perfect trip!
Cycling from Utrecht
Bike Tour: Cycling from Utrecht - 6 days
Our four round tours take you into areas of natural beauty and past many forts, castles and interesting historical fortified towns. The landscapes are varied, and several rivers and lakes adorn your route. A recurring theme is the Dutch Waterline, a former defence line with forts, sluices and fortified towns. Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park.
Some say that the canal city of Utrecht is one of the most beautiful in Europe. The largely low-traffic city centre, built around the Dom tower, is best explored on foot and has many cosy cafés, national monuments and even world heritage. If you are into art, Christian art museum Catherijneconvent is highly regarded. More modern: Utrecht is the town of Miffy (by Dick Bruna), and designer / architect Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964). To find out the story behind the wharves along the Old Canal, opt to take a boat trip.
After a hearty buffet breakfast, set off on your first tour! This day of cycling will take you along rivers and canals and through a variety of landscapes. You will cycle to the historical town of Culemborg and back to the centre of Utrecht. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (1870-1940) was an important military defence line in Dutch history. Canals and sluices made it possible to inundate large expanses of land to keep an advancing enemy at bay. In places where inundation was not possible forts were built, blending in with the landscape. Also part of the defence line: fortified towns – great favourites with the tourists of today. Because the line is 85 km long, it is known as the largest national monument in the Netherlands. For many decades, the military zone was off limits to the public; and there was a building ban for the surroundings. That’s how the zone became a green corridor, where nature was left alone and wildlife flourished. Good news for the cyclo-tourist! In the nature reserves you will come across impressive forts that are worth a visit. Guides will inform you about the military history and the ingenious system of hydraulic engineering that made inundation warfare possible. Recommended highlights of the day are Fort Vechten; a unique kind of quick dam called plofsluis; the fortified town of Vianen; and the old town of Vreeswijk with its boatyard, (museum) harbour, exposition on inland navigation, and three locks.
Shortcut: If you wish, you can shorten the route by 5 km by taking a ferry at Fort Everdingen, the very cool home of brewery Duits & Lauret. Here you can relax for a while, enjoying a specialty beer and various tasty snacks.
Follow the river Vecht out of the city to De Haar Castle, the largest castle in the country, restored in 1892. Beautifully executed in neo-Gothic style, the castle welcomes visitors to tour its fully equipped kitchens, servants’ quarters, and stunning rooms and halls. Take the time to stroll through the beautiful gardens. Next, get back on your bikes and follow the River Old Rhine to the fortified town of Woerden. Its history goes back many centuries: In the local history museum you will find Roman remains. Then proceed via Lange Linschoten to Oudewater where you can opt to visit the Weighing Hall (1482) where women used to be weighed to determine whether they were witches. Step on the scales to find out if you would have been deemed light enough to fly on a broomstick. Afterwards, enjoy the natural scenery along the River Hollandsche IJssel, which will lead you to the fortified town of Montfoort. Full of historical buildings, it merits exploration. At the end of the day, follow the River Leidse Rijn into the centre of Utrecht.
Shortcut: You can shorten your route by 9 km by skipping Oudewater and the small rivers Lange Linschoten and Hollandsche IJssel.
Oostelijke Vechtplassen is the collective name for a 7,000-hectare nature reserve, largely the result of long-term peat extraction. It is a low-lying fen complex in a polder, a peat wetland and lake district important to many bird species, Situated to the east of the River Utrechtse Vecht, the central part is the famous water sports area 'Loosdrechtse Plassen'. You will first cycle along its southern border, passing several New Dutch Waterline forts. Then you will cycle along the River Vecht, its banks dotted with posh country houses. If you wish, you can visit a series of beautiful old villages such as Maarssen, Breukelen, Loenen aan de Vecht and Vreeland. Subsequently, you can do some bird spotting while you weave between the lakes. Finally, you will reach Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. Whilst you follow its border, feast your eyes on fields of heather (in August). Take your time to enjoy several panoramic views. The wetlands at Tienhoven and Molenpolder are beautiful. In freshwater succession (from open water to reedbeds to dry land to woods) sometimes a floating mat (or quaking bog) can develop. This very rare habitat type can be found here! A floating mat of sphagnum mosses and other vegetation, anchored by sedges, on the surface of the water (or on top of very wet peat). The wide-open peat meadows around the farming villages of Westbroek and Groenekan emanate tranquillity.
Shortcut: You can shorten your route by 8 km by skipping Vreeland and later the nature reserves at Tienhoven and Molenpolder. Instead cycle directly to Groenekan.
