Discover the enchanting beauty of Belgium on an unforgettable journey
Suitable for people of all ages. Nearly all cycle tours can be classified as easy. You spend about 5 hours on your bicycle daily.
Experience the beauty of Belgium on a fascinating journey through Flanders. Along towpaths beside old canals and through poplar-lined avenues, you cycle at a relaxed pace into ancient villages where beer is still brewed just like in grandfather’s time.
And those who sample the local village beer in a rustic pub or under the linden trees are met with an approving toast – especially when they arrive by bike. Eventually, you reach Bruges, the “Venice of the North,” with its picturesque alleys and romantic canals. This journey combines culture, history, and indulgence, offering unforgettable impressions in some of Belgium’s most beautiful towns.
Individual arrival in Vilvoorde, a suburb located about 10 km north of Brussels. The crew warmly welcomes you on board from 4:00 PM onwards.
From Vilvoorde you start your first cycle tour that leads you to Mechelen – here you will find the remarkable density of more than 300 listed buildings (classified as historical monu-ments), among them eight churches, all built within an area of only three square kilometres. While your ship is going through the Willebroek-canal, you are cycling through green, soft and hilly landscapes, passing sleepy villages and mag-nificent country estates until you finally reach Willebroek.
From Willebroek you are cycling over Lier to Antwerp, the world’s centre of diamond-processing and your today’s des-tination. Antwerp offers a number of interesting sights such as the richly decorated town hall in renaissance style, the historic Grote Markt, the huge Liebfrauen Cathedral and the medieval Steen Castle.
Today, your tour leads you up the river Schelde to Hemiksen, and after having cycled a bit upward you are comfortably go-ing to Rupelmonde. At this point, where the river Rupel flows into the river Schelde, you follow the river until you will reach the historic area of brick burning, where bricks have been produced since the Middle Ages until today. You will then cross the Brussels-Rupel-canal and arrive at Sint Amands.
In the morning, the journey continues by ship along one of the most beautiful stretches of the River Scheldt to Dendermonde. From there, the cycling tour follows the scenic Scheldt embankment toward your destination for the day. Dendermonde is well worth a visit, especially the Beguinage with its charming local history museum. A coffee break on the picturesque Flemish Grote Markt is an absolute must. Today’s destination is Ghent. Explore the beautiful historic center partly by bike, partly on foot. In the Middle Ages, Ghent was the second-largest city after Paris and still retains much of its architectural richness in the city center. Your ship moors overnight just outside Ghent at the Merelbeke lock, a suburb located about 30 minutes by bike from the city center.
Note: If your ship cannot dock in Dendermonde due to the tide, the cycle tour will start in Sint Amands instead. The distance remains the same.
In the morning you are leaving for Lovendegem. The whole cycle route follows the Gent-Oostende-canal through the wide Flemish plain until you arrive at Bruges “The Venice of the North” is widely known in Europe for its art and museums. Bruges’ old town with its number of Grachten (small channels) belongs to the UNESCO world’s cultural heritage. Enjoy the bustle activity around the Grote Markt (the big market place) while having a nice tea or coffee.
Your last cycle tour will take you at the beginning over Damme, Till Eulenspiegel’s place of birth to the seaside. Sandy beaches and a lot of cafés (you have the opportunity to swim in the sea there) will give you the opportunity for a nice rest. After approx. 2 hours you are cycling back to Bruges.
After breakfast, disembarkation until 9:00 AM and individual journey home.
Explore Flanders on a bike
Our carefully selected routes will lead you along the most beautiful spots of Flanders. The average daily distance is around 45 kilometers. Most participants prefer riding in a group with the cycling guide, but you can also ride individually. A road book is included (1x per cabin). Gps-tracks can be provided by e-mail.
Embarkation is at 4 PM. You can recognise the barge by the banner with Cycletours written on it. The name of your barge is printed on the voucher, which you will receive separately. After arrival there’s coffee and tea on board. Other drinks are also available and will be paid for on the final day of the tour. If you want you can bring your luggage in advance, from noon onwards. Then you can explore Bruges at your leisure. The mooring place of the barge in Vilvoorde: ...
The nearest airport to the embarkation point of the barge is Brussels Airport (BRU). By train it is about 1½ hours from the airport to the railway station in Bruges. Walking distance from the train station to the barge is about 10 to 15 minutes. A taxi from the airport to the mooring place will take about 1 hour and costs about € 180,-.
The nearest train station to the embarkation point of the barge is the Vilvoorde train station. Walking distance to the barge is about 10 to 15 minutes. By taxi it takes about 5 minutes to the barge.
Unsupervised parking near Vilvoorde train station (approx. 2 km from the mooring location): Luchthavenlaan 2, 1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium or the “Parking Indigo Vilvoorde Grote Markt” parking garage (about 800 m from the dock): Grote Markt 100, 1800 Vilvoorde (Belgium). The underground parking garage is open 24/7, has video surveillance and offers direct access to Vilvoorde’s city centre. The daily rate is approximately € 10. For more information, visit: https://www.indigoneo.lu/en/parkings/29424/parking-grote-markt-vilvoorde
Alternatively supervised parking at Gare du Nord train station in Brussels, approx. 10 km from the mooring location. Open 24 hours and monitored. Cost: approx. €20 per day, approx. €30 per day on weekends. More information available at: https://www.interparking.be/en/parkings/brussels/brabantgaredunord/.
