How much does it cost?

From £1,579 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $2,133 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is the train travel included?

Rail travel to and from the Netherlands is available as an add-on: from GBP 1,719 for Standard Class including Eurostar, or GBP 1,919 for First Class with the Eurostar Plus upgrade. The base GBP 1,579 price assumes you make your own way to Alkmaar and from Bergen op Zoom.

Is it escorted or independent?

It is an escorted tour with an experienced Railtrail Tour Manager included throughout.

Four nights at the Grand Hotel in Alkmaar, then two nights at Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom.

Which heritage railways are included?

The Hoorn-Medemblik Museum Steam Train and the Goes-Borsele Railway, both historic lines run with steam and heritage diesel locomotives.

The only departure currently listed is in April 2027, timed to coincide with Keukenhof Gardens' spring opening.

Railtrail Tours · Escorted tour

Amsterdam, Tulips, Cheese & Steam 2027

7-day escorted Netherlands tour: tulips, cheese market, and steam trains

Amsterdam, Tulips, Cheese & Steam is a 7-day escorted tour of the Netherlands from Railtrail Tours, based first at the Grand Hotel in Alkmaar and then at Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom. The week mixes heritage rail with sightseeing: day 2 rides the historic Hoorn-Medemblik Museum Steam Train before crossing the IJsselmeer by steamer, day 3 falls on Alkmaar's Friday Cheese Market, and day 4 takes the group to Amsterdam for a canal cruise with free time to explore. Day 5 continues to Keukenhof Gardens during its brief spring bloom, with a stop in medieval Delft en route to Bergen op Zoom, and day 6 rides the heritage Goes-Borsele Railway through the Zeeland countryside. Rail travel to and from the Netherlands is available in the class of your choice. This suits travellers who enjoy heritage steam railways combined with classic Dutch sightseeing, at a relaxed pace with only two hotel changes across the week.

What to know before you look closer

Railtrail Tours currently lists only one departure for this tour, in April 2027, timed to Keukenhof's short spring opening.
The GBP 1,579 base price is for independent travel to Alkmaar and from Bergen op Zoom; Eurostar and connecting rail travel from London St Pancras is extra, from GBP 1,719 in Standard Class or GBP 1,919 with the First Class/Eurostar Plus upgrade.
The tour changes hotel partway through, from the Grand Hotel in Alkmaar for the first four nights to Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom for the final two.

Day by day

Day 1railovernight: Grand Hotel, Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Travelling by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Amsterdam, then onwards through the Netherlands to Alkmaar and our hotel for four nights, the Grand Hotel, where we check in and enjoy our first evening meal together.
Day 2railovernight: Grand Hotel, Alkmaar
Hoorn to Medemblik Steam Train & IJsselmeer cruise
After breakfast this morning, we travel eastwards to the town of Hoorn where we join the historic Museum Steam Train that meanders along a unique railway line, across the West Frisian meadows, and past characteristic station buildings to Medemblik. Here, an old-fashioned steamer awaits to sail gently across the IJsselmeer to the village of Enkhuizen and, after a day of nostalgia amidst the timeless scenery of North Holland, we re-join the rail system at Enkhuizen and travel back to Alkmaar in time for our evening meal together.
Day 3overnight: Grand Hotel, Alkmaar
Alkmaar Cheese Market
It is Friday in Alkmaar and this can mean only one thing - it's Cheese Market Day! Spend the morning watching the spectacle of cheese trading in the town's Waagplein beside the weighing house. In the afternoon, we enjoy time at leisure to explore or relax at the hotel before we reconvene in the early evening and enjoy a meal together in the hotel restaurant.
Day 4railovernight: Grand Hotel, Alkmaar
Amsterdam
Today, we travel by rail to Amsterdam where we enjoy a cruise along the city's most beautiful canal belt, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The remainder of the day is free for you to explore; perhaps visit Anne Frank House or learn about beer at the Heineken Experience before returning to Alkmaar in time for our evening meal.
Day 5overnight: Hotel De Draak, Bergen op Zoom
Keukenhof Gardens & Delft
Today, we journey by coach to the fabulous Keukenhof, 'the most beautiful spring garden in the world', open just a few weeks each year, where awesome swathes of tulips, crocuses, and daffodils burst out of the rolling countryside. In the afternoon, we transfer to Bergen op Zoom via medieval Delft, home of the famous blue and white Delft pottery, and we can stroll around the beautiful town centre before we continue to our hotel for the next two nights, the historic Hotel De Draak, the oldest hotel in the Netherlands. Tonight, we dine at leisure in the city centre on the Grote Markt Square.
Day 6railovernight: Hotel De Draak, Bergen op Zoom
Goes-Borsele Railway
Today, we make our way by train into the rural province of Zeeland for our visit to the Goes-Borsele Railway. The historic steam and diesel trains ply the route from Goes itself along 13km of track through a beautiful rural route through orchards, fields, and small villages to the charming village of Hoedenskerke. Today's journey will be powered by a heritage diesel locomotive before we return to Bergen op Zoom for our final evening, dining at leisure.
Day 7rail
Homeward journey
We bid farewell to Bergen op Zoom and the Netherlands, returning by rail to Rotterdam, where we will join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 2A ride on the historic Hoorn-Medemblik Museum Steam Train across the West Frisian meadows, followed by an old-fashioned steamer crossing the IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen.
Day 3Alkmaar's Friday Cheese Market, watched from the Waagplein beside the weighing house.
Day 4A cruise along Amsterdam's canal belt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 5A visit to Keukenhof Gardens with its tulips, crocuses, and daffodils in bloom, plus a stop in medieval Delft.
Day 6A journey on the heritage steam and diesel Goes-Borsele Railway through Zeeland's orchards and fields.

Included

6 nights bed & breakfast plus 4 evening meals
Eurostar and rail travel to and from the Netherlands in the class of your choice
All transfers, excursions & admissions as detailed
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £1,579 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $2,133 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is the train travel included?: Rail travel to and from the Netherlands is available as an add-on: from GBP 1,719 for Standard Class including Eurostar, or GBP 1,919 for First Class with the Eurostar Plus upgrade. The base GBP 1,579 price assumes you make your own way to Alkmaar and from Bergen op Zoom.
Is it escorted or independent?: It is an escorted tour with an experienced Railtrail Tour Manager included throughout.
Where do you stay?: Four nights at the Grand Hotel in Alkmaar, then two nights at Hotel De Draak in Bergen op Zoom.
Which heritage railways are included?: The Hoorn-Medemblik Museum Steam Train and the Goes-Borsele Railway, both historic lines run with steam and heritage diesel locomotives.
When does it run?: The only departure currently listed is in April 2027, timed to coincide with Keukenhof Gardens' spring opening.