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Slow Lane Magazine, May 2019
Insights and stories from across Europe and beyond
  • favourite (but oft-forgotten) festivals
  • Nepal's secret valley
  • boutique beauty in Drôme Provençale
  • carving out a future in southern Italy
  • Inntravellers' Tales – our new writing competition
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A Taste of Holland

Edam & Amsterdam
 
South of the famous cheese-making town of Edam, archetypal Dutch landscapes provide perfect cycling terrain. While your luggage is transported, cycle self-guided via pretty villages and fishing harbours to iconic Amsterdam, for a day of sightseeing.
A Taste of Holland. 4 nights
A Taste of Holland. 4 nights
 

Holiday information

 

A short cycling break in Holland

North of the bustling cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam is one of the most fertile landscapes in Europe, a verdant peninsula lying between the great sand dunes of the North Sea and the picturesque shores of Ijsselmeer. From the idyllic fishing harbours on the eastern seaboard to iconic Amsterdam, on this short break you will experience a real taste of all those things that make up quintessential Holland.
From the famous cheese-making town of Edam, discover delightful landscapes of traditional harbours, majestic windmills and typical dike-houses, before a fitting finale in Amsterdam. 
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    It can be sometimes be windy, so we recommend packing a windproof jacket, whatever the time of year.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 5 5 8 12 16 19 21 21 18 14 9 6
    mm 67 46 60 48 52 61 71 70 75 82 88 80
  • Arrival in Edam
    Night 1: at Hotel de Fortuna (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day cycling.
  • Choice of routes from Edam: 48km or 59km

    Circular route from Edam via Zaanse Schans: 59km
    This first option is a pleasant circuit that will take you inland to the historic museum-village of Zaanse Schans, which includes working windmills, hump-backed bridges, traditional green wooden houses and workshops dating back several hundred years, before returning to Edam.

    Circular route from Edam via Marken: 48km
    The second option heads to the harbour town of Volendam, where the local inhabitants wear traditional, colourful costumes throughout the summer. You then continue by ferry (pay locally) to the former island of Marken (now a peninsula), from where you cycle parallel to the waters of Ijseemeer, a good place for bird watching – ducks, geese and waders are common, but you may also spot rare bitterns, ospreys and bluethroats. Finally, you pass through handsome Broek, with its wooden houses, to return to Edam.
    Edam
  • Edam to Amsterdam: 41km
    Leaving Edam, you head south to the fascinating city of Amsterdam along quiet roads and cycle paths, making use of a couple of the cheap river boat services to cross some of the canals along the way. To enter the city, you must pass through the Stelling van Amsterdam (Defence Line of Amsterdam), a 135-kilometre-long ring of fortifications consisting of 42 forts and protective lowlands which could be flooded during times of war. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other places of interest on the approach to the city centre include a tower from where wives bid goodbye to their sea-faring husbands, Amsterdam's oldest market square, a church with connections to Rembrandt, and the green open spaces of Vondelpark. Your destination is the Hotel Apollofirst, where you spend two nights.
    Cycle from Edam to Amsterdam
  • Explore Amsterdam
    Enjoy a day exploring Amsterdam with our included city walking tour around the quieter canals of the western Grachtengordel (canal district). Follow our well-chosen route to discover what life on the canal is really like by visiting the Woonbootmuseum (Wooden Houseboat Museum), before sampling one of the 350 Dutch beers on offer at t'Arendsnert, a friendly Dutch beer cafe.
    Alternatively, you may prefer to wander round the truly spectacular Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum, relax at one of the many waterside cafés, or take a boat trip on the canal to admire the terraces of narrow 17th-century merchants’ homes, characterised by large windows and decorative gable tops.
    Amsterdam
 

Accommodation

After starting in a cosy, family-run inn, you move on to a high-quality city hotel.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter.
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NB: this should be used as a guide only. Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in significant variation by the time you come to pay.

  • 4 nights: 30 March - 30 September 2019

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    30 March - 25 May £645 £315
    26 May - 7 September £680 £330
    8 - 26 September £645 £315
    3rd & 4th person discount £0
    Single traveller supplement £75

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Electric bikes available: add £74 per person

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

    4 nights: 30 March - 30 September 2019

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    30 March - 25 May £840 £315
    26 May - 7 September £880 £330
    8 - 26 September £840 £315
    3rd & 4th person discount £0
    Single traveller supplement £75

    Includes all elements in the 'cycle price', plus standard-class travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet International to Lille or Paris, with onward travel as described below.

    Electric bikes available: add £74 per person
    Included travel: return UK-Brussels (Eurostar), Brussels-Amsterdam (Thalys). Approx duration 6h30, plus connecting travel. On the outward journey, pay locally for taxi/bus Amsterdam-Edam; on the homeward journey, pay locally for taxi to Amsterdam Central.

