Amsterdam to Bruges bike and boat on Fluvius

Holland and Belgium by bike and boat on Fluvius

The program of the circuit between Amsterdam and Bruges is exciting and diverse. It offers you the opportunity to visit and admire the most beautiful towns in Holland and Belgium by bike and by boat on the Fluvius. You navigate the Zeeland, Scheldt, and Vecht and Lek rivers canals.

Highlights of the stay:

• Amsterdam, Antwerp and Ghent
• The historic center of Bruges
• Kinderdijk and its mills
• The countryside of the Netherlands and Flanders by bike

Day 1 : Amsterdam - Vianen

Boarding, check-in and reception of the crew until 1 p.m. Around 2:00 p.m., the ship leaves Amsterdam for Vianen, a small fortified village on the Lek River. After dinner you have the opportunity to test your bike in the surroundings.

Day 2 : Vianen - Schoonhoven - Kinderdijk | Kinderdijk - Dordrecht (56 km)

Today you take a very beautiful route to Schoonhoven, known as Zilverstad ("the city of money") - a town renowned for its talented silver smiths since the 17th century. Later in the day you travel through the Alblasserwaard region to Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 large windmills. The mills are classified as a UNESCO cultural heritage, you will have the opportunity to visit them. From Alblasserdam you will take the 'Waterbus', a fast ferry, which will take you with your bike 10 minutes to Dordrecht, one of Holland's oldest towns.

Day 3 : Dordrecht - Tholen - Kreekrak locks - Antwerp (20 or 36 km)

During breakfast your boat sails to Tholen, where you start your cycling route. Tholen was an island in the middle of the great streams of Zeeland. Nowadays, Tholen remains a picturesque village to visit. In the afternoon, you board the ship again which takes you to the port city of Antwerp, located on the banks of the Scheldt. Antwerp is known to handle up to 80% of the world's rough diamonds. You can visit the Town Hall (one of the majestic Renaissance buildings), the historic City Square Grote Markt market, the Saint-Lieve-Vrouwe Cathedral and the medieval Steen Castle.

After dinner, you can take a tour of the beautiful old town center.

Day 4 : Antwerp - Thames - Dendermonde (48 or 64 km)

This morning you leave Antwerp by bike along a picturesque part of the Scheldt to reach Dendermonde, your overnight stopover. The landscape around the Scheldt is magnificent. This is undoubtedly one of the highlights of this circuit.

Day 5 : Dendermonde - Ghent (52 km)

Today you continue to follow the Scheldt to Ghent where the boat moored overnight in a suburban lock. Ghent is a vibrant university city with a rich history. Since Roman times, Ghent's position at the confluence of the Leie and Schelde rivers has contributed to its success. In total, the city includes an opera house, 18 museums, over 100 churches and over 400 historic buildings. The main attractions are Saint Bavo's Cathedral, where several masterpieces of medieval art are kept, including the famous “Mystic Lamb” by Jan van Eyck and the 91-meter-high Bell Tower of Ghent, one of the three medieval towers which dominate the old city center. After dinner, a small canal boat takes you on a guided tour of the historic city.

Day 6 : Ghent - Bruges (45 km)

You cycle through the beautiful West Flanders countryside before reaching the incredible city of Bruges, described as the "Venice of the North" and arguably the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. The city attracts more than two million visitors each year who come to admire the picturesque medieval city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a long list of historical attractions. You can also visit one of the many museums in Bruges or just admire the beauty and culture of the city.

Tonight's dinner (not included) will be in town at a restaurant of your choice (recommendations available on board).

Day 7 : loop around Bruges towards the North Sea (38 or 51 km)

Your last day of cycling takes you along a quiet canal bordered by beautiful poplars and through a polder landscape (an expanse of lowland surrounded by dikes), dotted with small farms on the North Sea coast. On the way back to Bruges, you take a picturesque little canal.

Day 8 : Bruges

End of the tour after breakfast. Disembarkation until 9:30 am.

Holland and Belgium in bike and boat on Fluvius from Brugges

Day 1: Bruges (11 km)

Boarding in Bruges takes place between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The boat is waiting for you in the port of Bruges. After a meeting with the crew at 2 p.m., you pick up your bikes for a short hike in the countryside. After dinner, the guide takes you to the city center of Bruges for a walking tour.
Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is nicknamed "the Pearl of Flanders". It is possible (and recommended) to take an extra night to fully discover Bruges, its museums and cafes.

 
Day 2: Bruges - Ghent (57 km)

You start your first day of cycling by pedaling towards Ghent through the magnificent Flemish landscapes, along the Ghent Canal. Ghent is a historic city, its medieval center has pretty illuminated streets that are definitely worth exploring. In the Middle Ages, Ghent was the second largest city in Europe after Paris. The ship docks overnight at a lock in the outskirts of Ghent and approx. 30 minutes by bike from downtown.

 
Day 3: Ghent - Dendermonde (40 km)

After breakfast in Ghent, you drive through a varied landscape that runs along the banks of the Scheldt to Dendermonde, a town at the confluence of the Dender and Schelde rivers. Dendermonde has a nice town hall located in a pleasant square. The place is ideal for having a good Belgian beer after your bike ride. The Béguinage Saint-Alexis is also worth a visit.

 
Day 4: Dendermonde - Antwerp (48 or 63 km)

Today you follow the Scheldt further downstream through the Thames region to Antwerp. Over the centuries, the Scheldt has been of strategic importance to the Romans, Vikings, Spaniards and Napoleon ...

Today it is a magnificent inland waterway ideal for a cycling or barge holiday! Antwerp, your destination of the day, is a port city renowned for its management of 80% of the rough diamonds in the world. It is also the birthplace of the famous painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens. The city has many tourist sites to discover, including: the town hall (one of the majestic buildings built during the Renaissance), the historic Grote Markt Square market, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe cathedral and the medieval castle of Steen.

