Authentic Holland & Germany tour

Day 1: Amsterdam – Volendam

Afternoon check in. Merlijn will sail for Volendam, where we’ll stay overnight. There will be a welcome drink and introduction of the crew. Also, we’ll inform you about the tour and the ship, and give you a safety briefing. Dinner will be served during the cruise. In the evening there is an evening stroll of charming Volendam.

*Please note that we will not visit Amsterdam & Bremen during the tour, we strongly recommend staying a few days pre-and-after the cruise, to see and visit those cities.

Day 2: Volendam – Lemmer. Bike tour: 30-35 km or extend to 55-60 km

Your breakfast is served and an informative bicycle introduction will be held. Your guide will tell you all about traffic rules and cycling in a group. Only after everyone is fitted on their bike, the bike tour gets started. Leading you through one of Netherlands' 12 provinces called ‘Noord-Holland’. You will cycle along Peat-polder-landscape, and partly along the former ‘Zuiderzee’, visiting small towns like; Edam, Middelie, Beets and Hoorn.

After a picknick lunch on-route (prepared by the chef), you will soon see Merlijn, waiting for you. Here you can choose to board, or to cycle on along the country side. Late afternoon you’ll reach Enkhuizen, where there are still many remnants of the Dutch East India Company period, such as the iconic 16th century Drommedaris tower. Enkhuizen was also the home of the Merlijn architect in 2001.

After a brief visit, everyone will get onboard to enjoy an afternoon cruise, Merlijn will cross the ‘IJsselmeer’ Netherlands’ biggest inland lake. After dinner, you may want to stroll through the centre of Lemmer, a very famous Dutch water sports town.

Day 3: Lemmer – Leeuwarden. Bike tour: approx. 45-50 km

While enjoying your breakfast, we will sail through the province of Friesland, where there is more water than land, and you will see many lakes and canals. Because this part of the country is below sea level, you will see sailboats, but merely their sails, as the boat hulls are situated too low down to see; a very interesting experience. The famous black and white Frisian cattle, and the well-known black Frisian horse breeds originated here. Friesland is also the home of many famous Dutch skaters.

Your biking tour stars in the area surrounding Sneek, one of the eleven Frisian cities. After visiting Sneek, with its medieval centre and famous Watergate, you’ll bike through the Frisian landscape to the capital Leeuwarden. Here we will stay overnight. You can stroll through the city with its monuments, marketplace, canals and medieval houses. Leeuwarden is the starting and finishing point of the Elfstedentocht (11 cities tour): a 200 km-long speed skating race over the Frisian waterways that is held when winter conditions in the province permit.

At Merlijn, we have a long-standing tradition of experiencing the local cuisine by dining ashore on one evening. At the start of the trip, we will let you know which evening this will be.

Day 4: Leeuwarden – Groningen. Bike tour: approx. 30-35 km or extend to 50-55 km

After breakfast, your bike tour takes you through more charming unadulterated Frisian landscape, and at the border with the province of Groningen, afternoon you will board the Merlijn. Together we will sail into the city of Groningen. This is the capital of the province Groningen, the most north-eastern province of The Netherlands. It’s a lively university city with perhaps even more bikes than you’ve seen in Amsterdam! At night you may want to visit one of the city’s 160 pubs.

Day 5: Groningen – Leer. Bike tour: approx. 30-50 km

Where we normally design the program around the bike tour, today is entirely devoted to the tides of the Dollard & Ems River, and we will determine the bike tour based on nautical priorities. That actually sounds more exciting than it is, because Merlijn's professional captain and guide know this area like no other. In short, this means that part of the distance will be sailed and another part cycled.

Today, you will cruise or bike your last part in the Netherlands through the landscape of Groningen, along the Dampsterdiep, passing Appingedam, which is still a very appealing smaller-sized city. Many original medieval premises can be found in the centre. The most famous sight is the hanging kitchens above the Damsterdiep.

The last port of call of the Netherlands is Delfzijl, from here we will cruise an impressive part of the tour. First the Dollard, part of the Waddenzee, and then into the estuary of the river Ems. Crossing the border to Germany. We will follow this river until Leer, where we will stay overnight. After dinner, you can walk through this charming city, still close to the Dutch border.

Day 6: Leer – overnight dock. Bike tour: approx. 40-45 km or 55-60 km

Your first ride in Germany starts after breakfast, on the way you’ll pass by Papenburg, a small town which is known for its large shipyard, the Meyer-Werft. They specialize in building giant cruise liners. The history of Papenburg goes back much further in time though: some 350 years ago, poor peat farmers started with the foundation of the oldest and largest fen community of Germany. You’ll visit the Meyer Shipyard, after which your bike tour leads you further along the Ems, cycling through the floodplains of the river, a nature reserve. Also today our route is slightly determined by the tidal river Ems and captain will choose the best overnight dock accordingly.

Day 7: overnight dock – Oldenburg. Bike tour: approx. 40-50 km

Breakfast while Merlijn cruises the Küstekanal, a 70 kilometre long connecting canal between the Ems and Weser rivers. Your bike tour goes partly along the canal and more inland. Passing by Draw-and bascule bridges connecting the banks, with flower-decorated houses located alongside. We’ll end the day in Oldenburg, famous for Germany’s first major pedestrian zone, situated in the province Lowe-Saxony.

Day 8: Oldenburg – Bremen. Bike tour: approx. 40 km

Your biking day will start in Oldenburg, and you will bike along the waters of the Küstekanal, Hunte and Weser rivers, to a northern district of the city of Bremen where you can board Merlijn. Together, we sail the Weser to the Schlachte, our mooring spot for the night. You will enjoy a superb view sailing into the city of Bremen. The 1200-year-old Hanseatic city of Bremen is home to the Weser Renaissance town hall and the grand old statue of Roland on the market square (both UNESCO World Heritage); these are two of the city's most famous landmarks.    

And then of course there is the Schnoor Viertel, the oldest district in Bremen, with its unusual buildings along the delightful little Böttcherstrasse taking you back to a bygone age. But no sightseeing tour is complete without a visit to the Town Musicians statue featuring the donkey, dog, cat and rooster from the Brothers Grimm fairy-tale, the Bremer Stadtmusikanten.

Day 9: Bremen

After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip or leave for the airport. We recommend you extend your stay in Bremen by a few days, there is so much more to see!