From Utrecht, follow the Kromme Rijn and the Langbroekerwetering canal to Wijk bij Duurstede. The countryside is characterized by the alternation of meadows, orchards, castles and stately country houses. You will also cycle through the woods at the edge of Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. The town of Wijk bij Duurstede has a rich history. Between the 7th and 9th centuries it was known as Dorestad, a center of international trade. The ruins of Duurstede Castle and Castle Park are worth a visit. Nearby St. John the Baptist / Great Church is a national monument. It is a Gothic pseudo basilica with an unfinished tower. On your way back to Utrecht, enjoy the natural beauty of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Eventually you will reach the town of Doorn and its impressive castle, Slot Zeist, surrounded by a beautiful English landscape park.
Longer route: You can also take a 8 km longer route. After Wijk bij Duurstede, follow the “Limes”, the old frontier of the Roman Empire, along the Lower Rhine. The beautiful village of Amerongen and Amerongen Castle are worth cycling the extra distance.
After one last satisfying hotel buffet breakfast, your holiday will come to an end. It is time to go home.
Starting dates:
Daily from April 1 till September 25
| Price pp | € | |
| Double room, breakfast | 479.00 | |
| Single room, breakfast | 754.00 | |
| Extra night double room, breakfast only | 80.00 | |
| Upgrades pp/night | € | |
| Hotel Mitland, Utrecht | 40.00 | |
| Rental bike | € | |
| Child bike | 77.00 | |
| Hybrid | 91.00 | |
| E-bike | 196.00 | |
| Extra services | € | |
| Bike Breakdown pass | € 5.60 x 5 | 28.00 |
| Child seat | € 7.00 x 5 | 35.00 |
| Bike theft insurance | € 4.20 x 5 | 21.00 |
| E-bike theft insurance | € 8.40 x 5 | 42.00 |
| Tag-along bike | € 14.00 x 5 | 70.00 |
| Child trailer | € 25.20 x 5 | 126.00 |
| Bike helmet | per piece | 10.00 |
| SGR | per piece | 5.00 |
Starting point:
Utrecht
The hotels and the B&B on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. A list of the accomodation we work with appears below. If a certain accomodation is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will try to request a comparable alternative if possible.
When selecting the accomodation, we try to take into account as much as possible a safe and closed bicycle shed. However, we cannot do this with all of them guarantee and this partly depends on the number of bicycles of other guests.
If you don’t bring your own bike, you can rent one from us. Our touring bikes are 24-speed gear. You can find all the information regarding our rental bikes below.
You will find your rental bike waiting for you at your first hotel. The hotel reception staff will give you the keys for your bikes and direct you to the bicycle shed. All bikes are provided with chain locks.
Why the Dutch don't wear helmets!
Instruction video hybrid bike and e-bike
Our hybrid bikes have 24-gears with hand brakes.
The hybrid bikes are circa 16,5 KG.
The e-bikes have a small electric engine and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric engine. The weight of the e-bike is ca. 25 KG. We recommend a minimum height of 160 cm for the e-bike.
For children who are at least 120 cm, we can also arrange bikes (these are 24”or 26” for children that are bigger than 140 cm).
The child bikes come with at least 7-gears and hand brakes.
The maximum body height for a child’s bike is 155 cm.
24" child bike:
26" child bike:
All our rental bikes come with a bell.
Brakes
All our adult bikes come with hand brakes.
Childseat
For children up to 30 months old (max. 15 KG) it is possible to rent a front child seat. This is not possible with e-bikes, due to the display.
For children older than 30 months (max. 22KG) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.
Both front- and rear child seats are €5,- per day.
Helmet
Helmets are not mandatory in the Netherlands, but can be rented for €10,- per piece.
Available sizes: Adult: 54-61 cm, Child: 50-55 cm (only available for children over 5 years).
Lights
All our bikes come with both front- and rear lights. You need to push the button on the lamp and it will flash three times. This means that the lights will automatically start working when it gets dark.
When you push again, the lamp will flash one time and the lights will be turned off.
Locks
Our bikes come with a defender lock with plug in chain (cable lock that is attached to the regular lock, see picture).
You need to turn the key a bit, take out the pin from the cable lock and attach it to a pole/other bike/fence etc.
When you push the pin back into the regular lock, you need to lock the regular lock as you always do, and both locks will be secured.
Pannier
1 pannier is included at the 'standard' bikes and the e-bikes.
