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The old town of Ghent

Amsterdam - Bruges, MS Magnifique III

By bike and boat from Amsterdam to Bruges

8 Days / 7 Nights
Easy
The old town of Ghent

This tour combines cultural highlights and charming scenery in both Holland and Flanders. You ride on flat cycle paths from Amsterdam to Bruges, the 'Venice of the North', over multiple stages. In Holland you can admire the impressive country homes, cheese farms and Kinderdjik's 19 windmills along the way. In Belgium you can enjoy the historical Flemmish towns of Antwerpen, Ghent and Bruges where there are gabled houses and patrician houses, narrow alleys and a rich cultural past wherever you go, which is still expressed in the architecture and artwork nowadays. 

Enjoy this river journey in a cosy and friendly atmosphere in a small group. Whilst cycling through the beautiful scenery, the MS Magnifique III follows you along the rivers and canals in order to be there at the end of the day as your 'floating hotel'. If you don't fancy cycling a stage, that is fine. You can enjoy the scenery from the boat! 

Itinerary at a glance

Embarkation and check-in is between 1.30 – 1.50 p.m., where your crew for the week will be waiting to welcome you on board. At  2 p.m. the ship will depart from Amsterdam for Vianen, a small, fortified village on the Lek River. After dinner you have the opportunity to enjoy a short first test ride through the surrounding area.

Today you will cycle along a beautiful route to Schoonhoven – nicknamed Zilverstad (“Silver City”) – a city renowned for its talented silver smiths since the 17th century. Later in the day as you cycle through the Alblasserwaard region you will reach Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 large windmills. All 19 windmills have a UNESCO cultural heritage listing and are a definite highlight – you will have the opportunity to visit one so don’t forget to bring your camera! From nearby Alblasserdam you will take the “Waterbus”, a fast ferry, that will take you and your bicycle in approx. 10 minutes to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland.

As you enjoy your breakfast aboard the ship, the ship will sail to Willemstad where you will start your day’s cycling. Willemstad is a beautiful old fortified town on the Haringvliet waterway. Your bicycle ride goes to 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.

Then you cycle on to the destination of this trip, Bergen op Zoom. Bergen op Zoom is a historic fortified town that once lay on the open waters of the Oosterschelde. After dinner you can take a walk through the old town. Narrow streets, old town, market and church squares and idiosyncratic monumental buildings show the history of a rich and eventful past that goes back more than eight hundred years.

In the morning you will enjoy a small bike ride through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” surrounding Bergen op Zoom. In the early afternoon you will once again board the ship which will sail to the port city of Antwerp, situated on the river Schelde. Antwerp is famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds and is a city with a long list of attractions including: the City Hall, one of several majestic buildings constructed during the Renaissance period, the historical City Square Grote Market, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Cathedral and the medieval Steen Castle. Dinner tonight (not included) will be in town in a restaurant of your choice (recommendations available on board).

This morning you will cycle out of Antwerp along a picturesque section of the Schelde River to St. Amands your home for the night. There is only one way to describe the landscape around the Schelde and that is “magnificent”. It is without doubt one of the natural highlights of the tour.

Today you will continue to follow the river Schelde to Ghent where the ship will moor for the night at a lock in a suburb of town. Ghent is a lively university city that boasts a rich history. Since Roman times Ghent’s position at the junction of Leie and Schelde Rivers has ensured that it has been a successful trading port.  In total the city features an Opera House, 18 museums, more than 100 churches and over 400 historical buildings. Major attractions are St. Bavo Cathedral where a number of masterpieces of medieval art including the world famous ‘Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by Jan van Eyck are kept and the 91-metre-tall belfry of Ghent, one of three medieval towers that overlook the old city center. Before dinner a small canal boat will take you for a guided tour through the historic city.

Today you will cycle from Ghent through the beautiful Flemish countryside of western Flanders to Bruges, widely described as the 'Venice of the North' and arguably the most beatiful of all the Flemish cities. Bruges attracts more than two million visitors every year who come to see the picturesque medieval town center of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic city and a long list of historic attractions. An outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, Bruges has managed to maintain its historic fabric as it has evolved over the centuries, with the result that today the city's original Gothci buildings form an integral part of the town's identity. While you are here you can visit one of Bruges many museums or simply take in the stunning beauty and culture of this unforgettable city from the comfort of a sidewalk cafe.
 

End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.

Route information

Easy

Prices & Dates

Prices per person in EUR

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • Fully guided cycling tours according to program from Amsterdam to Bruges 
  • 7 nights in outside cabins in the booked cabin category 
  • 1 welcome drink 
  • Full meals (7x breakfast, 6x packed lunch for cyclists, 6x coffee and tea on board, 6x 3-course-dinner) 
  • On board tour guide incl. daily tour briefing
  • Daily cabin cleaning, change of bed linen and towels as needed 
  • 1 route book per cabin 
  • All harbour, lock and bridge fees
  • Canal trip through Ghent 
  • Entrance Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp 
  • Tasting Belgium products 
  • Wifi
  • GPS-data 

Optional

  • Bring your own bike €10,- /electric bike €25,- (on request only, limited) 

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Train station Amsterdam close to the pier
  • Train station Bruges (Stationsplein) about 3 km from the pier
  • Car park Amsterdam Oosterdok: guarded car park at the train station (www.parkingcentrumoosterdok.nl)

Things to note

  • Minimum number of participants: none
  • Further important information according to the package travel law and additional information about your bike and boat trip can be found here!
  • This tour is a partner tour.

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