What could be more Dutch than to live aboard a traditional barge and tootle about on a bike through the lowlands where everything's an art form? Freewheel through the fields and polders immortalised in the works of the Dutch masters en route to Antwerp, the city of Rubens. Windmills appear as sculptures. Medieval art inspires in Ghent. Flemish waterways charm with their beauty. Ancient buildings beg to be explored. Canals hum with cafe life. From Amsterdam to Bruges, its a work of art, and you'll be experiencing it up close on two wheels.
To this, we add wonderful flexibility. You can choose to cycle self guided on your own with route directions or be led by the guide with your fellow guests. Most days offer a choice of cycling distances and some evenings there are optional city walks. Any day you can opt to stay on board and relax. Your guide briefs you each morning, cycles the whole route and shares his knowledge as he leads you through the treasures of these art cities. It's a masterpiece in every sense!
Holiday details
Price
- Luxury
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from £1,400 per person
On some sailings upgrade to: A premium cabin for an extra £190.00 per person or An Upper Deck Suite for an extra £490.00 per person
What’s included?
Breakfast each day, picnic lunch on 6 days and a 3 course dinner on 6 days. Tea and coffee are also available until 4pm daily. See what’s included as standard
Duration
7 nights
Start & Finish
Start in either Amsterdam or Bruges. Tours depart on Tuesday or Thursday. Let us know your preferred date and start point and we will check availability and sailing dates for you
Hotels
- Luxury
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Enjoy the comfort of custom-built barges each with a range of cabins from Premium to Upper Deck Suites
Holiday type
Guided
This tour is priced with a knowledgeable, local guide
Activity level
Gentle cycling (1) More info...
Electric bikes
Available
Mileage
7 days of optional cycling 13 - 36 miles (21 - 58 km) per day. Bike hire is included. Helmets are also available
Terrain
Flat
Traffic-free
95%
Options
- Additional nights in Amsterdam and Bruges
- Book a 1 hour Amsterdam canal boat trip. Lugagge can be left on the boat from 11 am on your arrival day
Itinerary day-by-day
Luxury
This itinerary has an alternative start-point, scroll down to view.
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1. Day one
Arrive Amsterdam and board your barge
Arrive in Amsterdam and at 2.00pm board your barge which is moored in the heart of the city. (Luggage can be brought on board from 11 am). After unpacking your luggage in your cabin, you will still have plenty of time to explore this famous city. An introduction to the tour will take place back on board at 5.30pm during which your crew will be introduced and your first dinner served.
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2. Day two
Amsterdam to Vianen
You will start your first day on the bike by cycling out of Amsterdam to the historical town of Muiden, with its 14th Century waterfront castle. Ride along the Vecht River in an area famous for its beautiful mansions, small castles, impressive houses and their large gardens. Close to Vreeland you can visit a traditional cheese farm. After cycling through the charming villages of Loenen and Nieuwersluis, you will arrive a Breukelen where you will rejoin your ship. Around 5pm the ship departs for Vianen and you can enjoy dinner while cruising. Spend the evening and night in Vianen, a small fortified town on the Lower Rhine river.
Optional 23 or 26 miles (36 or 46 km)
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3. Day three
Vianen to Dordrecht
After breakfast you will pedal along a charming route to Schoonhoven, known as the silver city – renowned for its talented silversmiths since the 17th Century. Later in the day as you cycle through the Alblasserwaard region you will reach Kinderdijk, famous for its impressive row of 19 large windmills - all listed by UNESCO, and one of which you can tour inside. From nearby Alblasserdam you will take the ‘Waterbus’ a ferry that will take you and you bike on a fast 10 minute trip to Dordrecht - one of the oldest towns in Holland.
Optional 19 - 34 miles (32 - 56 km)
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4. Day four
Dordrecht to Antwerp
Whilst you are eating your breakfast 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 cycle ride goes to Tholen, once 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. Back on board you will sail to the port city of Antwerp, situated on the River Schelde. Famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds Antwerp is a city with a long list of attractions and stunning architecture.
23 -28 miles (36 - 44 km)
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5. Day five
Antwerp to St Amands/Dendermonde
Ride out of the port to the Zeeschelde and follow the beautiful but capricious tidal river Schelde upstream through Flanders. The bike path follows the dreamy banks of the river and leads through a magnificent landscape calling at Temse en route. There is a choice of distances today and depending on the tide, the boat ties up at St Amands , a friendly little riverside town.
