White passenger ship named De Holland with bicycles on deck sailing on calm water under overcast sky with flat countryside in background.

Monument statue on pedestal in front of colorful medieval Flemish buildings with stepped gables in Bruges market square under blue sky.

Traditional Dutch windmills at Kinderdijk with wooden walkway, water canal, and green reeds under cloudy sky in the Netherlands.

White river cruise ship named De Holland moored on calm water with reeds in foreground and blue sky with white clouds above.

Itinerary

Your ship will be waiting for you in the port of Bruges. Boarding and check-in take place in the early afternoon. The crew will welcome you on board at 2:00 p.m. After that, it’s time to distribute the bicycles and take a short test ride. After dinner, the tour guide will lead a brief walking tour through the beautiful historic center of Bruges. If you’d like to explore Bruges (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in more detail, we recommend arriving in Belgium 1 or 2 days before your trip begins. Then take your time visiting one of the many museums, or simply let yourself be captivated by the unique beauty of this city while enjoying a coffee or a Belgian beer in one of its charming cafés.

Today’s tour begins with a short boat ride. After breakfast, you’ll hop on your bike just past Bruges and cycle through the beautiful Flemish countryside along the Ghent-Bruges Canal all the way to Ghent. In the afternoon, you can explore this charming city on a leisurely stroll. The downtown area, with its fairy-tale-like illuminated streets, is beautiful, and the abundance of historic architecture is a true feast for the eyes. In the Middle Ages, Ghent was at one time the second-largest city in Europe. Your boat will dock for the night at the lock in Merelbeke, a suburb of Ghent located about a 30-minute bike ride from downtown.

After breakfast in Ghent, you’ll cycle downstream through a varied landscape along the tidal river Scheldt to Dendermonde, where the Dender and Scheldt rivers converge. The landscape around the Scheldt can be described in one word: breathtaking! This stretch is undoubtedly one of the natural highlights of the trip. In this section of the Scheldt, the ship’s speed depends on the tides. Your ship will dock overnight in Dendermonde today.

Today, you’ll continue following the course of the Scheldt downstream through the towns of Temse and Baasrode, all the way to Antwerp. Over the centuries, this stretch of the Scheldt has been a strategically important location for the Romans, Vikings, Spaniards, and Napoleon. Today, this beautiful waterway provides the perfect backdrop for a wonderful cycling and boat trip! Your destination today is the port city of Antwerp, which made a name for itself as a diamond trading center as early as the 15th century and is now considered the world capital of the diamond trade. Belgium's “hidden” cultural capital is also the birthplace of the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens. In this fascinating city, you can discover countless sights, including City Hall—one of the many magnificent Renaissance buildings—the historic “Grote Markt” (Grand Market Square), the Cathedral of Our Lady, and the medieval Steen Castle.

This morning, the ship will travel via the Scheldt-Rhine Canal to the massive Kreekrak Locks. This is where your bike tour through the “Wouwse Plantage” forest begins. Your destination is Tholen, formerly a small fishing village on an island. Since the completion of the Delta Works, however, the town has been connected to the mainland. Here you’ll reboard the ship and sail through the impressive Volkerak Locks to Dordrecht, where a short walking tour is offered in the evening.

Take the “Waterbus” to Alblasserdam. From there, it’s just a few minutes by bike to Kinderdijk. This town is known around the world for its 19 windmills standing side by side (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). You can visit one of these windmills, so don’t forget to pack your camera! The windmills were built in the 18th century to pump out water and reclaim the Alblasserwaard polder. You’ll continue your bike tour via Schoonhoven (a stop along the way) to Vianen, a small fortified town on the Lek River. The ship will dock here for the night, and after dinner, you’ll have time to explore the town on a walk.

During breakfast, your ship will sail to Breukelen, where you’ll disembark for your final bike tour. Cycle along the stunningly beautiful Vecht River. Its banks are lined with many manor houses, small castles, and magnificent country estates with gardens that stretch right down to the water’s edge. After cycling through the towns of Nieuwersluis, Loenen, and Vreeland, you’ll reach Nigtevecht. There, you can visit a traditional cheese factory. You’ll continue on through the fortified town of Muiden to Amsterdam, where you'll rejoin the ship and spend your last night in the port of Amsterdam.

After breakfast: end of the tour and disembarkation till 09:30 am.

Tour character

Easy

You cycle through Belgium and Holland on flat and well-maintained cycle paths. The routes can be categorised as easy and are also suitable for inexperienced cyclists.

Map showing cycling route from Amsterdam to Bruges with red line connecting cities: Amsterdam, Vianen, Dordrecht, Tholen, Antwerpen, Gent, Dendermonde, Brügge.

