Bruges to Amsterdam

When you arrive on board the ship in Bruges between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. you can put your luggage away in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It’s also a good moment to become acquainted with the guide, skipper, and crew – and of course your fellow passengers. Very soon we will head away from the city walls of Bruges for a trip to Ghent. We will mostly follow the canal between Bruges and Ghent to Aalterbrug, which offers a beautiful, peaceful cycle route with an unexpected variety of experiences.

After dinner we will have time to discover the character of the old city center of Ghent, easily reached from our berth. Ghent was a major trading center during the Middle Ages and still one of Flanders’ most important cities today. Its origins lie in Roman times, at the junction of the Leie and Schelde Rivers. The city center has many surprisingly well-preserved patrician mansions and architecturally delightful civic and commercial buildings. Especially noteworthy is the impressive St. Baafs Cathedral, built over various periods in a variety of styles. In the cathedral you can admire a number of masterpieces of medieval painting, including the renowned ‘Adoration of the Lamb’ by Jan van Eyck. 

Today we will have the day at our free disposal. The city of Ghent is proud of its rich past, the many well-preserved guild’s and patricians’ houses as well as old warehouses, Gravensteen (a mediaeval castle), St Nicholas Church (with 13th century foundations), St Bavo’s Cathedral and the ‘Belfort’ (Belfry;14th century). But Ghent is much more than just a museum town. This lively city with its numerous squares and cosy pubs is an excellent mixture of mediaeval edifices, stylish shopping streets, splendid mansions, working-class quarters from the beginning of the 20th century which now often house students and busy little squares where people eat out till the wee hours on a sultry summer night.

You can also choose to go on an optional ride with your guide. The castles and luxurious villas in and around Destelbergen, at a stone’s throw from Ghent, are silent witnesses of the rich history of this municipality along the banks of the river Scheldt.

Today we will leave Belgium and arrive in the Netherlands. During breakfast we will sail to Sas van Gent and cycle through Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Dutch-Flanders). With a short ferry trip from Breskens to Vlissingen (Flushing) you cross the Westerschelde. From Vlissingen it’s just 30 minutes cycling to Middelbrug, the capital of Zeeland.

Modern Middelburg has preserved and regained much of its historic and picturesque character. There are lavish 17th and 18th century merchant houses and storehouses standing along canals. The medieval abbey is still in use today, as a museum and as the seat of the provincial government.

First we will ride to the town of Veere, formerly an important trading place. From Veere we will cycle over the Veersgat- dam (here you have the possibility of a beach visit) to North Beveland. Soon we will reach the Oosterscheldedam. The enormous locks are built in this embankment and can be closed during storms and high tides protecting the south-west of the Netherlands against the sea. This embankment was one of the last in a series of barriers against the sea. When cycling along the embankment, one will realize why this has been one of the most difficult and costly challenges to protect the country now and in the future and to let seawater into the widespread Delta area. It is precisely why the Deltaworks are referred to as the one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. After this dam we will peddle to Zierikzee.

A nice ride on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland is on the program. We cycle to the village Bruinisse, known for it’s very isolated community. The main source of income is the mussel fishery, on the dike to the Grevelingen you will find a statue of an opened mussels. In the afternoon we will ride on to Willemstad (an old fortified town) where we meet the barge. Sailing to Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities of Holland and located at the crossroads of busy waterways

From Gorinchem we will visit Woudrichem (an old fortified town) and the castle Loevestein, the most famous castle in the Netherlands. After our visit we follow the meandering river Linge through the Betuwe. This area is known for the large amount of orchards and therefore will be covered with blossoms in May. Along the city of Leerdam, famous for its glass, we continue our tour in northern direction towards Vianen.

During breakfast we will sail on the river Vecht to Breukelen (the U.S. Brooklyn is named after this quaint village). From here we’ll bike along the river banks, admiring handsome mansions on our final ride back to Amsterdam. After arriving in Holland’s capital city and returning your bike, you can rest or perhaps visit the town center, which is close by. Amsterdam began as a simple village at the mouth of the River Amstel but expanded rapidly with its famous rings of canals during its Golden Age. The palace on the Dam Square is sometimes called the 8th Wonder of the World because it’s built on 13,659 wooden piles. Amsterdam as we know it today is a cosmopolitan city with 40 museums, close to one million inhabitants, and a thriving economy. In the evening you might like to take a sightseeing round trip on a lively Dutch canal boat.

Our tour concludes in Amsterdam, near the Central Station, after breakfast. Departure is before 10 a.m.