Boat and bike in Rotterdam and the province of Zeeland
The province of Zeeland, also known as the Land in the Sea, is located in the far west of the Netherlands and consists largely of islands and peninsulas. The Oosterschelde and Westerschelde estuaries reach deep into the Zeeland landscape, a true paradise for animals and plants.
This tour shows the highlights of the province by bike and boat.
Arrival Rotterdam
Day 1 (03.08.24)
After an (almost) scheduled journey by train from Oldenburg to Rotterdam, we arrive in Rotterdam at 1 pm. We take a taxi to the ship (taxi fare approx. € 25). The taxi driver knows his way around and with our information about the pier where the ship is moored, he drives us right up to the MS Normandie. In no time at all, two crew members take the suitcases on board. We spend the time until embarkation at 4 p.m. in the best weather on the summer terrace of the ‘Prachtig’ restaurant within walking distance, directly below the Ersamus Bridge, one of Rotterdam's modern landmarks, with a view of ‘our’ ship - a great start to our holiday.
Boarding at 4 p.m. and handing over the cabin card is very straightforward and quick, and we move into our cosy ‘temporary home’ for the coming week, a cabin on the upper deck. At 6 p.m. we are welcomed in the saloon by the captain, the tour guide and the hotel manager. At 6.30 pm, a delicious 4-course meal awaits us in the restaurant on the main deck of the ship. This is also the perfect place to strike up a conversation with some of the other guests and, of course, our neighbours. During dinner, the ship leaves Rotterdam for Dordrecht. In Dordrecht, we have the opportunity to take a short stroll through the town in the evening.
Day 2 (04.08.24)
Dordrecht - Willemstadt - Hellevoetsluis
We are woken up early in the morning by the sound of engines. As announced by the captain, our ship sets sail early in the morning from Dordrecht to Willemstad.
After breakfast, the tour briefing for today takes place at 9 a.m. (6 p.m. on the other days) with our tour guide Wolfgang. He has plenty of tips on the route and places of interest. Outside, our booked electric bikes are ready for the first tour to Hellevoetluis. Our first tour takes us across the typical Dutch marshland and meadow landscapes to the town with its pretty old town centre. Hellevoetsluis was the largest war harbour in the United Netherlands in the 17th century, so we immediately notice the large fortifications from the period with the fortress building. By chance, the fortress is open, we are invited straight in and one of the club members even speaks German: Peter explains the history of the fortress and we are given a private tour of one of the 18th century casemates. Casemates are massive vaults within fortifications that protected against artillery fire. They are hidden deep inside the fortress and from the outside they look like green hills. We are thrilled to have such a great experience after our lovely first cycle tour.

Day 3 (05.08.24)
Hellevoetsluis - Bruinisse
Our cycle tour today takes us from Hellevoetsluis to the ‘mussel village’ of Bruinisse. On the way, we make a detour to the beautiful beach of Rockanje. We cycle past long dykes and vegetable fields. Despite the really nice weather, the wind is blowing fresh from the front at times and I'm happy about my rental bike with electric drive😉 Around Battenoord at the Grevelinger Meer, we can't believe our eyes: WILD FLAMINGOS! And yes, there are actually not one or two, but a whole colony of flamingos to marvel at. A highlight of the day! At the end of the tour, we drive over the Grevelingen dam, the border between South Holland and Zeeland, to Bruinisse, known for its fresh mussels. The town seems a little sleepy on Monday, many restaurants are closed. But we find what we are looking for in the restaurant ‘Bru Petit Kitchen & Bar’. We were thinking about eating mussels when the owner told us that she had just got some fresh sole. We can't say no😊 We enjoy the fresh fish on the restaurant's terrace - pure holiday feeling! Our floating hotel is already waiting for us in the harbour and we spend the beautiful summer evening on the ship's sun deck.