 
Day 5: Antwerp - Locks of Kreekrak -  Tholen - Dordrecht (36 or 20 km)

In the morning, the ship sails along the Scheldt-Rhine Canal and passes through the huge Kreekrak lock system. Here your bike ride begins through the beautiful forest from Wouwse Plantage to Tholen. Tholen was once an island in the middle of Zeeland's great streams, where many people lived. Today it is still a picturesque village with many relics from a checkered past. From Tholen you will join the boat again for a pleasant afternoon sailing to the town of Dordrecht. Halfway, the ship passes through the impressive Volkerak locking system.
Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, is your destination. The guide will take you there for a night walk and tell you about the history of the Netherlands.

 
Day 6: Dordrecht - Alblasserdam - Kinderdijk - Schoonhoven - Vianen (57 km)

Today you start your tour with the Waterbus, a fast ferry that takes you with your bike in just 10 minutes to Alblasserdam. After a few minutes of cycling, you will arrive in Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 windmills classified as UNESCO cultural heritage. Windmills were built in the 18th century to pump water into the lower polder of Alblasserwaard.

You then continue by bike through Schoonhoven to Vianen, a small fortified town on the Lek (Bas-Rhin), where you stay overnight and can explore at your leisure after dinner.

 
Day 7: Vianen - Breukelen  - Amsterdam (38 or 49 km)

During breakfast the boat heads to Breukelen where you disembark to start your last day of cycling. Stroll along the River Vecht in an area renowned for its beautiful mansions, small castles, impressive houses and large gardens. After passing through the villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland, you arrive in Nigtevecht, where you can visit a traditional cheese farm.

Continue through the historic town of Muiden to Amsterdam, where you join the barge for the last time, in the port of Amsterdam.

 
Day 8: Amsterdam

End of the tour after breakfast. Disembarkation before 9:30 am.

General information :

• 8 days and 7 nights
• Comfort level of the barge : Comfort Premium
• Spoken languages on board : English and Dutch
• Child prices : please contact us

Dates :

Departure from Amsterdam on Sundays 16/04, 30/04, 14/05, 28/05, 11/06, 25/06, 09/07, 23/07, 06/08, 20/08, 03/09 and 17/09

• Low season : 16/04
• High season: 30/04 to 17/09

Departure from Bruges on Sundays 23/04, 07/05, 21/05, 04/06, 18/06, 02/07, 16/07, 30/07, 13/08, 27/08, 10/09 and 24/09/2023

• Low season : 24/09
• High season: 23/04 to 10/09

Included :

• Full board (picnic lunch) except for 1 dinner
• coffee and tea on board and welcome cocktail
• sheets and towels
• daily cleaning of the cabins
• tour guide
• guided walking tours
• road book on site
• GPS tracks 
• Wifi and TV in the cabins
• waterproof bags

Not included :

• Transport to the place of departure
• 1 dinner on day 6 for the direction from Amsterdam to Bruges and on day 4 for the direction from Bruges to Amsterdam
• Personal expenses
• Visits

Options :

• Bike rental
• Personal bike location (mandatory if no rented bike)
• Theft insurance for rented bikes
• Cancellation insurance
• Extra night(s) at the start or end of the tour in a hotel in Amsterdam

Level :

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ground :

Flat, very smooth roads and paths. 90% program on cycle paths.

Weather :

Contrary to popular belief, the temperature in the Netherlands is similar to the temperature in France. Near the coast, the weather is sometimes windy.

Technicality :

0 to 40 km of cycling per day, or about 3 to 4 hours of cycling.

Bibliography :

Guide and maps about the Netherlands on cartovelo.fr
Guide and maps about Belgium on cartovelo.fr

Participants :

On board, you will meet an international community of all ages.

Accompaniment :

People responsible for your bike and boat holidays are : 
On board, the captain and his mate. They are responsible for the smooth running of the vacation on the boat, and bring the boat from stage to stage. The cook prepares the meals.
Each morning, if you wish, you can get benefit from advice on the route to follow and on additional tourist information.

Meals :

Breakfast : on board, you will find a substantial and dutch breakfast, worthy of a cyclist.
Lunch : after the breakfast, you will prepare by yourself a “lunch” (sandwich, fruit, snack, drinks).
Snack : after the daily route, you will find, when you arrive on the boat, various drinks such as tea and coffee prepared for your return, with a cake.
Dinner : at least three very good quality dishes. After dinner, you will have a choice of coffee and tea.
Other drinks, such as wine, beer, lemonade and mineral water, are not included but can be purchased on board at a reasonable price.

Bike :

At the beginning, on Saturday afternoon, a bike corresponding to your height, will be assigned to you. After a test ride, you will sign a receipt. The bike (21-speed bike) will be at your disposal all week until Friday afternoon, when the bike is handed over. The bike will be fitted with panniers as well as an anti-theft device, a container and a tire repair kit. There is no helmet on board.
If you take your own bike, it cannot be insured against theft by our company, you will have to make the necessary arrangements with your usual insurer. Do not forget your anti-theft. The return of your bike will be at your expense.

Transport : 

By train : the departure towns for the bike and boat tours are served by the railway.
Amsterdam train station is very well connected : several trains daily run to and from France.
Thalys is faster.
By plane : AMSTERDAM international airport.

Your vehicle : 

We strongly advise against parking cars on the streets of Amsterdam. Information on guarded parking lots in the city can be found on the following website : https://parkingcentrumoosterdok.nl.

Cancellation insurance :

In order to guarantee the refund of costs in the event of cancellation of your stay, you can take out cancellation insurance. 

Boat description : click here.