Itinerary

Day 1 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Depart U.S./Fly overnight to Paris

Depart from the U.S. for France. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Day 2 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Arrive in Paris/Begin your Pre-Trip Extension

Upon arrival at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) Airport, claim your luggage and clear customs. If your luggage is lost, fill in a PIR form before leaving the customs area - VBT representatives are not allowed into the customs area. Please note: Make sure that your VBT luggage tags are attached to your bags. This helps the representative identify you.

After exiting customs, enter the arrival hall and look for your VBT representative or driver, who will be holding a VBT sign. Your representative will welcome you to France and arrange for your transfer via taxi or van (approximately 60 minutes depending upon traffic) to your Paris hotel. At this time, please verify with your airport representative the time of your transfers to the Paris Gare du Nord train station for your train to Amsterdam. Important: If you are delayed in meeting your VBT representative at the CDG Airport, please call 06 72 07 59 24 or 06 15 15 15 25 from within France. Outside of France, call +33 672 07 59 24 or +33 615 15 15 25.

VBT provides you with a City Information Packet in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Paris. Use the rest of the day to relax or to begin exploring Paris.

Day 1 of Air Package Depart U.S./Fly to Amsterdam

Depart from the U.S. for the Netherlands. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Day 3 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Independent exploration of Paris

Today, see for yourself why the City of Light has inspired poets, lovers, emperors and artists for centuries. Visit Montmartre and its charming cafés and artists' colony. Here, too, is the Moulin Rouge, made famous by Toulouse-Lautrec in his vivid and colorful artworks. Or venture to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral on the Île de la Cité for a gargoyle's view of the city. You have plenty of time to stop at the Eiffel Tower or the magnificent museums, like Musee Picasso or the Musee d'Orsay. Take a stroll through the Tuileries Gardens on your way to the Louvre. You can walk to many of the major sights from your centrally located, 4-star hotel.

Day 2 of AIR PACKAGE Arrive in Amsterdam

Upon arrival at the Amsterdam airport, claim your luggage and clear customs. If your luggage is lost, fill in a PIR form before leaving the customs area – VBT representatives are not allowed into the customs area. (Please note: Also make certain your VBT luggage tags are attached to your bag so your VBT representative can identify you.) After exiting customs, enter the arrival hall and look for your VBT representative, who will be holding a VBT sign and who will make arrangements for your transfer via taxi or minibus to your Amsterdam hotel (transfer time is approximately 20 minutes depending on traffic).

Important: Transfers are provided by Schiphol Taxi, who will be looking for you and carrying a VBT signboard. You may be approached by other companies offering a transfer. Please use only Schiphol Taxi, telephone +31 (0)655 70 30 69. Transfers provided by any other company will be at your own expense.

Please note: If you cannot find the VBT representative, or have been delayed due to a delay in customs or lost luggage, please go to the Red & White Meeting Point and wait there.

Please note that the hotel check in time is 3:00 p.m. but they will do their best to get you to your rooms as soon as possible. After checking in to your hotel, you have free time to explore Amsterdam. VBT provides you with a City Information Packet in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Amsterdam

At 6:00 p.m., one of your VBT Trip Leaders will meet you in the lobby of the hotel for a short welcome meeting. Then, try one of Amsterdam's wonderful restaurants for dinner on your own.

Day 4 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Transfer by train from Paris to Amsterdam

Meet your VBT representative in the hotel lobby. The representative will have a group train ticket and help you transfer to the Paris Gare du Nord train station, where you board a train for Amsterdam (approximately 3 hours). En route, you will pass through the countryside of northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Get off the train at Schiphol Airport. After disembarking the train, take the escalator up into the arrivals hall and meet your transfer representative from Schiphol Taxi, who will be holding a VBT sign, at the meeting point – a huge red and white checkered box opposite where you purchase train tickets. Please use only Schiphol Taxi, +31 (0)655 70 30 69. Transfers provided by any other company will be at your own expense. You will then be transferred to your hotel (transfer time is approximately 20 minutes depending on traffic).

Please note that the hotel check in time is 3:00 p.m. but they will do their best to get you to your rooms as soon as possible. VBT provides you with a City Information Packet in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Amsterdam. Use the rest of the day to relax or to begin exploring Amsterdam.


