Beauty in Bloom: A Cycle & Barge Adventure in the Netherlands

A great trip with sights that have to been seen to get the full impact of the beauty and scale of the tulips in Holland. Very friendly and accommodating locals.

This was my first Road Scholar trip. The leadership team was available and friendly. I would suggest not doing the parade, there is no way to get into town via bus in the afternoon. I would suggest to go to the tour to see the floats in Jub Holland, and see the floats once in town after the parade. The gardens offer this tour. They also offer an opportunity to volunteer to help with the flower floats. I was able to do so before our tour and it was a highlight. A semi guided tour might be a little safer, as following 12 people in town became difficult and resulted in many falls. I loved having the barge as base, so we didn’t have to pack and unpack daily. E-bikes were a big help. My fellow travelers were all so kind and approachable! Loved it!

The biking and tulips were amazing! Be sure you are comfortable biking in crowded conditions! Vehicles, bikes and pedestrians oh my!!

What a wonderful week! The opportunity to bike through the villages and countryside of The Netherlands during Spring time was magical! Windmills, canals, fields of tulips and the famous Kuekenhof Garden made each biking excursion an adventure. Participants need to be comfortable riding bike in some high traffic conditions, around many other bikers and at times, automobile traffic. Starting and stopping in these situations was difficult for some with the additional weight of batteries on e-bikes. However, I would definitely recommend the use of an e-bike due to the amount of riding! We had a very friendly group and great leaders who made the week one that we will always remember!