Amsterdam - Maastricht: Bike & Boat

More fun in Holland

On this bike & ship trip with Amsterdam and Maastricht you won't only discover two wonderful Dutch cities, but also a varied landscape on the right and left side of the Maas. Cozy villages, interesting cities like the glass city of Leerdam with its famous glass blowing factories, the Belgian Renaissance town of Maaseik, as well as a traditional Dutch cheese dairy want to be visited. Culinary and cultural-historical treasures lie on your way. Marvel at Weil Castle and the beautifully restored castle gardens of Arcen. You will cycle along one of the most beautiful sections of the Maas Cycle Route. In parts, the Maas winds only through flat gravel banks, shipping traffic runs parallel to the river, and the Maasplassen offer a flat river landscape with a multitude of small lakes. Even in Holland, this is a paradise for cyclists!

Your ship: MS Sarah

The Sarah is a comfortable and cozy passenger barge. During the conversion of the barge from cargo vessel to passenger barge, the owners of the Sarah decided to choose quality instead of quantity. The Sarah is spaciously built for a small group of passengers and offers an attractive, “feels-like-to-be-at-home” atmosphere. The Sarah sails under Dutch flag. The ship has ten comfortable cabins (10 m² – 108 sq.ft.). There are six twin cabins with two single beds, two twin/triple cabins with two single beds and a bunk bed and two double cabins with one double bed. In one of the twin cabins, on prior request the beds can be set together. Each cabin has a private shower, toilet and basin. The cabins all have a ventilation system, central heating and windows that can be opened. Furthermore, you will find a mini safe and hair dryer in each cabin. The corridor is air-conditioned, thus also cooling the cabins. On the upper deck of the Sarah you will find the cozy air conditioned open lounge with large windows, a TV, a dining area and a bar. Wi-Fi is available. Please note that due to the mobile network connection, the quality is not always stable. The barge also has a beautiful sundeck, partially with awning. On nice evenings you can have diner over here and while cruising, you can enjoy the scenery.

1. day Amsterdam – Weesp | testride in Weesp (11 km/6 mi.)

Embarkation in Amsterdam at 2 p.m., followed by a boat trip to Weesp. In the afternoon, take a short tour through the beautiful old town with its buildings from the 17th-18th centuries, the many canals and pretty windmills.

2. day Utrecht/ Vianen (47km/29mi)

You cycle beautifully along the meandering river Vecht, whose banks are lined with magnificent villas and country houses. On the way, visit a traditional Dutch cheese dairy, where cheese is still made according to the old craft. In the afternoon, in the cathedral city of Utrecht, you will rejoin the ship and sail along the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal to the old fortified town of Vianen.

3. day Vianen – Gorinchem (41 km/25 mi.) | Gorinchem – Heusden

Today you cycle through a typical Dutch river landscape to the glass city of Leerdam, whose first glassblowing factory dates back to 1765. The Royal Glass Factory, found in 1915, today produces bottles in bulk but also stylish unique pieces. Marvel and look over the shoulders of the glassblowers before you cycle to Gorinchen on the Waal. In the evening, a boat trip to the beautifully restored fortress town of Heusden.

4. day Heusden – Oss | Oss – Cuijck (40 km/24 mi.)

During breakfast your ship chugs to Oss. Wide and leisurely the river flows along. Enjoy the beautiful views of the river, the good cycle path and the town of Grave, the most besieged fortified town on the Meuse, before you meet your ship again in Cuijk with its well-preserved baroque organ (1639-1650).

5. day Cuijck – Arcen (53 km/32 mi.)

Look forward to a fantastic bike tour through the Maasduinen National Park and Weil with probably one of the most beautiful moated castles in the Netherlands from the 14th century. Your varied route leads through heath, forest and dunes to Arcen. Visit the famous castle gardens here with the Rosarium, rose gardens, the water and sculpture garden, the shade garden and the Mediterranean and tropical gardens.

6. day Arcen – Venlo – Roermond (50 km/30 mi.)