At 6:00 p.m., one of your VBT Trip Leaders will meet you in the lobby of the hotel for a short welcome meeting. Then, try one of Amsterdam's wonderful restaurants for dinner on your own.

Day 1 OF BIKE TOUR Embark barge/Warm-up ride/Cruise to Wijk bij Duurstede

VBT No-Air Package guests: You are responsible for making your own way to meet our barge, the Iris, and to arrive between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m. Please note that you cannot arrive before this time as the barge is being prepared for your arrival. If you are late, you must contact the barge as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements, as we sail shortly after this time. The barge will be moored in Oosterdok, near the entrance of the NEMO museum behind Amsterdam's Centraal train station. Contact telephone number is 0651 437 444 from within The Netherlands or ++31 651 437 444 from abroad. Please refer to the information listed in the tour handbook.

VBT Air Package and Pre-Trip Extension guests: After breakfast, make sure your luggage is packed and ready to be transported to the barge. At 9:30 a.m., meet one of our VBT Trip Leaders in the hotel lobby for a guided walking tour of Amsterdam, visiting many of the city's highlights. Board the barge at 12:45 p.m. in order to depart at 1:00 p.m. At the docks, meet the barge crew and your second VBT Trip Leader, who will welcome you aboard with refreshments. Cruise out of Amsterdam on the IJ waterway, catching glimpses of houseboats and floating houses. The barge stops at Nigtevecht for your warm-up ride, which follows the river Vecht. This evening, gather onboard with the group for a welcome dinner while sailing to Wijk bij Duurstede. Once moored, you might like to take an evening stroll into town.

Day 2 of BIKE TOUR Cycle in the Hoge Veluwe National Park

Breakfast is served during our cruise along the Nederrijn. Our Trip Leaders teach us useful phrases during a brief language class before we arrive in Wageningen, where our ride begins. Bike through the Veluwe forest to Otterlo and then enter the Hoge Veluwe National Park. Cycle the beautiful biking trails through the park, with an optional visit to the Kroller-Muller Museum, famous for its Van Gogh collection. Our short riding option ends in the park, with a shuttle to the barge, which by now will be moored in Arnhem. Our long riding option continues through the park to the southern exit at Schaarsbergen and on to meet the barge in Arnhem. After dinner on board, our Trip Leaders will walk with you to see the “Bridge Too Far” over the Lower Rhine and explain its connection in World War II history. We moor tonight in Arnhem.

Day 3 of BIKE TOUR Cruise to Doesburg/Cycle from Doesburg to Zutphen/Guided tour of Deventer

This morning, the barge sails into the Ijssel River to the town of Doesburg. From here, cycle through the pretty farming community of Bronkhorst and visit its lovely windmill before continuing to Zutphen. Here you meet the barge for an included lunch onboard. In the afternoon you can choose to remain onboard the barge and cruise to Deventer or cycle there along the river. This evening, meet a local guide and enjoy a walking tour through this Hanze city. Stay in town to enjoy one of our guide's recommendations for dinner on your own. The barge is moored in Deventer overnight.

Day 4 of BIKE TOUR Home hosted discovery/Visit Hattem and Kampen

During breakfast, we cruise to Wijhe before starting our cycling to the tiny Hanze village of Hattem, crossing the river by a local pedestrian ferry. Our trail takes us through open countryside and through a small forest park before cycling along a small canal to the old lockkeeper's cottage and home of two of our friends, Alice and Jaap van Zaal, for a home-hosted picnic. After lunch, you can either join the barge at Spooldersluis or continue cycling to Kampen. This evening, in preparation for tomorrow's visit to the “new lands,” our Trip Leaders will describe the continual process of land drainage in the Netherlands. Dinner is served on board this evening. After dinner, enjoy a walk through the historic Hanze city of Kampen and learn about its old religious academy and many churches.

Day 5 of BIKE TOUR Old fishing ports of Elburg and Harderwijk/Typical pancake lunch

Again this morning, we sail during breakfast. Our destination is Roggebot Lock, where we start cycling through the woods along the fringe lakes of newly reclaimed land. We arrive at the old fishing village of Elburg, where we have time for a walk through town before continuing through agricultural and forested areas to Nunspeet. Here you can join the locals for lunch at a typical pancake restaurant as our treat.

