Welcome to the historic city of Haarlem, your bikes will be ready to collect on arrival at your hostel along with all of your trip information.

Your accommodation is right next to a small park called Schoterbos, which is great to stretch those legs after your travels and get used to your bikes while exploring the beehives and flower gardens. Your base is just out of the city centre to give you time and space to get used to your bikes and cycling on Holland’s cyclepaths but be sure to make your way down to the city centre to see historical Haarlem in its full glory. There are lovely pavement cafes and restaurants and there is plenty to explore with museums such as the free archaeology museum for local finds and the wonderful old Teylers Art Museum. Alternatively, visit the De Adriaan Windmill and climb to the top for a view of the city.

• Meals: Breakfast

Today you can continue to explore the lovely city of Haarlem before setting off for the coast. Navigation for your trip is straightforward and something all the family can get involved with. Your route each day follows a network of numbered and signed cycle junctions so with your handy list of junction numbers it’s easy to share the navigation and everyone can have a go at looking out for signs and finding the way.

Everybody knows that this part of Holland is low-lying, so what stops the sea from flooding the land? Along most of the coastline it’s the sand dunes! Cycling towards the coast, as soon as you spot the dunes, you know that the sea can’t be far off. The whole family can go hunting for seashells, tiny hermit crabs, enjoy jumping waves and building magnificent sandcastles! You’ll finish back in Haarlem after your first cycle of the holiday.

• Meals: Breakfast

You’ll be heading north today through the woods and dunes of Santpoort-Noord before your first stop at the town of IJmuiden, located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal. This industrial stop is quite a change from traditional and rural Holland but still quite fascinating! You can take a look at the blast furnaces at the steelworks and if you are lucky to see the famous lock system in action it can be quite mesmerising to see how it works to allow boats of all sizes to pass through to Amsterdam.

After crossing the huge canal by ferry (free for people and bikes) you’ll continue north through flat countryside to Heemskerk and your accommodation in the thirteenth century Assumburg Castle. This hostel is a dream come true. Surrounded by a moat and gardens it certainly looks the picture and perfect for those young princes and princesses!

• Meals: Breakfast

This will be another day well-spent, enjoying the coast at Castricum by the Sea. The route today is a little shorter to give you plenty of time to roam the sand dunes and relax at the seaside. Hopping back on the bikes it’s another leisurely cycle back to your castle for the night.

• Meals: Breakfast

The spotlights are on the Zaan Region today, named after the River Zaan. The region is famous for its traditional architecture: green-painted wooden houses and windmills will be a regular sight on today’s cycle! Visit the popular area of Zaanse Schans, where you can find out about Dutch cheese making and how clogs are made! Explore the traditional windmills and climb right to the top to explore the view! If you fancy a break from cycling be sure to stop off in Het Twiske to give those legs a rest. This afternoon you can put all your cycling practice into use as you take the city cyclepaths into Amsterdam.

• Meals: Breakfast

Today is dedicated to exploring Amsterdam. The city is packed with beautifully unique shops, fantastic museums, galleries and parks, and you could also lose yourself for a day simply wandering the maze of beautiful canals and narrow lanes! If you are looking for more cycling be sure to visit Vondel Park, a great green space stretching for 120 acres. And for relaxing on the waters edge make sure you check out Oosterdok where you can see a replica of the 17th century sailing ship “The Amsterdam”. If you want to board the ship, go to the National Maritime Museum and you’ll be in for a very interesting afternoon!

• Meals: Breakfast

The cyclepaths get gradually quieter today as you cycle out of Amsterdam and back into the peaceful Dutch countryside. You will pass through the picturesque village of Spaarndam which was built around a dam across the River Spaarne and where you can see Kolksluis lock which is the oldest working lock in Europe (1280). When back in Haarlem make sure you find the “Little Hero of Haarlem” statue which is a Dutch folktale for children about a boy who stops the town from flooding by sticking his finger in a hole in the dam!

You will spend your final evening back in Haarlem so be sure to get any last minute sightseeing and a celebratory drink and ice cream!

• Meals: Breakfast

After filling up at the breakfast buffet, it’s time to make sure you have all your belongings, pack your bags and make your way home from your Dutch Family Adventure.