Bike and Barge: Amsterdam to Bruges Plus! Belgium’s Breweries

Start your bike and barge tour in bustling Amsterdam
  • Length 12 days
  • From USD$5995
  • Style/Level Bike and Boat 1.5
  • Countries Belgium
    Netherlands
  • Begin/End Amsterdam / Poperinge with shuttle to Brussels
See related tours

On this bike and barge tour you will discover the southern region of Zeeland in the Netherlands finally dipping into the West Flanders region of Belgium. By day you’ll bicycle through regions known for the phenomenal sightseeing and cycling terrain. You will travel between the world famous cities of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges and visit iconic places including Gouda and the famous windmills of Kinderdijk. Delve deep into local culture when we meet local cheese farmers and visit a working windmill. In Belgium, explore the battlefields of WWI around the towns of Poperinge and Ypres, and the brewing tradition of fine Belgian beers while visiting St. Sixtus and St. Bernadus abbey cafés.

***If this sounds great but you prefer a shorter trip, check out our Bike and Barge: Amsterdam to Bruges tour. ***

Highlights

  • Important cities of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges, Working windmill visit, Extra bicycling available on most days, Gouda and its cheeses, UNESCO World Heritage Sites -Kinderdijk Windmills, Bruges, Cycling along bike paths and canals, Luxury barge, Painter Peter Paul Rubens

Includes

  • 1 hotel night in Amsterdam

  • 7 nights accommodation on a barge

  • 3 nights at hotels in Belgium

  • meals as noted in itinerary, including 7 packed lunches

  • 2 beer tastings

  • chocolate tasting

  • windmill visit

  • canal cruise of Ghent

  • guided Antwerp walk and visit of Cathedral

  • guided Bruges walk

  • and, the usual (see below).

  • All Bike and Boat tour inclusions

Keep in mind

We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.

Because the barges run on a set schedule you will be required to get to the next docking point on time. We have planned the mileage each day so that this should not be a burden. Cabin space is limited so consider the size of your luggage. A 25 inch suitcase will fit under the bed. WiFi may be sporadic on board the barge.

For more questions about the Barge check out our Bike & Boat FAQ

You’ll enter and exit larger cities on bike paths. Expect a mix of dedicated bike paths and country roads.


Date Price Private room fee Note

Download Itinerary

We’ll send you a link to a full day by day tour itinerary that can be downloaded and printed so you can review all the details online and offline. This packet also includes details about what to expect on tour and arrival and departure details.
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  • Total distance 495 km (306 miles)
  • Average daily distance 56km (34 miles)
  • Tour style Bike and Boat
  • Tour level 1.5

Highlights: Amsterdam, bike fitting and test ride, welcome dinner

Welcome to the vibrant capital city of Holland, Amsterdam! We hope you arrived a few days early to visit some of the highlights of this colorful city — between its museums, canals, hip locales and lively night scene there is plenty to explore. Settle into our hotel where we’ll have our safety meeting and bike fitting followed by our first spin on the bikes before a special dinner together.

Meals : Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Room Mate Aitana

Highlights: Forts of Muiderslot and Weesp, town of Muiden, Bruekelen, dinner on board

Follow bike paths out of Amsterdam and head into the region of the Hollandic Waterline, a defense system born in the 17th Century where castles and military forts with integrated systems of flooding could be used to turn Holland into an island to keep out invaders. A century later the water froze creating a bridge for the French army to attack. This plan has left several imposing forts including Muiderslot and Weesp which we’ll cycle past today. Enjoy local farmland and beautiful canals flanked by charming villas. We’ll pedal through Breukelen, the namesake of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Later, we’ll cruise toward our landing spot for the night and enjoy dinner on-board.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Schoonhoven – famous for its silversmiths, Gouda cheese museum and tasting, UNESCO World Heritage Kinderdijk windmills

This morning our barge will cruise for a few hours to reach the town of Schoonhoven, famous for its silversmiths and carillon makers. Bicycle through town and check out the town hall’s clock-tower bells before heading to Gouda, famous for its orange cheese. Enjoy a visit to the town’s cheese museum, and pick-up some picnic supplies (cheese anyone?) to enjoy at your next stop: the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kinderdijk. Here 19 majestic windmills are aligned to form a stunning sight. After exploring we’ll keep pedaling south to rejoin our boat in Dordrecht. Enjoy dinner on-board and perhaps a leisurely walk in town to enjoy the center.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Willemstad, a do-it-yourself-moving-bridge; picnic lunch; Roosevelt heritage museum; Tholen; working windmill visit