Today you cycle sometimes on the right and sometimes on the left side of the river Maas. Discover the lively town of Venlo with its numerous historical monuments and Kessel, one of the oldest villages on the Maas. Cycle through Beesel, which won the gold medal in the Entente Florale competition in 2014, to the pretty shopping town of Roermond. Since 1559 a bishop's town, the city at the Maas with its many historic buildings not only has a lot of charm to offer.

7. day Roermond – Born (42 km/25 mi.) | Born – Maastricht

Through dreamy villages and the beautiful countryside of the vacation province Limburg you cycle to the famous excursion town Thorn, which is also called the 'white village' because of its cobblestone streets and whitewashed houses. Take a tour and stroll through the old streets before the Maas Cycle Path takes you across the border to Maaseik, Belgium, famous for the painters Hubert and Jan van Eyck. Marvel at the typical houses from the Renaissance period with impressive gables. Afterwards you will go by boat from Born to Maastricht. Look forward to this beautiful city with its Roman roots. The heritage of 20 centuries of history is omnipresent in the historic city center. The legacy of 20 centuries of history is omnipresent in the historic city center.

8. day Maastricht departure

End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.

Worth knowing about the bike & boat bike tour

Below you will find specific information about the bike & boat bike tour in Holland. If you have any further questions about this trip, just give us a call: Tel .: 06421 - 886890.

Important instructions

Any necessary changes to the itinerary due to wind, weather and nautical features are reserved for the skipper as captain of the ship at any time!

For all bike & boat tours, separate cancellation conditions apply, which you can find in our terms and conditions.

Arrival by car

The ship's landing point is usually close to the train station. You will receive final information on the location of the ship with the detailed travel documents before you start your journey.

If you arrive by car, we recommend that you first drive to the jetty and drop off your luggage and, if necessary, your bicycles there. We then recommend using the parking facility specified below.

Parking in Amsterdam

If you come to Amsterdam by car, we recommend that you use the parking service from Amsterpark.nl, which we offer with a pick-up and delivery service ("Valet Parking"). You will receive a registration form with the travel documents.

Valet Parking:

With valet parking, you drive your own car to the ship, from where your car is driven to a monitored parking area by a driver. A driver is waiting for you in front of the ship who will help you with your luggage. The driver, who knows the location and the vehicle, brings your car to a parking lot, where your car is parked under constant surveillance by cameras; When you return from the trip, your car will be in front of the ship within about 30 minutes of your call, so you can get on and drive off.

Benefits of the Amsterpark valet service

No waiting times, no loss of time, no bus journeys on / off / transfers, no need to carry luggage.

Since you reserve in advance, you can be sure that there will be a parking space.

You are immediately at your destination without having to take a taxi or public transport.

Your car is parked safely and guarded.

Reliable and responsible drivers with the appropriate papers take care of your vehicle.

Amsterpark valet parking is cheaper than many public car parks in Amsterdam and is accessible 24/7.

What does Amsterpark's valet parking cost?

Valet Parking: For only approx. € 170 you can park your vehicle (car) safely and guarded for one week, including 2 x transfer services for your car.

Possibility to arrive by train

The ship's landing point is usually close to the train station. You will receive final information on the location of the ship with the detailed travel documents before you start your journey.

Current DB timetable information can be found very practically at www.bahn.de.www.bahn.de

Available rental bikes

So-called unisex bikes are available as rental bikes (suitable for men and women). They all have the 7-speed gear hub with coaster brake and are available in different frame heights. Therefore, please state your height when booking. Electric bikes can also be provided on request.

Bring your own bike

You can take your own bike with you to a limited extent. There is little space available on the ship  for a surcharge: € 10.00 per regular bike or € 25.00 per electric bike. Advance registration is required to bring your own bike.

Luggage

For reasons of space, we would like to ask you to refrain from luggage with a hard shell, the storage space in the cabin is very limited!

Outside

Plan

double cabin

on the deck

common room

Salon MS Sarah

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

An up-to-date overview of applicable measures and travel and safety advice regarding Covid-19 for all countries in the EU and Switzerland can be found here:
https://reopen.europa.eu/en/

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.