Varied and cosmopolitan
Cycling tours in the Netherlands
They say that the story of the Creation had run a slightly different course in the Netherlands. Here, God first created man who then worked for him separating land and sea with dikes and polders. This was the genesis of land for acres and colonies. However things were created, the result is definitely great. Windmills, canals, tulips, beach, recreation, sports, pure nature, towns and culture are waiting for Dutch visitors. Besides a varied and multifaceted landscape, tourists are regaled with Dutch delicacies from kitchen and cellar - in the evening or in between.
Bike perfect
Where better to cycle than in the Netherlands? The cycling nation offers the best bike lanes with perfect signage, extra traffic lights placed at the height of cyclists, guarded bike parking garages, cycling fast lanes and much more in terms of bike infrastructure. Look forward to a country where cyclists have a real lobby and to bike & boat tours, radial bike tours, beach and city tours.
Renaissance, Mix of Styles and Modernity
The town houses along the many Dutch canals are built in different architectural styles: Gothic, Baroque, Rococo or Historicist. Typical of many of these buildings, however, is the Dutch Renaissance, a Nordic offshoot of the Italian. Ornamental columns, triangular gables or decorative obelisks are common features. Often one finds a mix of styles. Common to them all is the mostly narrow construction. Finally, the so-called Amsterdam School, a Dutch architectural style, emerged at the beginning of the 19th century and represents a more expressionist approach to classical modernism. And, of course, you will encounter windmills and tulips.
Culture
Diverse cultural influences continue to shape the Netherlands to this day. The country is truly multicultural, with a wide variety of faiths represented. Painting is highly valued: Rembrandt and van Gogh came from here, after all. If you are interested in dance, you should visit a performance of the Nederlands Dans Theater. Jazz fans are in for a treat at the North Sea Jazz Festival, the world's largest jazz festival in The Hague. The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam will delight classical music lovers. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays concerts at the highest level and is world famous.
Pannekoeken and Poffertjes
Sure, everyone knows the Goudse Kaas, the Gouda cheese. But does the Dutch specialty Bitterballen mean anything to you? The deep-fried and breaded balls made of beef taste delicious. Raw herring, or haring as it is called in Dutch, is often eaten as an appetizer, usually with onions and pickles. The Dutch national dish, however, is Stamppot - a stew of various vegetables, potatoes and smoked ham. If you're more into sweets, you'll love pannekoeken, pancakes. They are usually topped with sweet, or sometimes with savory. Finally, poffertjes are mini pancakes baked in the small cavities of a pan and often served sprinkled with powdered sugar. Popular beverages are mainly black tea or coffee, a Kopje Koffie must be several times a day, but also drinking yogurt or cocoa. Otherwise, the Netherlands is beer country, Amstel and Heineken are the names of the major breweries.
Dikes and mudflats
On our cycling tours you will experience the whole diversity of the Dutch landscapes.
Dikes and polders give them a peculiar structure, and every now and then, of course, you'll pass a windmill. For example, cycle through the flat polder country, a former lake and marsh area that was drained in the 17th century, and around the IJsselmeer. The "sea" is actually the largest freshwater lake in the Netherlands, also created by draining and damming with the construction of a dike and polders.
Cycle through green landscapes, past canals and drawbridges or to extensive sandy beaches and dunes from which you can look far out to sea. In Zeeland, too, the land was separated from the sea by dikes and polders, on which beautiful bike paths run today. In the West Frisian Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lie the Wadden Islands, from which you should definitely take a mudflat hike to get to know lugworms and co.