Another breakfast cruise takes us to Willemstad, a strikingly star shaped fortified town on the shores where the Holland Diep river splits into multiple rivers as it rushes out to sea. Experience the do-it-yourself-moving-bridge before reaching the town of Oud Vossemeer, where the Roosevelt name was very present in the 17th and 18th centuries (and still is), leading many to theorize that the American Roosevelt family whose Dutch ancestor arrived in the US in 1650 was probably from this town. Next we’ll pedal south to Tholen which was once an island in this giant estuary-like environment, but is now connected to the mainland. We’ll enjoy a visit to a working windmill during our ride.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Cruise into Antwerp; visit “Onze Lieve Vrouwe (Our Lady) Cathedral” home to several of Rubens’ paintings

Set off on bikes for a delightful morning ride! We’ll get back to the boat before lunch to cruise into Antwerp, enjoying a unique view of the port and harbor as our barge makes its way to the city of diamonds. We’ll enjoy a guided visit of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens’ art in the city’s Cathedral. After which you can head off to visit the rest of the city, including the historic city center, the diamond district, or the Red Star Line Museum from where 2 million emigrants shipped off to North America between 1873 and 1934. Explore the city and enjoy dinner on your own this evening before returning to our boat for a restful night’s sleep.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Schelde riverbank bike path; Sint Amands; Bosteels Brewery

We’ll leave the city of Antwerp and return to the countryside cycling on small roads and along the Schelde river bike path. We’ve arranged a special visit of a 200 year-old brewery, family-run now by the 7th generation. We will continue pedaling along the tidal river until we reach the quaint town of Sint Amands.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Bicycle beside stately villas; Ghent’s rich historic center

This morning we will continue to cycle along the river before branching north through historic marshes. These marshes are where sheep production thrived due to the nutritious grasses. Subsequently, Ghent became one of the richest cities in the world during the Middle Ages because of its woolen industry. A bike path along the Schelde river brings us to our boat, which we’ll board for lunch as it cruises closer to the city center. While we are docked in a suburb, we’ll transfer into the historical center for a visit. This lively university city is still one of the prettiest cities in Belgium. Admire its traditional, tall Flemish buildings towering over the small streets and plazas. Enjoy dinner on your own in one of the many restaurants or cafés.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Breakfast cruise, Bruges, UNESCO World Heritage Site Medieval City Center

Start the day with a short breakfast cruise before setting off on your bicycle to ride into the crown jewel of Belgium, Bruges. We’ll be moored in the city center, providing excellent access to Bruges’s many treasures. Stroll along the canals that were once main arteries of the city and don’t miss a visit to the medieval square and City Hall. This city is characterized by its fantastic architecture. Bruges is bustling with additional sites to see including the stepped gable houses, market square with the belfort, and historic neighborhoods such as the “Beguinage”, a community of lay women from the 13th century to visit. We’ll enjoy dinner together on board our boat tonight.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging : La Mar Barge

Highlights: Bruges

Enjoy a mid-morning guided visit around the city of Bruges, after which you can decide to explore the chocolate museum, diamond museum or even the Belgian fry museum! Enjoy this fabulous city but be sure to save some energy to join us at Bruges’s famous beer bar late this afternoon for sampling! We’ll meet for a private guided tour of the De Halve Maan Brewery late this afternoon.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Crowne Plaza Brugge

Highlights: Westvleteren, lunch at farm, Poperinge

We pedal southwest directly through the West Flanders region, passing by the Diksmuide and Dodengang trenches. Westvleteren is one of only 6 authentic Trappist beers in Belgium (made by Trappist monks, a branch of Cistercian monks) – one of which is continually ranked amongst the top beers in the world. The 16th Century St. Sixtus Abbey is not open to the public, but you can still purchase the world’s highest-ranking beers from the Abbey at de Vrede gift shop across the street before continuing on to Poperinge, once famous for its textiles and now famous for its hops. Visit the hops museum before enjoying dinner in one of the many restaurants in town.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
Lodging : Hotel Recour

Highlights: Ieper and Flanders Field Museum, chocolate tasting

A loop ride today takes us to some important WWI sites where more than half a million Allied and German soldiers died in three major battles between 1914 and 1917. Ypres was strategic to the German’s planned invasion of France, and the Allied soldiers were able to put up effective resistance due to the topography: low lying hills parallel with the French Belgian border created natural “trenches” from which to fight. Visit the Flanders Field museum that starkly documents the war’s impact, and admire the completely rebuilt town as it was razed to the ground in 1917 due to the artillery fighting. Back in town, enjoy a chocolate tasting before our final dinner together.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Recour

Highlights: Brussels

We’ll transfer you to the Brussels train station today for connections to your next destination. Thanks for joining us on this barge, beer and bike adventure! Bon voyage and Goede Reis!

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.



Pre-trip planning checklist

Belgium travel planning page



  • Amazing experience! Loved the barge and biking in the countryside.

    Linda K., Fort Collins, CO – July 2024
  • Lovely tour through countryside of Netherlands and Belgium, with good food and accommodations on a river barge

    Tom D., Scottsdale, AZ – July 2024
  • Great way to see the countryside at a cyclist?s pace.

    Jeanne C., Bradenton, FL – May 2024