Our afternoon route continues through forest and heather areas to the old fisherman's town of Harderwijk. This evening, enjoy a walk through the town where renowned botanist Carl Linneaus and medical doctor Herman Boerhaave studied at the Gelderse Academy in the 18th and 17th centuries respectively. In the old city, explore its ancient warrens and gate, a monastery, churches and maybe a famous Dolphinarium of marine mammals. After our walk, stay in town for dinner on your own.

Day 6 of BIKE TOUR Old fishing village of Spakenburg

After breakfast, begin cycling from Harderwijk through the lovely open countryside. The final section of the ride takes you along a bike path to the pumping station at Hertog Reijnout. This was built in 1882 and is the only remaining working pumping station in western Europe that uses external water wheels. From here, continue along the river banks until you reach Spakenburg, where we meet up with the barge for lunch on board. After lunch, you may wish to visit the small local folklore museum (entrance not included) and see the ancient shipyard where wooden boats are still crafted. Keep your eyes open when walking around the village for the ladies who still wear traditional dress.

An afternoon cycling option takes you on a loop through the open countryside around the twin villages of Bunschoten and Spakenburg. An aperitif of Dutch delicacies is followed by dinner on board this evening.

Day 7 of BIKE TOUR Muiderslot Castle/Arrive back into Amsterdam

During breakfast this morning, the barge cruises to Huizen. Here we start our bike ride following bike paths through the forest to fortified Naarden Vesting and to the fairytale castle of Muiderslot. You may enjoy a guided visit of the castle and lunch in Muiden on your own and be shuttled by our van to explore Amsterdam. Or continue cycling via the town of Weesp, along lovely rivers and impressive brand-new city islands to our barge's home mooring in the center of Amsterdam. Dine on the barge one last time this evening.

Day 8 of BIKE TOUR Depart Barge/Discover Amsterdam VBT No-Air Package ends

VBT No-Air Package guests: After breakfast, your tour ends. It is important that you leave the barge no later than 9:00 a.m. Please refer to the information listed in the tour handbook.

VBT Air Package guests and Post-Trip Extension guests: After breakfast, say goodbye to your barge crew and Trip Leaders, then take a short transfer to the hotel. After checking in, you have free time for independent exploration. Please note your rooms may not be ready at this time but the hotel will store your luggage. Enjoy dinner on your own in town tonight. VBT provides you with a City Information Packet in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Amsterdam.

Day 9 of Air Package Depart for U.S. or begin optional Haarlem extension

After breakfast*, meet in the hotel lobby for your transfer to the Amsterdam airport and your flight back to the U.S. Please note: Be sure that you are waiting at the designated time and transfer location.

Important: The transfer is prearranged by VBT and is prepaid. VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

* Note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.

Day 1 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Independent Exploration of Haarlem

If you have chosen the VBT Post-Trip Extension, at 9:00am transfer to your Haarlem hotel. After settling in, enjoy the next few days exploring at your own pace. Please note that your room may not be ready but you can store your luggage. This is an independent extension – there is no VBT representative or Trip Leader. VBT provides you with a City Information Packet in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Haarlem. Earlier in your trip, your VBT representative will have told you your final transfer time. A taxi will meet you on the last day of your extension at the hotel's reception area and will transfer you to the airport for your flight back to the U.S.

From your hotel located in the center of the city, popular sites are an easy walk away. The Frans Hals Museum houses a number of his life-like 17th-century portraits, and the Teylers Museum (closed Mondays) is the oldest public museum in the Netherlands, open to the public since 1784. A stroll through the museum takes you from fossils and minerals to prints and drawings and paintings, from scientific instruments to coins and medals. The Historisch Museum Haarlem, directly opposite the Frans Hals Museum (closed Mondays), has a fifteen minute film about the history of Haarlem along with many different artifacts.

Day 2 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Independent Exploration of Haarlem

Today you may wish to continue exploring Haarlem's ancient city center, voted the best shopping city in the Netherlands, or visit some of the surrounding charms.