Prices & Dates

Prices per person in EUR

Services & extras

Services

Included

7 nights in outside cabins on board the MS Fluvius with shower/WC in the booked cabin category
Programme as per itinerary from Bruges to Amsterdam
Welcome drink
Full board: 7x breakfast, 6x packed lunch for bike tours, 6x coffee and tea in the afternoon until 16:00, 7x 3-course dinner
Daily cabin cleaning
Use of bed linen and towels
Daily cycle tour briefing
All harbour and lock fees
Detailed cycle maps and information material 1x per cabin (only available on site)
Guarantee certificate for package holidays through SGR (compulsory contribution to the SGR guarantee fund for end consumers to cover against insolvency: € 5.00 per person)

Not included

Arrival and departure
transfers
Bike hire
Entrance and sightseeing fees if not mentioned
City maps
insurance
Gratuities and personal expenses
Dinner on board in Antwerp

Extras

Parking

Bruges Stationsplein railway station (Central Station), approx. 3 km from the jetty
Guarded car park at Stationsplein (Bruges Central Station), approx. 5-7 € per day, no reservation possible. Travel to the landing stage from the central station by taxi, approx. 25 €.
Return transfer by train from Amsterdam to Bruges, approx. €40.00 per person.

Embarkation: from 14:00
Disembarkation: After breakfast until 09:30.
Rental bikes on board: Smooth-running 7-speed unisex touring bikes from Velo de Ville with hand and coaster brakes or freewheel and pannier bag. 7-speed electric bikes from Velo de Ville with freewheel and pannier bag (limited number - early booking required). Please state your height when booking.
Bringing your own bike: Due to the limited space available on the sun deck, bringing your own bike is only possible on request and only to a limited extent
Cycle tours: Guided or individual. A cycle tour guide (two cycle tour guides for groups of 18 or more) is available daily for a guided cycle tour. If there are two cycle tour guides on board, on some days you can choose between short or long routes or between faster and slower cycling.
Please note: Not all the places/sights mentioned are visited during the shorter tours. Maps are available on board for individual cycle tours (only available on board). All kilometres mentioned are approximate distances of the recommended cycle tours
On-board language: English, German and Dutch
Cycle routes/level of difficulty: Pleasure cycling - the quality of the cycle paths is excellent, so this tour is also suitable for cyclists with a basic level of fitness
Holiday luggage: We recommend good rainwear, cycle helmet, sun hat and sports shoes.
Timetable and programme changes: Subject to change without notice. If, for example, a route cannot be travelled due to low water, high water or bad weather, the captain reserves the right to change the route for your safety (this is not a reason for cancellation free of charge).
Travel documents: EU nationals (with no special circumstances, e.g. dual citizenship, primary residence abroad or provisionally issued travel documents) require a valid identity card or passport for this trip, which must be valid for at least 6 months after the end of the trip. If you have another nationality or several nationalities or if you have to observe special legal regulations, please contact your local consulate for information on the relevant visa and entry requirements.
This tour is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Further information

Further important information on the "Pauschalreisegesetz" (Package Travel Act) and additional information on your trip by bike and boat can be found here!

We organise this trip for our partner

To the travel conditions

White passenger vessel DE Holland sailing on calm water under cloudy blue sky, with rocky shoreline visible in foreground.

Modern cabin bedroom on DE Holland with orange bedding, Amsterdam canal artwork, built-in storage, and large window overlooking waterway.

DE Holland

DE HOLLAND is a 257 ft. long and 24 ft. wide cozy, small river cruise ship.
The vessel has 34 staterooms for max. 68-72 passengers. All staterooms are well-equipped outside cabins.
The lower deck has 24 twin cabins. All cabins (approx. 108 sq.ft.) have an individual climate control system, digital TV, mini-safe, small wardrobe, hair dryer, 230V sockets, 2 single beds (78 x 31 inches) and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and bath products and a window (2.55 ft. x 1.28 ft.) that - for safety reasons - cannot be opened. Three “regular” twin cabins in the front have single beds, set in L-shape, and an additional Pullman Bed as optional third bed. Five twin cabins and 16 “superior” twin cabins have separate beds, set next to each other as a hotel style bed (78 x 62 inches). The difference between twin and superior twin cabins on the lower deck is their location in relation to engine room, stairs and salon and/or (in 3 cases) beds set in L-shape (optional triple cabin).
The upper deck offers 9 identical superior twin cabins (accommodation: s. lower deck) and 1 suite. The suite (approx. 140 sq. ft.) has the same amenities as the superior twin cabins, but is larger and – in addition – also has a mini-bar and a sofa bed as optional third bed. All upper premium deck cabins and the suite have a “French Balcony” (floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors) instead of a regular window.
Beds in most cabins are normally set as hotel-style beds (78 x 62 inches) or, optional, on previous request, can be arranged as 2 separate single beds (78 x 31 inches).
DE HOLLAND has a large salon with large panoramic windows on the upper deck that combines the restaurant, bar and a lounge area. Wi-Fi is available for guests in the salon (limited data packages included / additional data packages can be purchased online).
On the partially roofed sun deck, chairs and sun loungers invite for a stay. Bicycles will be stored on a separate part of the sun deck.
Inside areas of DE HOLLAND are non-smoking areas; the sun deck has a smokers’ area.
Onboard languages: English/German (international guests, international crew).

Beds: 68-72 Crew: 11 Length: 78,25 m Width: 7,32 m