    If you book your holiday less than 3 months in advance of your travel date, seats may no longer be available at the tariffs on which our prices are based, but we may be able to offer you seats on the sames services at a supplement.

    4 nights: 30 March - 30 September 2019

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    30 March - 25 May £775 £315
    26 May - 7 September £810 £330
    8 - 26 September £775 £315
    3rd & 4th person discount -£85
    Single traveller supplement £160

    Includes all elements in the 'cycle price', plus a return ferry crossing between Dover and Calais with P&O Ferries for your party and one car.

    Electric bikes available: add £74 per person

    A supplement of £35 per car per single journey applies for outbound travel 5-7 Apr & 19-21 Apr, and for inbound travel 21-22 Apr 2019. A supplement of £45 per car per single journey applies outbound on Fridays & Saturdays 24-25 May & 12 Jul-17 Aug 2019 inclusive, and inbound on Saturdays & Sundays 1-2 Jun & 19 Jul-2 Sep 2019 inclusive.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel de Fortuna
    Superior: 30 Mar - 30 Sep 2019 £22
    Superior with waterside terrace: 30 Mar - 30 Sep 2019 £28
    Hotel Apollofirst
    Superior: 30 Mar - 30 Sep 2019 £30

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike (except in Amsterdam)
    Hotel Apollofirst (B&B) Double room Single room
    31 Mar - 30 Sep 2019 £112 £210
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Amsterdam

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Amsterdam. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Belfast Intl. - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe,  KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Bristol - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Cardiff - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Doncaster Sheffield - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe 
    Outward route Airline
    Durham Tees Valley - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Nottingham East Midlands - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Edinburgh - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Exeter - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Inverness - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe,  KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Amsterdam Schiphol jet2 
    Leeds Bradford - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Liverpool - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe 
    London City - Amsterdam Schiphol British Airways 
    London City - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Amsterdam Schiphol British Airways,  easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Amsterdam Schiphol British Airways 
    Heathrow - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London Southend - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe 
    Manchester - Amsterdam Schiphol easyJet 
    Manchester - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Amsterdam Schiphol Air France,  KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Southampton - Amsterdam Schiphol Flybe 
    Southampton - Amsterdam Schiphol KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Amsterdam. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you. We charge £30 per person for our flight booking service (£50 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Amsterdam

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Amsterdam Schiphol airport to Amsterdam Centraal (0h30), bus Amsterdam to Edam (0h45), walk Edam to hotel (0h10) pay locally 1800
    direct taxi Amsterdam Schiphol airport to hotel (0h45) £65 flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    shuttle bus First Hotel Apollo to Amsterdam Schiphol airport (0h40), direct taxi (0h45), walk hotel to tram stop (0h10) then tram & train to Amsterdam Schiphol airport (0h20) pay locally varies
    direct taxi hotel to Amsterdam Schiphol airport (1h) £34 flexible
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 1 dinner
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • high-quality bicycle
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help.
  • Our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a Dutch city bike with 7 gears; a waterproof map case on handlebars; panniers/saddlebags; pump; puncture repair kit; and a lock. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking. The bike shop also has a limited number of tandems.
  • While we would always recommend that you take your own well-fitting helmet, they can be hired locally for a small fee. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hire a helmet.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes.)
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.
  • You do need to make sure you’re covered, because it’s you who is responsible for any damage to or loss of the bike during the holiday. You should always lock it (preferably to an immovable object) and remove any easy-to-steal accessories when leaving it unattended. The travel insurance policy that we offer covers you for loss and damage (provided you’ve locked or stored it appropriately). If you are arranging your own insurance, but it doesn’t cover bikes, we can provide bike-only cover for £19 per person. More details >
  • We can book a wide range of airlines and routes from the UK. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. For Europe and Morocco, there’s a £30 booking fee per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). For India and Nepal, the booking fee is £50 per person. More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to buy our policy (if you live outside Europe you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK and EU residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Holland, but not a visa (if you are travelling after 31 October 2019, see the Brexit question below for more information). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice can be found through the following NHS link: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/ You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). UK citizens should also obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) by applying at a Post Office or at www.ehic.org.uk. The EHIC allows reciprocal health care but should not be seen as a substitute for travel insurance. EHICs may cease to be valid in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
  • Dutch is the most commonly spoken language. The currency is the Euro. Dutch time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • Even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, it’s been confirmed that flights will continue as normal and that you won’t need a visa to go on holiday (the limit on stays is 90 days). What you will need if there’s no deal is a passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival (extra months added because you renewed your passport early do not count) and adequate travel insurance to cover you for accidents and illness in case reciprocal health deals are suspended. If you are driving while on holiday, you will probably need an International Driving Permit (plus a Green Card if you are taking your own car to Europe). More information >
  • The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.
    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
Last fetch time is : 7/17/2019 8:02:47 AM