Bruinisse- Veere
It's sunny and very warm today, so we decide to cycle today's tour from Bruinisse to Veere without detours and side trips. The highlight of the tour today is cycling over the more than 5 km long ‘Zeelandbrug’ between the towns of Zierikzee and Colijnsplat. It is really impressive to cycle over the water for such a long distance. The view on both sides with the water all around and the many sailing boats is breathtaking. We continue along vegetable fields to Kamperland. From there we take the ‘Fiets- en Vootveer’ (bicycle and passenger ferry) to Veere. The ferry runs approximately every 75 minutes in the high season, but our tour guide Wolfgang had warned us that the ferry is very popular and used by many holidaymakers and that waiting times are to be expected. And so it was: we were late for the next departure. The ferry already looked very full from a distance, there were another 4 cyclists waiting with us to get on the ferry, we were the last in the queue. And what can we say: the other four were still able to get on board, but we couldn't😉 So we took a break on the jetty and ate our packed lunch prepared on board before catching the next ferry 75 minutes later.
Veere is a very beautiful historic town, and today (Tuesday) there is a historic market in Veere during the summer months. First we eat ‘kibbeling’, the typical Dutch fried fish with remoulade, then a delicious ice cream and watch the hustle and bustle on and around the water from the dyke. Our ship is moored here, very close to the city centre, until Thursday evening.

Day 5 (07.08.24)
Veere - Neeltje Jans - Veere
At around 9 a.m. we set off for Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, about 9 kilometres away. The beautiful town of Middelburg with its many historical buildings and monuments turns out to be a shopping town with lots of cafés and restaurants. The weather is fantastic and we are drawn to the island's ‘south beach’, Zoutelande, just a few kilometres away. We climb the highest point in the province of Walcheren, a huge dune over 50 metres high. From here you have a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape and the sea, or rather the Westerschelde. The beach is beautiful, very clean and has a beach bar with sunbed and parasol hire and toilets. We stay until the early evening, decide to inform the crew on board that we won't be on board for dinner tonight, drive back to Middelburg and round off the evening on the summer terrace of the Italian restaurant ‘Il Senso’ - highly recommended.

Rundtour Veere
Until the MS Normandie departs from Veere at 3 p.m. today, there is still enough time for a cycle tour to the north-west of the island. The weather is still sunny and warm and we are once again drawn to a beach that other guests on board recommended to us last night. Our short cycle tour takes us via Vrouwenpolder through the beautiful nature reserve and dune area to the beach at Oostkapelle. A beautiful, wide and also very clean fine sandy beach. In the distance you can see the Delta Works, a defence system against high tides and storm surges, often referred to as ‘the eighth wonder of the Dutch world’. In the afternoon and evening hours, we enjoy the casual and relaxed atmosphere on the sun deck in the best weather. The typical Dutch landscape passes us by and we pass through three locks on the return journey from Veere to Dordrecht, another exciting experience for shipping enthusiasts like us.

Dordrecht - Rotterdam
The ship departs for Rotterdam at 10am. The weather is not playing ball this morning and we skip the last cycle tour from Dordrecht to Rotterdam. We and a few other guests stay on board today and we cycle past huge industrial complexes and warehouses back to the centre of Rotterdam.
Due to a change in our booked return journey by train and for professional reasons, we leave the ship today and unfortunately we are already heading home. We have plenty of time before the train departs and we walk about half an hour from the ship to Rotterdam Centraal station.

My Highlights
Why did you choose this tour?
I like being by / on / in the water😊 This tour is ideal for water lovers, with sweeping views of the water everywhere - I really enjoyed it.
Weather / travelling time
We travelled in August and were very lucky with the weather.
My favourite travel moment
The view from the almost 50 metre high dune in Zoutelande.
My favourite place
The beach bar on the beach in Zoutelande. Drinks, snacks and a great view of the beach and Westerschelde and the hustle and bustle on the beach.
Specific packing list
Swimwear! There are beautiful beaches everywhere on the tour and plenty of swimming opportunities.