21 or 31 miles (34 or 49 km)
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6. Day six
St Amands/Dendermonde to Ghent
This morning you pedal along the banks of the River Schelde to reach the lively university city of Ghent. Founded in Roman times, the city's prosperity was at its height in the late 13th and early 14th century when the textile industry brought great wealth. Many fine buildings such as Cloth Hall remain from that time. The cathedral houses some notable masterpieces of medieval art of which "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck is the most famous. The ship is docked at the lock in Merelbeke, a suburb of Ghent, and before dinner a small canal boat will take you for a guided tour through the historic city. (Note: there is no shorter cycle route available on the southbound route to Ghent, but there is a 24 mile option on northbound trip Bruges to Amsterdam)
Optional 32 miles (52 km)
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7. Day seven
Ghent to Bruges
Today’s route ambles through the pretty Western Flanders countryside to Bruges and those wanting the shorter route stay on board a little longer this morning. Bruges, also called the Venice of the North, is probably the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. Its old centre, which dates from the Middle Ages, is almost completely intact. Bruges was at that time a metropolis and centre of commerce and art and you can still see this glory in its beautiful buildings.
Optional 14 or 28 miles (22 or 45km)
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8. Day eight
Depart Bruges
After a final breakfast on board its time to say farewell to your crew and disembark by 9.30am.
Alternative start-point:
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1. Day one
Arrive Bruges and board your barge
Arrive in Bruges and board your barge which is moored in the Bruges Harbour, between 1 and 1.30 pm. After a welcome meeting with the crew at 2.00pm 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 centre of town. If you can, arrive in Bruges at least a day earlier to have time to discover this ‘Pearl of Flanders’ and visit one of the many museums of just take in the beauty and culture of this unforgettable city from the comfort of a sidewalk café.
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2. Day two
Bruges to Ghent
Start your first day of cycling by pedalling towards Ghent through the beautiful Flemish landscape along the Ghent canal. On arrival in Ghent make sure you make the effort to discover this historical city with an afternoon stroll. Ghent’s medieval centre features lovely illuminated streets that are a must to explore. During the Middle Ages Ghent was the second largest European city after Paris. The ship will dock for the night at a lock in a suberb of Ghent and approx.. 30 cycling minutes from the city centre. Before dinner a small canal boat will take you for a guided tour through the historic city.
Optional 21 or 36miles (35 or 57km)
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3. Day three
Ghent to Dendermonde/St Amands
Spend the morning exploring more of this lively university city and its rich past. Many fine buildings such as Cloth Hall remain from that time. The cathedral houses some notable masterpieces of medieval art of which "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck is the most famous. Later in the morning you will cycle downstream through a diverse landscape along the tidal Schelde river to Dendermonde. There is only one way to describe the landscape along the Schelde and that is ‘magnificent’! During this section of the river the speed of the ship will be determined by the height of the tide. You will travel from Dendermonde to St Amands by either bike or barge where your floating hotel will dock for the night.
Optional 24 or 32 miles (38 or 52 km)
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4. Day four
St Amands - Temse - Antwerp
Ride downstream further along the banks of the tidal Schelde River, along one of its most beautiful and dreamy stretches. Love the peace and enjoy the views and wildlife of Flanders at its best as you travel through the Temse region to Antwerp. Famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds Antwerp is a city with a long list of attractions and stunning architecture. 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.
19 or 32 miles (32 or 49 km)
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5. Day five
Antwerp to Dordrecht
Your barge takes you along the Schelde Rhine Canal this morning as you leave Flanders and head for Holland through the huge Kreekrak Lock system. Here your bicycle tour starts through the beautiful ‘Wouwse Plantage’ forest to Tholen, once an island and a former fishing village set in the middle of the large Zeeland streams. Nowadays Tholen is connected to the mainland in various ways, but it is still a picturesque village with many relics of and eventful past. From Tholen you will join the ship again for a nice afternoon sail to the city of Dordrecht – one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. Your guide will take you for an evening walk to explore the history of the area.
Optional 13 or 23 miles (20 or 36 km)
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6. Day six
Dordrecht to Vianen
Today you will start your tour with the ‘Waterbus’ a fast ferry that will take you and your bike in just 10 minutes to Alblasserdam. A few minutes of cycling will bring you to Kinderdijk. Here there is an impressive row of 19 large windmills listed by UNESCO, one of which you can tour inside. Built in the 18th Century to pump water out of the Alblasserwaard polder, they appear a work of art. Continuing through the Dutch lowlands you reach Schoonhoven, known as silver city and further on arrive in Vianen, a small fortified Dutch town on the River Lek where your barge ties up for the night. Explore the town after dinner on board.
Optional 19 or 36 miles (32 or 57 km)
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7. Day seven
Vianen to Amsterdam
During breakfast the ship will cruise to Breukelen where your last day of cycling starts with a pedal along the banks of the winding and beautiful River Vecht with its impressive riverside mansions, small castles and country houses with large gardens. Take in several charming villages and stop to visit a traditional cheese farm in Nigtevecht. You wind your way into the heart of Amsterdam along the Amstel river and rejoin the barge in the city's harbour for your final dinner on board.
Optional 23 or 28 miles (36 or 46 km)
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8. Day eight
Depart Amsterdam
After a final breakfast on board it's time to say farewell to your crew and disembark by 9.30 am.