Height: 42 cm
Depth front to the side: 17 cm
Wide top: 32 cm
Wide down: 23 cm
Volume: 20 liters
It has an easy click-on/click-off system. The panniers are water resistant, so everything will stay dry.
Pedals
The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals.
Quickrelease
All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars.
Repairkit
There is one small puncture kit included, which can be found in the pannier. In case a rental bike has another problem, we always advise you to go to a bike repair shop or call the bike breakdown emergency number which is provided in the travel documents when you book this extra service.
Saddle
Saddles can be adjusted in height without using any tools, see ‘Quick Release’.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover.
Waterbottles
Dutch Biketours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.
We have a limited amount of tandem bikes available on request.
Tandem bikes are suitable for two adults only.
The tandem bikes have a frame size of 48 cm.
We mostly use the Victoria Spezial 8.7.
This tandem bike comes with 24-derailleur gears or nuvinci gears.
The height of the handle bars on a tandem bike cannot be adjusted.
We have limited family tandem bikes available on request.
The family tandems have 7-gears and can be used for one adult and one child with a minimum body height of 125 cm.
A tag-along bike is a good option for children between approx. 100 cm and 125 cm, as they can pedal themselves and on their own pace but don’t have to worry about other traffic.
Child trailers can be rented for a maximum of two children who are up to 100 cm (max. 35 KG in total).
We mostly use the XLC Duo 2 child trailer.
Child trailers are not possible in combination with e-bikes.
Mile after wonderful mile of untroubled cycling is what we would wish our clients. However there is a minimal chance of breakdown along the way. If this thought is a nagging worry to you, a Bicycle Breakdown Assistance insurance policy may ease your mind. If you buy this insurance from our partner ANWB pechhulp in advance, their service is as follows. The costs are €4,- per bicycle per day. If your bike breaks down by the roadside an ANWB bicycle repair man will drive to you in his repair van and fix your bike so you can continue your tour. You won’t have to pay him repair costs. If you are cycling on your own bicycle you will be charged for any new spare parts your bike may require. If you are renting a bicycle through Dutch Bike Tours any new parts are at our expense. If it turns out the bicycle cannot be repaired on the spot, or if you can't continue cycling, the repairman can drop you off somewhere in his van. One companion plus bikes may join you in the van.
Do you wish to insure your bike against theft? The cost is € 3,- per day per standard hybrid bicycle.
For an electric bicycle, premium bike or racing bike: € 6,00 per day per bicycle.
Please see the General Terms and Conditions for Bicycle Hire and Insurance.
If a rental bike gets stolen or damaged, we will hold the client responsible.
If your insurance does not cover this event, you will have to pay the costs yourself.
Article 1 Bike Rental Price
The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the Dutch Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.
Article 2 Payment
a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.
b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, Dutch Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.
c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.
Article 3 Rental Period
a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (the departure day), as stated in the booking confirmation.
b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.
c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.
d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip.
e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).
f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. Dutch Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.
Article 4 Improper Use
a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.
b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.
c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.
d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.
Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft
The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.
Article 6 Theft Insurance
It is possible to purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance. Covered are: damages arising out of the theft of the bicycle; and damages to the bicycle as a consequence of the theft. Not covered are: theft of bicycle parts; and damages arising out of attempted theft.
Article 7 Theft Insurance Premium
a. The premium for Bicycle Theft Insurance is € 3,00 per day per standard hybrid bicycle. For an electric bicycle € 6,00 per day as well for a Premium bike and racing bike.
The number of insurance days is the same as the number of cycling days as stated in our booking confirmation.
Article 8 Liability in the Event of Theft
a. If you did not purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us before the start of the holiday, you will be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.
b. If you did purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us, but you failed to lock the wheel lock and failed to produce the original wheel lock key and failed to produce an official theft report drawn up by the police, you will still be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.
Article 9 Costs During the Rental Period
Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs.
5 nights included
4 star hotel
Tourist tax included
Breakfast included
Detailed roadbooks with maps and tourist information
The possibility of renting our bikes
7-days a week service-hotline
Utrecht Centraal
Parking possibilities at the hotel
GPS-tracks available
Any ferry crossings are not included
Nearest Airport is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
The train from Schiphol to Utrecht departs 4 times per hour. Travel time is about 30 minutes. A single ticket costs approx €10- per person excl. bicycle.
For timetables and tickets, go to www.ns.nl/en. For bus details, how to reach the hotel, check: www.9292.nl/en.
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Cycling from Utrecht
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Celsiusweg 12/12A
6662 PX Elst
Nederland
info@dutch-biketours.com
+31(0)24 324 47 12