If you want to hire a local bike for the day, Spaarnedam is an easy cycle. A quaint old Dutch village, with a nice harbor and a couple of restaurants and bars, it is famous for its statue of Peter, the boy who put his finger in the dike and saved Haarlem from flooding. The National Park De Kennemerduinen is also a very short ride away. Its beach and dunes are well worth a visit and home to breathtaking natural beauty.

Day 3 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Haarlem extension concludes/Depart for home

After breakfast*, transfer to the airport for your flight home. Be sure that you are waiting at the designated time and transfer location.

Important: The transfer is prearranged by VBT and is prepaid. VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

* Please note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.

Netherlands Bike & Barge 2012

Pre and Post Trip Extensions

Pre-Trip Extension

Paris 2012 (Netherlands) - 2 nights for only $545

Begin your adventure with a visit to Paris and see for yourself why the City of Light has inspired poets, lovers, emperors and artists for centuries. Visit Montmartre and its charming cafés and artists’ colony. Here, too, is the Moulin Rouge, made famous by Toulouse-Lautrec in his vivid and colorful artworks. Or venture to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral on the Île de la Cité for a gargoyle’s view of the city. You have plenty of time to stop at the Eiffel Tower or the magnificent museums, like Musee Picasso or the Musee d’Orsay. Take a stroll through the Tuileries Gardens on your way to the Louvre. You can walk to many of the major sights from your centrally located, 4-star hotel.

Available only with the Air Inclusive Package.

Note: Single supplement for this extension is $295.

Post-Trip Extension

Haarlem 2012 - 2 nights for only $295

Haarlem is the capital of the North Holland province and situated in the west of the Netherlands on the river Spaarne. Set amongst typical Dutch landscape, Haarlem is in the center of the flower-growing region, which blooms to its fullest mid-March through mid-May. Best explored on foot, the old town has many interesting buildings and museums to visit. The Teylers Museum is the oldest public museum in the Netherlands and the Corrie ten Boom Museum is one of Holland’s lesser known gems. Haarlem is also surrounded by several pretty villages and the sand-dune coastline. A miniature Amsterdam, Haarlem encompasses the same canal-lined charms and gabled architecture without the tourists and traffic.

Available with Air Inclusive Package only.

Note: Single supplement for this extension is $195.

Accommodations

Millennium Hotel Paris Opera

The Millennium Opera Paris combines the elegance and splendor of the 1920s with modern, comfortable amenities. The hotel features 163 air-conditioned guestrooms with traditional decor in light colors and includes period-style wood furniture with green leather-topped writing desks. All rooms offer satellite television, pay movies, safe, trouser press, mini-bar and coffee/tea-making facilities. En-suite bathrooms include hair dryers. The full-sized desks also feature high-speed Internet connections. In addition to a restaurant, the Millennium Hotel Paris Opera offers a lounge bar where guests can enjoy snacks and drinks by the fireplace and cocktails in the evenings, all with the background of music from the grand piano. Room service is available around the clock. Multilingual staff on the 24-hour front desk can provide concierge services, including theater and opera reservations and transportation arrangements, as well as recommendations on places to visit. Wireless Internet access covers all public areas of the hotel.

Hotel Vondel

A wonderful first-class hotel located in the heart of vibrant, historic Amsterdam, the Hotel Vondel is extremely well suited for every traveler, thanks in large part to its special atmosphere and individual character.

Barge Iris

A luxurious and spacious two-deck, 24-passenger barge with a homelike atmosphere, the Iris was put into service in April 2005. Its 12 comfortable cabins have private bathrooms with showers, and the barge has air-conditioning and heating throughout. Common areas include a dining area and lounge with a bar, and a sundeck at the bow. Smoking is only permitted outside on the sundeck. The barge moors each night.

Drinks of all types are available for purchase at the bar on board the Iris. It is not customary for guests to bring their own wine and liquor onboard; your understanding is appreciated. Onboard meal menus are set, though the chef is happy to accommodate vegetarians and those on restricted diets for health reasons.

Hotel Vondel

A wonderful first-class hotel located in the heart of vibrant, historic Amsterdam, the Hotel Vondel is extremely well suited for every traveler, thanks in large part to its special atmosphere and individual character.

Rating Level

Easy

This tour offers easy terrain through the trip. Our VBT support shuttle is available every day at designated waypoints for those who need assistance.