Cycling along the Rhine in two countries
The lightest cycling holiday, covering largely flat terrain, suitable for everyone and people of all ages; with distances to 45 kilometers. You spend about 4 hours on your bicycle.
Cruising on a boat and cycling through a colorful countryside is the perfect recipe for a successful holiday. Biking and active during the day, the boat accompanies you along the river to welcome you at the day’s goal as your floating hotel. And if you do not want to cycle you can enjoy the tour on board, admiring the passing scenery!
We follow the Rhine valley downstream, first through industrial areas where we learn about the important history of the river, later wide and flat along farmland and meadows. You will enjoy the gorgeous river scenery of the rivers Rhine and IJssel, first in Germany and later in the Netherlands. We also bike along the edge of National Park de Hoge Veluwe with its abundant scenic. The last part of the tour you will bike through the flat, peaceful countryside of Holland, with the famous windmills along the way. You bike along the winding river Vecht with its impressive mansions on its banks and you visit a real Dutch cheese farm, where cheese is still produced according to traditional method. Apart from the beautiful landscape, you will see cultural highlights, art treasures, and you can enjoy regional culinary specialities.
Cycling in a cycle country
Our carefully selected routes will lead you along the most beautiful spots of the country. The average daily distance is around 45 kilometers. Most participants prefer riding in a group with the cycling guide, but you can also ride individually. A road book is included (1x per cabin). Gps-tracks can be provided by e-mail.
Prices per person 2021
Sailing Home
26 June - 07 August
Twin cabin € 1.159,-
Single use € 1.659,-
01 May - 19 June & 14 August - 28 August & 25 September - 02 October
Twin cabin € 1.285,-
Single use € 1.840,-
04 September - 19 September
Twin cabin € 1.405,-
Single use € 2.010,-
Supplements:
Reservation costs € 20,- per booking.
Contribution Dutch Guarantee Fund € 5,- per person (Insolvency Protection)
Extra options:
Rental bike per week € 95,-
E-bike per week € 180,-
Insurance for rental bike € 20,-
Insurance for e-bike € 40,-
Special diet (gluten free, vegan) € 50,- per diet (possible on request up to 14 days prior to start of the tour)
Boarding is between 3PM and 4PM. You are expected on our barge on Saturday at the latest 4 PM. You can recognise the barge by the banner with Cycletours written on it. The name of your barge is printed on the voucher, which you will receive separately. After arrival there’s coffee and tea on board. Other drinks are also available on cash payment. If you want you can bring your luggage in advance, from noon onwards. The mooring place of the barge in Cologne/Köln is Rheinau Sporthafen Köln GmBh, An der Kaimauer (Rhenaniahaus), Bayernstrasse 28a, Zip-code 50678.
The nearest international airport to the embarkation point of the barge is Frankfurt Airport (FRA). You can take a direct train to Cologne (Köln Hauptbahnhof). Travel time is about 1 hour.
From the station in Cologne you can take a taxi to the mooring place of the barge (Bayenstraße 28a). The tour ends one week later in Amsterdam, so another possibility is to fly to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). From the airport you can take the international train to Cologne (Köln Hauptbahnhof). Travel time is about 3 hours (changing trains once) and a one-way ticket (2nd class) costs about € 35,-.
The nearest train station to the embarkation point of the barge is Cologne Central Station/Köln Hauptbahnhof. A taxi ride from the station to the mooring place (Bayenstrasse 28a, Köln) takes about 5 minutes. It costs about € 15,-.
The parking guidance system tells you where and how many free parking spaces can be found in Cologne’s city centre car parks: car parkings
The tour ends one week later in Amsterdam on Saturday morning after breakfast before 10 AM. You will spend the night from Friday to Saturday on board.
The mooring place of the barge in Amsterdam is at the Oosterdok (near Science Center: ‘NEMO’, Oosterdok 2); 1.2 km/o.75 miles from the Central Station in Amsterdam. You can take the train to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. There is a direct train that leaves 6 times per hour from Amsterdam Central Station to Schiphol Airport . It takes about 16 minutes. The price for a train ticket Schiphol-Amsterdam is € 4,20 per person for a single journey, 2nd class. Should you have an early flight, no problem. You may leave as early as you need to. Should you need to travel to Frankfurt Airport you can take the international train from Amsterdam to this airport. Travel time is about 4 hours and a one-way ticket (2nd class) costs about € 55,-.
On this tour the following barges are scheduled
Rental bikes on this tour.
Imagine a floating hotel sailing to the next stage, while you are calmly pedalling along. No lugging of luggage: that is exactly what Bike & Barge is all about! In the pleasant atmosphere on board you can have a chat, go through the day with the others, and enjoy the meals prepared specially for cyclists. In the evenings you can enjoy a drink in the salon or admire the setting sun on deck. Do not expect a cruise ship with its passive luxury. The Bike & Barge Holidays are for people who really enjoy the physical activity of cycling and who value sociability more than wholesale luxury.
Free WiFi is (limited) available in lounge and on deck.
The captain/skipper, the chef and your tour guide all welcome you warmly. They are prepared specifically for these trips and will provide good and safe passage, good meals, and a friendly, pleasant atmosphere. They will, of course, also give you a great deal of interesting information during and after the cycling and sailing. The skipper is responsible for the smooth running of things on board; the cook is in charge of the catering. A tour leader accompanies you during the bike ride and can assist in case of breakdowns. He/She will be your guide to point out the things of interest along the way and is multi-lingual (Dutch/English, some speak German and/or French).
Your chef is used to cook delicious meals for hungry cyclists. Besides an extensive breakfast, you will also be offered a packed lunch for on the road. It consists of different types of bread and sandwich fillings, juice, a snack and a piece of fruit. Lunch package needs to be prepared by yourself after breakfast. Dinner is different every day. There is a first course, main course and dessert The meals on board are included in the price, as are coffee and tea. Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks can be obtained at a reasonable charge. When you return on board after the day’s cycling, a cup of tea or coffee with a biscuit will be waiting for you.
If you suffer from food allergies or food intolerance (such as lactose- or gluten- intolerance/-allergy) v if you have special meal requirements (vegetarian; pescetarian; vegan meals; gluten free meals etc.), we ask you to mention this when booking, but at the latest until 14 days before arrival. Diets which need a special preparation or special ingredients can only be offered in limited form. We will do our best to meet your needs, but we also ask for your understanding as due to limited logistic possibilities on a barge we are not able to prepare complete specialized menus and special food requirements cannot always be met in all details.
In case of vegan meals, gluten free or lactose diet, there is an additional charge. This charge is € 50,- per diet/ per person/per week when you order the diet when booking and € 100,- per diet/ per person/per week when ordering on spot.
One of the most attractive aspects of the Bike & Barge holidays is that you encounter an international company on board, including people from e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, France and United Kingdom. It’s a great opportunity for you to get to know various cultures at the same time! We have people of all ages, solo travelers, couples and also families with children (during the school holidays).
