Luxurious and sustainable cruise and electric bike touring through the best of Europe

Combine a sustainable cruise with lovely guided e-biking and cultural excursions, featuring the best cycling in Northern Europe.

On your electric bike, you pedal along the northern Rhine and Meuse Rivers in three countries: Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Europe's loveliest cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp, are highlighted on this premium cycling vacation. Canals. gabled houses, and spectacular architecture is your urban backdrop. Beautiful, lush green marshland and polder landscapes await you on the rural routes along the coast and rivers.

Your accommodation onboard the luxury Sena sets completely new sustainability standards while offering a six-star deluxe experience. Featuring a standard propulsion system with both electric and diesel engines and state of the art battery storage system, the Sena can navigate almost emission-free.

Life on board is sustainably conscious while providing all the amenities and services you would expect on a luxury cruise.

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Highlights

• Trading cities and biking paradises, Amsterdam and Rotterdam
• Guided and informative tour of Rubens House
• Rijk Museum, Amsterdam
• Medieval splendor of Antwerp including Antwerp Cathedral (marvel at the Assumption of Mary altarpiece)
• UNESCO World Heritage Kinderdijk
• Luxurious and environmentally conscious river cruising
• Guided and supported electric bike touring

Daily program

Day 1: Cologne
Your river cruise begins in the cathedral city of Cologne. Embarkation on your luxury vessel, the Sena begins at 3:00 pm. You can take advantage of the included bus shuttle starting at 2 pm every half hour from the main train station in Cologne to the dock. At 4 pm the ship departs and sails downriver towards Amsterdam offering an incredible view of the famous cathedral, the steeples of the surrounding Romanesque churches, and the modern harbor district. Your dinner this evening will be the first of a wonderful culinary experience, featuring organic and fresh local food.

Day 2: Amsterdam (19 miles/30 km)
The ship navigates in Holland on the Meuse River as you enjoy an informative morning lecture. Amsterdam is crisscrossed with over 80 kilometers of waterways with over a thousand canals lined with picturesque gabled houses and houseboats. These canals served as transportation routes for centuries and now serve as your bicycle gateway to the city. Learn about Amsterdam's past and present through fascinating stories and in the late afternoon, you will have free time to stroll through the old town alleys on your own.

Day 3: Amsterdam - IJssel Sea - Amsterdam (35 miles/55 km)
Today you leave the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam behind. With views of the Amsterdam Tower and the Eye Film Museum, you'll take the ferry across the Amstel River. You'll then ride your e-bike through Amsterdam's Old Holland and through a nature park on the way to Broek in Waterland, then through a rural paradise through fields and farms and past the old villages of Broek, where time seems to have stopped completely. The land is protected by miles of dikes and pumping stations, allowing picturesque villages to flourish and making the region a hotspot for outdoor activities on land and water. Finally, visit an authentic cheese farm to see how cheese and clogs are made.

Day 4: Rotterdam - Delft - Den Haag - Rotterdam (38 miles/60 km)
Rotterdam is the third largest port in the world. However, since the port was moved out of the city to the coast, the cityscape has been transformed. Star architects have redesigned the vacated port areas. Modern architecture with extraordinary skyscrapers have earned the city the nickname "Maashatten". The landmark is the huge Erasmusbrug, which has spanned the Maas since 1996 and is also dubbed the "Swan" by locals. Also worth seeing is the market hall in the center of the city. During the construction work, archaeologists were able to make interesting discoveries. In addition to weapons, tools, pieces of jewelry and kitchen utensils, the remains of a very old farm were discovered. Some of the finds can be seen in the Rotterdam Market Hall. On the way from the first floor to the underground car park, a small exhibition, "time travel" has been created. The deeper you go down in the building, the older the finds become.

Day 5: Dordrecht - Kinderdijk - Dordrecht (28 miles/45 km)
Dordrecht is the oldest city in Holland and its history, wealth and culture are still clearly visible. By electric bike, you cycle to the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, the windmills of Kinderdijk. A thousand years ago, it was still a swampland, made arable over the centuries by the ingenuity of the Dutch. Hundreds of canals crisscross the river valley between the IJssel and the Lek Rivers. A total of 19 windmills can be found here in a very small area, all dating back to the 18th century, built to pump the excess water out of the polders to make the land suitable for agriculture. Along the canals, through the idyllic countryside, you cycle to the ship in Dordrecht.

Day 6: Antwerp - Mechelen (19 miles/30 km)
Culture is the highlight today as you explore Flanders. Glamorous Antwerp is best known today for diamonds. In the 16th century, during the Golden Age, Antwerp was the undisputed economic powerhouse of Northern Europe. The lavishly decorated gables of the guild houses still bear witness to this wealth and prestige today. Names like Rubens, van Dyck, Snyders and Jordaens are inextricably linked with the art that flourished here. Today your tour guides will prepare a tasty picnic for you, a highlight of your idyllic cycling through Flanders. On a guided tour of a brickworks museum, you will learn a lot about the development of this region. The subsequent cycle route along small rivers and canals ends today in Mechelen. The landmark of the city of Mechelen is the huge tower of the Gothic cathedral of Saint Romuald. In the late afternoon, a transfer will bring you back to your ship in Antwerp.

Day 7: Day on the River
While the ship glides calmly along and over the Maas in the direction of Cologne, take this opportunity to enjoy the spa area onboard with sauna and various treatments. In the afternoon, enjoy an exciting lecture in the ship's lounge. On the final evening, a multi-course specialty dinner awaits you in the ship's restaurant.

Day 8: Departure or extension in Cologne
Bid farewell to your new-found friends and the crew.

All distances are approximate. The route may be affected by weather or unexpected canal or lock repairs. The captain reserves the right to alter the course, always with passenger safety as first priority.

Surface and terrain

You ride on low-traffic cycle paths or small side streets along the IJsselmeer and the Rhine. These canals are almost without gradients. Wind can be a factor on the Dutch coast but on an electric bike, all you need to do is to increase the assistance level. As well, included in your tour is a support vehicle which is available at all times.

Boats

• Sena

How to get there

Closest Airport:
Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) or Cologne Airport (COL).
From the Frankfurt Airport Train Station located on the lower level of the airport, you can access an Intercity Train (IC) to Cologne.
If you fly to Cologne, train travel into the city is quick and convenient.

Dates

Prices

Included services

• Accommodation for 7 nights in the selected category of cabin
• Breakfast
• Lunch as a picnic buffet or as a buffet on board according to the program
• 7 multi-course dinners in buffet form
• All drinks are included, with the exception of champagne, bottled wine, and exclusive rarities
• Support vehicle
• Electric bike
• Fully guided cycling itinerary
• All visits and admissions as indicated in the itinerary
• All transfers as indicated in the itinerary
• Departure airport transfer
• CO2 compensation in the region

Tour Company