Day 1: Bruges (11 km)
You will find your boat waiting for you at the port of Bruges; boarding time is from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. After a welcoming meeting with the crew scheduled for 2:00 PM, we will devote some time to adjusting the bicycles according to your size for a short test ride in the countryside around Bruges. After dinner, your guide will take you for a stroll through the historic center.
Day 2: Bruges and the North Sea - circular tour (38 km)
After breakfast, your guide will lead you on a circular tour of about 37 km; you will start with a relaxing ride along a canal flanked by beautiful poplar trees and through charming, green polders dotted with small farmhouses. The polders are the typical areas located below sea level that have been traditionally dried up artificially using pump systems and dams in the Netherlands. You will return to Bruges following another beautiful canal. In the afternoon you will have time to visit the historic center, a UNESCO heritage site, and all the wonders it contains. Also known deservedly as the Pearl of Flanders, Bruges is a city of astonishing beauty and culture. Don't forget to visit at least one of its many museums and to pause for a moment to admire so much splendor comfortably seated on the terrace of one of its numerous cafés.
Day 3: Bruges - Aalterburg | Aalterburg - Ghent (37 or 45 km)
After breakfast, you will leave Bruges cycling through enchanting woods and pastures. You will then find your boat waiting for you halfway along the canal that connects Bruges to Ghent. Once back on board, you can enjoy the scenery in complete relaxation while sailing towards Ghent. In the evening you can opt for a guided boat tour through the historic center, appreciating it from a privileged point of view, enjoying unique places like Graslei and Korenlei. Ghent is a vibrant university city with a rich past that dates back to Roman times, when it was founded at the confluence of the Leie and Scheldt rivers, and which reached its peak between the 13th and 14th centuries, when textile production brought great prosperity to the city. In the historic center, you will find the beautiful houses of the ancient wealthy merchants perfectly preserved, as well as Saint Bavo's Cathedral, built in various epochs and styles. Inside are kept several masterpieces of medieval painting, including The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Jan Van Eyck.
Day 4: Ghent - Dendermonde / St. Amands (40 or 55 km)
After breakfast, you start cycling through the varied landscape surrounding the Scheldt, one of the main rivers in Belgium, to finally reach Dendermonde, a pleasant town located at the junction of the Scheldt and Dendre rivers. The landscapes through which the Scheldt River flows are simply magnificent and this is certainly one of the most beautiful sections of the whole tour, which you can cover either by bike or by boat, but remember that the speed of navigation will depend on the level of the tides. Spend the night on board at the port of St. Amands.
Day 5: St. Amands – Temse – Antwerp (33 or 49 km)
Today we will cross the region of Temse to finally make our entrance to Antwerp. This part of the itinerary winds along a beautiful and winding stretch of the Scheldt River course, which played a strategic role in the time of the Romans, Vikings, Spaniards, and Napoleon. Antwerp, the final destination of the day, is a port city that stands on the Scheldt River, famous mainly because 80% of the world's rough diamonds are processed here, and for being the birthplace of the painter Rubens. There are many places worth visiting once in town: the City Hall, one of the most majestic buildings from the Renaissance, the Grote Markt, the historic market square, the Cathedral of Our Lady and the Het Steen castle (The Rock).
Day 6: Antwerp
Today your boat will remain docked at the port of Antwerp. You will have the entire day to discover this elegant city with irresistible charm. You can visit the Rubenshuis, the house museum of the famous Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens, of which you will find some paintings also in the nearby Cathedral of Our Lady. Alternatively, you can visit the famous De Koninck brewery and end with a tasting, or the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), the largest museum in Antwerp, which with over a million pieces tells the story of the city. Dinner this evening is not included but gives you the opportunity to choose a restaurant to your liking. The crew, if you wish, will certainly be able to advise you.
Day 7: Antwerp – Kreekrak locks | Kreekrak locks – Tholen (36 or 20 km)
Morning navigation on the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, to then cross the extensive system of Kreekrak locks. The bike itinerary will take off in the beautiful Wouwse Plantage forest and will lead you to the city of Tholen, former island of Zeeland, today connected to the mainland through various communication routes, but it still retains its own picturesque charm due to the many testimonies of a turbulent past.
Day 8: Tholen – Willemstad | Willemstad – Dordrecht (44 or 36 km)
Today's bike itinerary goes through the charming village of Oud-Vossemeer and reaches Willemstad, an old fortified city surrounded by still well-preserved walls that stands in an inlet of the North Sea. Here you will reboard your boat for a pleasant stretch of navigation that will take you to Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. Your guide will then lead you on an evening walk to narrate the story of the Netherlands.
Day 9: Dordrecht - Alblasserdam by ferry | Alblasserdam - Kinderdijk - Schoonhoven - Vianen (32 or 57 km)
A fast ferry will take you to Alblasserdam in just 10 minutes. Shortly after, you will reach Kinderdijk by bike, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and fairy-tale village, famous for its 19 perfectly preserved windmills, some of them are still working and visitable inside, built in the 18th century to pump water from the Alblasserwaard polder.
Your route then continues towards Vianen, passing through Schoonhoven, nicknamed the City of Silver since the 17th century due to the many silversmiths always present in the city. You will spend the night in Vianen, a fortified town situated on the banks of the Lek River (Lower Rhine), which after a delightful dinner on board, you will have time to explore.
Day 10: Vianen - Breukelen | Breukelen - Amsterdam (37 or 47 km)
During breakfast, the boat will sail to Breukelen, where your last day of biking begins. You will first cycle along the banks of the Vecht River through an area famous for its beautiful country houses, small castles, and houses surrounded by parks and vast gardens. After crossing the villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen, and Vreeland, you will reach Nigtevecht, where you will have the opportunity to visit a traditional cheese factory. Finally, proceed through the historic city of Muiden towards Amsterdam, where you will meet the boat to spend one last evening at the port of Amsterdam.
Day 11: Amsterdam
Breakfast on board and disembark by 9:30 AM.
Fiandre
364km
11 days
