Remember when, in the Wizard of Oz, the scenes went from black and white to color? That’s how you feel when you arrive in Holland during tulip time. In comparison, the rest of the world is just in black and white.

Imagine long row after row and field after field of vivid tulips, daffodils and hyacinth. If you want to see it, shoot it, and experience it, sign up for this trip.

Endless photographic opportunities are  only one of the great things about our tour. A first class barge with a gourmet chief is our hotel during our journey. That means no packing, unpacking and lugging every day. During the day a coach will bring us to our shooting locations. At the end of the day we meet up with our barge at the next destination of our tour.

Our program is designed by photographers for photographers. We call this a photographer’s retreat because it is a collaborative environment where, through the experience of shooting together and sharing processing techniques, we all come away with new skills and a fresh sense of creativity.

Typical Day

You have the option of joining us for an early morning shoot along the waterways to capture the sunrise reflection off the canal. We will then have a power breakfast on the barge to fuel us for a day of photography.  During the day we will roam the Dutch countryside and have fantastic shooting opportunities while we visit tulip fields, rolling dunes along the sea, windmills private gardens, a sleepy village or two, and houses that date back to the 1600s. Our tour has been designed to provide every type of shooting opportunity – landscape, nature, macro, architecture and street photography.

We arrive back at the barge for dinner prepared by our chef.  After dinner we hold a salon where we review our work and share thoughts and ideas on a photography topic. If after all that you can still stand up you have the option to shoot the late night dusk and starry night of Holland.

Trip at a Glance

April 19 - 27, 2013

During Peak Tulip Time

7 nights on first class barge

7 days of guided  photography locations

All breakfasts and dinners included

Transportation to all shooting locations

Admission to all venues

Evening photo processing salons and topics

Price: $1820 per person based on sharing a cabin, $600 single supplement (if requested we will try to match solo travels).

To reserve a space contact:

IBT

PHONE: 860 767 7005

FAX: 860 767 3090

EMAIL: ibt@sbcglobal.net

Itinerary

Our itinerary has been designed to capture the essence of Holland at the peak time of tulip season. As  we wind our way through North and South Holland we have set up an itinerary that will bring us to locations of vibrant color and dramatic light. Outlined below are our destinations, the timing or the order  may be adjusted depending on light and weather conditions.

April 19

Departure on an overnight flight to Amsterdam.

April 20

Arrival Amsterdam Schiphol airport.

On our drive to the barge we visit de Zaanse Schans a fully inhabited, open-air conservation area and museum. This is an opportunity to photograph the Dutch way of life in the 17^th and 18^th centuries with authentic houses, windmills, a historic shipyard, a cheese and dairy farm, and clog making demonstrations.

We arrive at the barge, our home for the week, and we cruise to Purmerend for our welcome dinner.

April 21

We drive to the village of Marken, a harbor fishing village that was once an island but now is a peninsula with its connecting dyke. Our photo walk-about takes us through the harbor town, along the dyke and out to the “Horse of Marken” ,  a lighthouse located on a tiny island. The town is filled with characteristic old wooden buildings, houses on stilts and locals dressed in traditional garb. Along our hike we will see fields with grazing sheep and lambs as we take in the sea and harbor views.

On our way to Alkmaar to meet the barge for the evening, we will stop by Edam, a quaint Dutch village known for its cheese and its authentic 17^th century architecture. A stroll through Edam allows us to shoot the tea-houses on the "Schepenmakersdijk”, the leaning Carillon tower(1561),  the Dam, and the Great Church, one of the largest churches in the Netherlands with its extraordinary collection of elaborate stained glass windows from the 17^th century.

April 22

We visit the seaside village Wijk ann Zee and explore its dramatic dunes along the North Sea where you might stumble along the remnants of a bunker from WWII.  We will have the opportunity to see the fields, gardens and streets of the village and lunch at a  traditional Dutch pancake house nestled in the dunes.

As we return to the barge, we will stop to shoot fields of vibrant flowers grown for the commercial bulb trade. We will also visit it a private garden with unique flowers for some wonderful macro photography opportunities.

In the evening we will barge to Haarlem.

April 23

Today we spend the day at Keukenhof Gardens, Holland’s famous flower show. Keukenhof is an 80 acre park designed to show off the thousands of varieties of flowers for Holland’s major bulb producers. Keukenhof is only open from March through May and we will be visiting it during the peak time.  In addition to the exquisite flowerbeds throughout the property, there are also enclosed pavilions with award winning flower arrangements and thousands of new hybrids. This enclosed and well lit environment provides the perfect conditions for macro photography. The colorful and creative garden beds throughout the property provide wonderful opportunities of landscape photography. For some great portrait and street photography observe the local  visitors and capture the people of Holland showing off their pride and joy.

At the end of the day we will meet the barge in Leiden, the birthplace of Rembrandt.

April 24

Today our tour takes us to two famous towns in Holland. Our first stop is Delft the home of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and the town known for its pottery, beautiful market square, and picturesque canals. As we follow the footsteps of Vermeer we will visit the oldest pottery factory in Delft.

We then return to the barge via Gouda the town famous for its cheese. We will meander around the market square and see the oldest Gothic town hall in the Netherlands and have the opportunity to shoot St John’s Church famous for its beautiful stained glass windows. All this and more while we sample the famous Gouda cheese.

As throughout our tour, we will stop and shoot colorful fields on our way to and from the barge.

April 25

We visit Kinderdijk today, where we have the opportunity to shoot some of the most dramatic scenery in Holland. Nowhere in the world will you see as many windmills in one location. Surrounded by fields separate by dykes and polders, there are 19 windmills preserved from the 1700s at this UNESCO World Heritage site.

April 26

We cruise to Amsterdam and have the day and the evening to shoot this beautiful city. There are many opportunities to capture the Dutch way of life with the lovely bridge reflections along the canals, geometric rooflines of typical Amsterdam homes, trendy neighborhoods, and of course the gardens and parks throughout the city.  

April 27

Group transfer to the airport.

Booking Information

Space is limited so please book early. Our tour operator is IBT.  To reserve a space on this tour please call or email IBT at:

TELEPHONE: 860 767 7005
FAX: 860 767 3090
EMAIL: ibt@sbcglobal.net

We require a deposit of $400 per person to secure a place on the tour. Once you have decided to enroll, please contact IBT and they will hold your place for one week, pending receipt of your deposit. Checks should be made payable to International Bicycle Tours; please note the tour name: Photographer’s Retreat Tulip Tour and dates in the memo field of your check. Sorry for any inconvenience, but IBT does not accept credit cards.

 Please be aware of our cancellation policy, which is as follows:

International Tours: If cancellation notice is received more than 90 days before departure, all monies will be refunded less a $200 per person cancellation fee. If cancellation notice is received 90 to 30 days before departure, all monies will be refunded less a $500 per person cancellation fee. If cancellation notice is received less than 30 days before departure, all monies will be refunded less a $1000 per person cancellation fee.

In case of a no-show, or departure from a trip already in progress, no refund for any unused portion of the trip will be issued. IBT cannot make exceptions to these cancellation policies for any reason, including personal emergencies and/or weather.

Note: In the event that IBT cancels a tour, IBT will refund full payment; however, IBT is not responsible for expenses incurred by registrants, including but not limited to, non-refundable tickets, pre-tour/post-tour hotel reservations and other transportation. As such, IBT encourages all tour participants to purchase a travel protection plan. Information on travel insurance will be included in your enrollment confirmation.