Itinerary

Arrival and embarkation time between 1 pm and 2 pm in the beautiful city of Bruges, also called “Pearl of Flanders”. After a welcome meeting with the crew at 2 pm there is time for a short test-ride through the countryside around Bruges. After dinner the tour leader will take you for a walk through the city centre.

Your first cycle tour takes you early in the morning through the pleasantly flat West Flanders to Ghent, the university city with a rich past. The city was built as early as Roman times on the spot where the rivers Leie and Schelde meet. The favourable location brought great prosperity for many years, which reached its peak at the end of the 13th century until the beginning of the 14th century. Many old patrician houses have been preserved in the city centre. In the "Lakenhal" (cloth hall, 1425) the cloth merchants met and transacted their business. The most important church is St. Baaf's Cathedral, which was built in different centuries in the respective architectural styles. The cathedral contains a number of masterpieces of medieval painting, of which "The Adoration of the Lamb of God" by Jan van Eyck is probably the most famous. Your boat is moored at the Merelbeke lock, about 30 minutes by bike from the old town of Ghent.

Your bike tour leads along one of the most beautiful parts of the Schelde, a tidal river, today. You will follow it downstream. In Dendermonde it is worth visiting the St. Alexius Beguinage (1288). The departure time will be set by the skipper and is depending on high or low tide as the tide has effect on the speed of the barge. If necessary, shipping to St. Amands and overnight stay in St. Amands.

Today we will follow the Schelde further downstream via Temse to Antwerp. There is a beautiful cycling track along the river and the scenery is magnificent. The harbour city Antwerp with it´s beautiful inner city is well known as diamond city and the city where the famous painter Rubens was born.

The barge will sail over the Schelde-Rhine Canal, over the huge Kreekrak locks. Here your bicyle tour starts through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” forest to Tholen, a former fishing village amidst the large streams of the province of Zeeland. From Tholen you will join the ship again for a nice afternoon sail to the beautiful city Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland. Halfway the ship passes the impressive Volkerak lock system.

A fast ferry will bring you to Alblasserdam. From here you will cycle to Kinderdijk, famous for its impressive row of 19 UNESCO cultural heritage-listed windmills. You will continue via Schoonhoven to Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek.

Shipping to Breukelen, where you disembark and your cycling tour starts. Ride along the small river Vecht: this area is well known for its beautiful mansions, small castles and beautiful houses with large gardens and parks. Over the small villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland to Nigtevecht, where you can visit a traditional cheese farm. Continue cycling through the historical town of Muiden and on to Amsterdam where you will meet the barge for the final time in the Amsterdam harbour.

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.

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. 15-25 €.
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 SE-Tours.

To the travel conditions