Bike and Barge: Bruges to Amsterdam

Highlights: Bruges, bike fitting and test ride, welcome dinner

Welcome to Bruges! Be sure to make time to explore the historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its beautiful medieval buildings, squares and streets that have remained largely intact for centuries. Board the barge and meet the crew early this afternoon before your bicycle fitting and short test ride. Dinner on board.

Highlights: Canal riding, Ghent’s rich historic center

We will start the day pedaling towards Ghent through the beautiful Flemish landscape along the Ghent canal. On arrival in Ghent make sure you make the effort to discover the best of what this historic city has to offer during an afternoon stroll. The architectural richness of Ghent’s medieval center has to be seen to be believed. During the Middle Ages Ghent was the 2nd largest European city, after Paris. Before dinner a small canal boat will take you for a guided tour through the historic city.

Highlights: Schelde riverbank bike path; Sint Amands; Bosteels Brewery

From Ghent we will cycle downstream through a diverse landscape along the tidal Schelde River to Dendermonde located at the confluence of Dender and Schelde rivers: without doubt one of the natural highlights of the tour. We’ve arranged a special visit of a 200 year-old family-run brewery, now in its 7th generation. We will continue pedaling along the tidal river until we reach the quaint town of Sint Amands where our floating hotel will be docked for the night. Dinner on the boat.

Highlights: Pedal into Antwerp; visit “Onze Lieve Vrouwe (Our Lady) Cathedral,” home to several of Rubens’ paintings

Today we will follow the Schelde river further downstream through the Temse region to Antwerp. Over the centuries the Schelde river has held strategic importance for the Romans, Vikings, Spanish and Napoleon… Today it is a beautiful waterway just perfect for bike and barge holidays! Antwerp, your destination for the day, is a harbor city famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds and as the birthplace of the famous painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens. We’ll enjoy a guided visit of Rubens’ art in the city’s Cathedral. Head off to visit the rest of the city, including the historic city center, the diamond district, or the Red Star Line Museum from where 2 million emigrants shipped off to North America between 1873 and 1934. Enjoy dinner on your own this evening before returning to our boat for a restful night’s sleep.

Highlights: Cruise out of Antwerp, Tholen, Dordercht.

This morning, the ship will sail along the Schelde-Rhine Canal and over the huge Kreekrak lock system. Here your bicycle tour starts through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” forest to Tholen. Tholen once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Nowadays Tholen is connected to the mainland in various ways. But it is still a picturesque village with many relics of an eventful past. From Tholen you will join the ship again for a nice afternoon sail to the city of Dordrecht. Halfway the ship will pass the impressive Volkerak lock system. Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands is your destination for the day. Enjoy some time in the historical center after dinner.

Highlights: UNESCO World Heritage Kinderdijk windmills, Gouda cheese museum and tasting, Schoonhoven – famous for its silversmiths

After just a few miles from Dordrecht you will reach Kinderdijk, where 19 majestic windmills are aligned to form a stunning sight, now listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage. The windmills were constructed in the 18th century to pump water out of the low Alblasserwaard polder (a polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments). Then we’ll continue to Gouda, worldwide known for its unique Cheese and traditional cheese market . Bicycle through town, and check out the town hall’s clock-tower bells. Enjoy a visit to the town’s cheese museum, and pick-up some sample. Join the boat back in Schoonhoven or make it a 70km day and continue to Vianen, a small, fortified town on the river Lek (Lower Rhine), where you will stay for the night.

Highlights: Forts of Muiderslot and Weesp, town of Muiden, Bruekelen, and Amsterdam

During breakfast the ship will cruise to Breukelen where you disembark to start cycling. Follow bike paths through the region of the Hollandic Waterline, a defense system born in the 17th Century where castles and military forts with integrated systems of flooding could be used to turn Holland into an island to keep out invaders. A century later the water froze creating a bridge for the French army to attack. This plan has left several imposing forts including Muiderslot and Weesp which we’ll cycle past today. Enjoy local farmland and beautiful canals flanked by charming villas. We’ll pedal through Breukelen, the namesake of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Continue cycling through the historic town of Muiden and on to Amsterdam where you will meet the barge for the final time in Amsterdam harbor.

Highlights: Disembark, goodbyes.

Your tour ends today in Amsterdam. Enjoy your onward travels or, if you can, take time to explore this vibrant city.