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The historic centre of Antwerp

Bruges - Amsterdam, MS Magnifique II

Picture book Holland & Belgium

8 Days / 7 Nights
Easy
The historic centre of Antwerp

This journey combines cultural highlights and scenic areas in Holland and Flanders. You cycle along flat bike paths from metropolis Amsterdam to Bruges, the Venice of the North. In Holland impressing cottages, cheese dairys and the 19 windmills of Kinderdijk are seaming your route. In Belgium the historic Flemish cities Antwerp, Gent and Brügge take center stage – gables and patrician houses, narrow alleys and rich cultural past finds its expression until today in the architecture and painting.

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Itinerary at a glance

Embarkation time in Bruges is between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The ship awaits you in the Bruges harbor. After a welcome meeting with the crew at 2 PM there is time for bicycle fitting and a short test-ride through the countryside around Bruges. After dinner the guide will take you for a short walk through the center of town.

We advise you to come to Bruges one or more days earlier, so that you will have plenty of time to discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historical city of Bruges, aptly named the “Pearl of Flanders”. While you are there make sure you 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 café.

You will start your first day of cycling by 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 historical city has to offer during an afternoon stroll. Ghent’s medieval center features lovely illuminated streets that are a must to explore, while the architectural richness in the center of the city has to be seen to be believed. During the Middle Ages Ghent was the 2nd largest European city, after Paris. The ship will dock for the night at a lock, in a suburb of Ghent and approx. 30 cycling minutes from the city center. Before dinner a small canal boat will take you for a guided tour through the historic city.

In the morning you will spend some time in Ghent. Later in the morning you will cycle downstream through a diverse landscape along the tidal Schelde River to Dendermonde located at the confluence of Dender and Schelde rivers. There is only one way to describe the landscape along the Schelde and that is: “magnificent”. It is without doubt one of the natural highlights of the tour. During this section of the Schelde the speed of the ship will be determined by the height of the tide. You will travel from Dendermonde to St. Amands by either bicycle or barge depending on the tides. Your floating hotel will be docked for the night in St. Amands.

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. There are many highlights in the city to discover 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.

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. The guide will take you for an evening walk and tell you about the history of the Netherlands.

Today you will start your tour with the “Waterbus”, a fast ferry that will take you and your bicycle in just 10 minutes to Alblasserdam. After just a few minutes of cycling you will reach Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 UNESCO cultural heritage-listed windmills – one of which you can visit (don’t forget your camera!). 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). You will then continue to cycle via Schoonhoven to Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek (Lower Rhine), where you will stay for the night and where you can explore at your leisure after dinner.

During breakfast the MS Magnifique II will cruise to Breukelen where you disembark to start your final day of cycling. Ride along the Vecht River in an area famous for its beautiful mansions, small castles, impressive houses and their large gardens. After cycling through the villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland you will arrive at 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.

Route information

Easy

Through Holland and Belgium always flat along bike paths.

Cycle trips with a guide or self-guided: Those tours will be adjusted individually with the tour guide, depending on the group and their potential. There is a daily briefing in the evening for the next day. The ones who will make the trip self-guided can use the route books which are provide on board (books only gettable on board). You will cycle about 40 and 60 km per day.

Prices and dates

Prices per person in EUR

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • 7 nights tour and accommodation on board of MS Magnifique II in the booked category
  • Program according to the routing
  • Welcome drink
  • Meals: (7 x breakfast, 6 x picnic lunch during bike tours, coffee and tea on board, 6 x 3 course dinner)
  • Daily cabin cleaning
  • Use of linen and towels
  • Daily briefing on the respective bike tours 
  • All charges for harbours, bridges and locks

  • Printed instructions and detailed maps for daily bike tours (deposited on board, 1 per cabin)
  • GPS tracks

Optional extras

  • Parking space for own bike € 10, for own electric bike € 25.

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Guarded parking areas at the main station (Stationsplein), approx. 5-7 € per day. No reservation possible. Transfer by taxi from Stationsplein to ship berth approx. 15-25 €.
  • Return transfer by train from Amsterdam to Bruges approx. 40 € per person.

Things to note

  • Further important information according to the package travel law and additional information about your bike and boat trip can be found here!
  • The owner of the ship, the crew, the tour guide and the organiser are not liable for the damage or theft of own bicycles. 
  • Minimum number of participants: 24
  • This tour is a partner tour.

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Christine Pölzleitner
Christine Pölzleitner
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