its black and white cows, green meadows, and polders. This day is yours to decide how to spend it best: You can either pedal through the countryside to the coastal town of Oostende and the unique open-air museum of Raversyde or spend the day in town and explore all the delights Bruges has to offer. If you decide to visit the museum, you’ll get an up-close look at an unimaginable living piece of history, the Atlantic Wall. This imposing structure, built from 1942 to 1945, spans 5,000 kilometers along the North Sea and Atlantic coast. It's a remarkable testament to the German defensive line, featuring over sixty concrete bunkers, passageways, observation posts, and artillery positions. Lunch today is on your own, start with dessert and head back to Bruges for a traditional Belgian waffle or seek out other lunch options in town. You can either shuttle back to the hotel or ride back along the canals to Bruges. Tonight is a special, last celebration of our time together, as we salute our discoveries, accomplishments, and newfound friendships over dinner at a truly unique restaurant experience in Bruges.

Overview

As all good things, our trip has come to a conclusion. Enjoy an early morning easy spin to the scenic villages of Moerkerke and Damme or choose to sleep in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. You’ll say your final farewell to your guides at The Pand Hotel at 11:45 AM. A private Trek Travel shuttle to Bruges Central Station will depart from the hotel at 12:00 PM noon. Please do not schedule a flight out of Brussels airport before 5:00 PM on the last day of the trip to allow plenty of time for any unforeseen delays.