The tour ends one week later on Thursday morning after breakfast at 9 AM. You will spend the night from Wednesday to Thursday on board in Bruges. Please note: The return transfer from Bruges back to Vilvoorde (Brussels) must be organized individually. Train journey takes about 1.5 hours and costs approx. € 20,- per person. Tickets can be booked, for example, via Belgian Train: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en. (Bruges train station is located approx. 2 km from the mooring location.)
On this tour the following barges are scheduled
Rental bikes on this tour.
Imagine a floating hotel sailing to the next stage, while you are calmly pedalling along. No lugging of luggage: that is exactly what Bike & Barge is all about! In the pleasant atmosphere on board you can have a chat, go through the day with the others, and enjoy the meals prepared specially for cyclists. In the evenings you can enjoy a drink in the salon or admire the setting sun on deck. Do not expect a cruise ship with its passive luxury. The Bike & Barge Holidays are for people who really enjoy the physical activity of cycling and who value sociability more than wholesale luxury.
Free WiFi is (limited) available in lounge and on deck.
Most cabins are 2-person cabins (twin beds), but some barges also have single and triple cabins. The cabins have central heating and a porthole or window; they are provided with running water (hot and cold), private shower/toilet and 220 voltage. There is limited storage space in the cabin. We recommend 1 suitcase per person. You can slide the suitcase under the bed.
The captain/skipper, the chef and your tour guide all welcome you warmly. They are prepared specifically for these trips and will provide good and safe passage, good meals, and a friendly, pleasant atmosphere. They will, of course, also give you a great deal of interesting information during and after the cycling and sailing. The skipper is responsible for the smooth running of things on board; the cook is in charge of the catering. A tour leader accompanies you during the bike ride and can assist in case of breakdowns. He/She will be your guide to point out the things of interest along the way and is multi-lingual (Dutch/English, some speak German and/or French).
Your chef is used to cook delicious meals for hungry cyclists. Besides an extensive breakfast, you will also be offered a packed lunch for on the road. It consists of different types of bread and sandwich fillings, juice, a snack and a piece of fruit. Lunch package needs to be prepared by yourself after breakfast. Dinner is different every day. There is a first course, main course and dessert The meals on board are included in the price, as are coffee and tea. Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks can be obtained at a reasonable charge. When you return on board after the day’s cycling, a cup of tea or coffee with a biscuit will be waiting for you.
If you suffer from food allergies or food intolerance (such as lactose- or gluten- intolerance/-allergy) or if you have special meal requirements (vegetarian; pescetarian; gluten free meals etc.), we ask you to mention this when booking, but no later than 14 days before arrival. Diets which need a special preparation or special ingredients can only be offered in limited form. We will do our best to meet your needs, but we also ask for your understanding as due to limited logistic possibilities on a barge we are not able to prepare complete specialized menus and special food requirements cannot always be met in all details.
In case of gluten free or lactose diet, there is an additional charge.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer vegan meals. The space in the kitchens on our ships is limited (for storage and preparation) and therefore we cannot guarantee that the meals are completely vegan.
One of the most attractive aspects of the Bike & Barge holidays is that you encounter an international company on board, including people from e.g. USA, Canada, Australia, France and United Kingdom. It’s a great opportunity for you to get to know various cultures at the same time! We have people of all ages, solo travelers, couples and also families with children (during the school holidays). Most groups are made up of 12 to 26 people.
Cyclists, of course, have to observe traffic rules and regulations. The most important rule is to remember that you are not alone on your bike and that you are sharing the road with your group and other road users. Your guide on board will tell you all you need to know about the traffic rules and regulations.
Yes, but you must indicate this when booking. Diets that require special preparation or specific ingredients can only be accommodated to a limited extent. We will do our best to meet your needs, but we also ask for your understanding: due to the limited logistical possibilities on a barge, we are not able to provide fully specialized menus. On some tours, a surcharge applies for gluten‑free, lactose‑free, or vegan meals. This is stated per tour.
We recommond to wear a bike helmet on all tours. On our own tours (barges Anna Antal; Liza Marleen; Anna van Aemstel; Sailing Home and Clair de Lune) we provide a safety helmet with all our own rental bikes.
In some countries a helmet is mandatory, if so this is stated on the tour page.
You can bring your own standard bike on board.
Own e-bikes, tricycles, recumbent bikes and and special (custom-made) bicycles cannot be taken on board our ships.
Most participants simply put on their rain gear and try to make the best out of it, unfortunately the weather cannot be controlled. If the weather becomes so bad that cycling is truly impossible, which almost never happens, you can stay on board or your guide can arrange an alternative program, such as cultural excursions or city tours (at your own expense).
The main countries represented by our cycling guests are: United States and Canada. We also receive guests from United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. The common language on board is English.
No, the barge does not follow the same route as the cyclists. Sometimes the route may need to be adjusted due to weather conditions or repairs to bridges or locks. In those cases, the guests and the guide can coordinate with the skipper to meet at a different location. Of course, you can always choose to stay on board for one or more days.
