Pearls of Holland cycling trip

Arrange for an early arrival and wander the city’s peaceful 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Add a bit of urban buzz with time on the squares: Dam, Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein . . . or venture off the beaten track, hike up Brouwersgracht and hire a canal bike to get a new perspective from the water. Remember: though finding a place to park here is no easy task, your hotel does offer parking for a fee.

Start out early to beat the cultural crowds at the Van Gogh and Anne Frank museums. Then say farewell to amazing Amsterdam, jump on your bike and journey into Kennemerland, a land of polders and small woods, peatlands, gardens and country estates. You’ll spend the night in elegant Haarlem a city full of art and culture, cafes and boutiques.

Explore downtown Haarlem on a city walk to hidden ‘hofjes’, typical historic courtyards with women’s residences set up by church or charity. Marvel at the work of masters from the Dutch Golden Age, including local artists such as Frans Hals (painter of group portraits), Jacob Ruysdael (land- and seascapes) and Pieter Saenredam (church interiors), all on exhibit at the Frans Hals Museum.

In the afternoon take a kaleidoscope ride among Dunes and Bulbs. If you time your holiday right, toward mid-May the flower fields are at their absolute height as tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths bloom into a splendid seasonal attraction. To spend an entire day at the Keukenhof flower exhibition, book an extra night in Leiden. This, the Netherlands’ oldest university town, is humming with cultural events and a friendly atmosphere of canals, monuments, museums and windmills. The historic botanical gardens deserve a special mention.

Take your leave of lively Leiden and glide into peace and quiet once more, riding typically Dutch scenes of orderly man-made rectangles of polders (mostly reclaimed peatlands). Shimmering lakes and lush pastures surround old windmills and farmhouses on your way to the famous city of Delft. With its nostalgic historical charm, Delft enamours as does its dreamy blue and white hand-painted pottery. A place so beautiful that painter Johannes Vermeer lived his entire life here (1632-1675) and the local Vermeer Centre provides illuminating insight into his life and work, though none of his original paintings are on display here.

This stretch of the tour takes you through ‘the Green Heart’, a stronghold against the Randstad’s four-city urban sprawl. Delightful villages balance atop dikes above the polders and your gaze will be drawn far out to the horizon across pleasingly straight rectangles of vibrant green. Wandering Gouda’s romantic canals, you’ll stumble upon the 1450 Gothic town hall, the 1667 weighing house and St John’s with its stunning stained glass. Seek a souvenir of locally made candles and give in to the aroma of hot waffles. In summer, plan your trip so that Day 6 falls on a Thursday morning and meet the cheese market head on (from late June to late August).

Jump on your bike and set off on the longest leg of the tour! Roll through the rural Green Heart of Holland among rivers, polders and lakes, whipping out your binoculars for bird watching. Stop to sample some Dutch-style apple tart to replenish your energy then press onward along the River Amstel. If 72 kilometres seems to be too much for one day, opt to book an extra night in Woerden and break it up into two (38 km and 49 km)!

Your cycling holiday comes to an end this morning. Savour one last hearty breakfast before you take off . . . and don’t forget the chocolate sprinkles!