Search help

The right sailing trip in 7 steps

With NAUPAR, you can choose from a wide range of different packages and traditional sailing ships. To decide which ship to take, it is best to first check which cruise best suits your needs. On this page, we explain in 7 steps how to choose the right cruise for you. The first 5 steps deal with the trip and the last two with your wishes regarding the ship.

THE TRIP

Step 1 - How long do you want to sail?

The first step to determine which cruise best suits your needs is to look at how long you want to sail. For example, you can choose between a day trip or a multi-day trip. You can book a day trip from 4 hours and extend it by the hour. With a multi-day trip, you can choose from one or more nights during the week, a weekend, a midweek, one or more weeks and several variations on that. On the duration of stay page you can see exactly which options you can choose from.

Step 2 - Would you like to sail with a group on a private ship?

In this step, you first check whether you want to sail along on a ship or prefer your own private ship with skipper and crew. Then it is important to know how many people you want to sail with.

Of course, we do not care whether you want to sail alone, with a small group or with a large group. We offer a suitable arrangement and ship for everyone. Moreover, our skippers are used to sailing together and you can book several ships at the same time.

Step 3 - Do you have specific wishes with regard to your sailing trip?

During each cruise, you can always relax, chat, eat & drink and actively participate in the sailing. In addition, you can undertake fun activities such as walking, cycling or visiting a museum in all sailing areas and port towns on your own.

Furthermore, you can tailor your cruise around specific wishes, special occasions or certain goals you have for your outing. Think of a meeting session, a sporty element for your staff or business relations or an educational element for your students aimed at getting to know each other and/or teambuilding, for example.

Step 4 - Where do you want to sail?

Will you let the wind determine which way you sail and what you can do there or are there certain activities you want to do ashore, sights you want to see or places you want to visit? In this step, you look at certain wishes in terms of what you want to see and experience. This is important because your wishes combined with the length of your sailing trip will also affect your departure port, sailing area and choice of ship.

You sail an average of 25-30 kilometres in a day. For example, if you want a day trip or a weekend trip to the Wadden Sea, it is best to depart from Harlingen or Makkum, as these ports are closer to the Wadden Sea. If you have more time, you can also depart from Kampen, Enkhuizen or Lelystad, for example.

Whatever your wish, each sailing area is unique and the ships are used to sailing in each. The ships are spread over sixteen different harbours and for the sailing area you can choose from the IJsselmeer, Markermeer, the Frisian lakes and the Wadden Sea. On the page sailing areas you can read more about each sailing area.

Step 5 - When will you sail?

In the next step, we look at the date. When do you want to cruise? The sailing season is traditionally from mid-March to the end of October, but even in winter (e.g. during Christmas and New Year's Eve) you can cruise with us.

Each season has its specific advantages. In summer, for example, you can experience the real holiday feeling, while spring and autumn are quieter on the water and in the harbours. All ships are comfortably furnished with a cosy saloon and cabins and they also have heating. So if the spring sun does not come out, you will still be warm and comfortable.

If you are not dependent on the high season, it is attractive to sail in spring or autumn. You can then take advantage of a seasonal discount on the price of your cruise. 

THE SHIP

Once you have an idea about how long, when, with how many people, what kind of activities and where you want to cruise, you have arrived at the choice of ship. Below, we describe how the last steps will help you choose the right ship.

Step 6 - Do you have any specific requirements for the ship?

This question mainly concerns the level of comfort on the ship. For example, for a day trip you can choose from a luxury day cruise ship, as well as a clipper or smaller tjalk.

For multi-day trips, it is mainly about the number of cabins, the size of the cabins and the number of showers and toilets on board. If you want more privacy and space, you can even book with fewer people on many ships at an attractive rate. You will then sleep with a maximum of 2 people and sometimes even 1 person in a cabin.

Furthermore, your choice of ship may be determined by the price of the ship and/or the services like final cleaning and duvets that are included or not. An explanation of the different options and how you can see if something is included/not included and what the costs are if you order it in addition is on the page explanation of prices.

Step 7 - Food and drinks

The last step is about food and drinks, this is not included in the cruise or ship unless you have chosen a package that explicitly states this. All ships have a well-equipped kitchen where you can prepare a delicious meal for the group or together with members of the group.

You can also make use of the specially prepared shopping packages for groups and, if you prefer not to cook yourself, the many catering options. Detailed information on shopping packages and catering can be found on the food and drink page.

If you are making a day trip, it is not possible on all ships to bring or prepare your own food and drinks and you can make use of the extensive catering options these ships offer.