Amsterdam-Bruges / Bruges-Amsterdam - Description

Beautiful historical cities and a variety of landscapes

During this tour some of the most beautiful cities of Holland and Flanders are highlighted: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges, where you still can feel the charm of the days long gone. After embarkation in Amsterdam you will cross through a beautiful part of the Netherlands. After a short cruise with the ship, you bike along the winding small river Vecht with its impressive mansions and country houses on its banks. You visit a real Dutch cheese farm and the 19 Dutch windmills in Kinderdijk. Via Dordrecht and the fortified town Willemstad, the ship cruises through the “Delta” Province of Zeeland in the direction of Belgium. You will spend the night in Antwerp, the city of Rubens, whose paintings you can admire in the cathedral. You bike from Antwerp to Ghent along the beautiful tidal river Lower Schelde. Ghents highlights are a.o. the impressive Belfort and the St. Baafs-cathedral. Final destination is Bruges, the “Pearl of Flanders” with its picturesque medieval town centre probably the most beautiful of the Flemish cities.

This tour is – depending on the departure date – from Amsterdam to Bruges or in reverse direction available.

Amsterdam-Bruges - Programme

Day 1 (Sat)

Amsterdam - Vianen (ca. 15 km / 9 miles)

Starting 01:00 PM: Embarkation on the Fluvius. Around 2 PM we take off to Nichtevecht by barge. From there we make a short bike trip to Breukelen along the winding river Vecht. We visit a real Dutch cheese farm, where cheese is still produced according to traditional methods. By the end of the afternoon the barge takes you to Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek.

Day 2 (Sun)

Vianen – Kinderdijk (ca. 50 km / 30 miles) | Kinderdijk – Dordrecht

After breakfast you will cycle via silver city Schoonhoven then through the Alblasserwaard to Kinderdijk. There an impressive row of19 large windmills appears (UNESCO cultural heritage). Then the barge takes us further to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland. There we spend the night in the historic port of Wolwevershaven.

Day 3 (Mon)

Dordrecht – Willemstad | Willemstad – Tholen (ca. 35 of 50 km / 21 or 30 miles)

During breakfast the ship cruises to Willemstad, an old fortified town on the Haringvliet. From there by bike along the impressive complex of locks ‘de Volkerak’ to Tholen, once an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living.

Day 4 (Tue)

Tholen – Kreekraksluis (ca. 35 km / 21 miles) | Kreekraksluis – Antwerpen

After breakfast a bike tour through a forest area, “the Wouwse Plantage“, towards the south to the impressive Kreekraksluis (lock). From there we cruise through the impressive port of Antwerp to the centre of the city. Antwerp is not only known as diamond city, but also as native city of painter Rubens. After diner: a visit to the beautiful old city centre.

Day 5 (Wed)

Antwerpen – Temse – Dendermonde / St. Amands (ca. 30 - 55 km / 18 – 33 miles)

After breakfast we cycle out of the port to the Zeeschelde. We follow this beautiful but capricious tidal river upstream to Dendermonde. There is a beautiful bike path along the river, and the landscape around the Schelde is magnificent. You can join the barge again halfway in Temse or continue all the way to Dendermonde, a friendly little town along the river.Night in St. Amands.

Day 6 (Thu)

Dendermonde / St. Amands – Ghent (ca. 35 km / 22 miles)

From Dendermonde the bike tour follows again the river Schelde in the direction of Ghent. Ghent is a lively university city, again one with a rich past. In the afternoon you have the opportunity to discover the city some more, or to shop in the lively centre. The ship is docked at the lock in Merelbeke, a suburb of Ghent.

Day 7 (Fri)

Ghent – Bruges (ca. 45 km / 28 miles)

Our bike tour through the pleasant country side of Western Flanders to Bruges, also called the Venice of the North, is maybe the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. Its old centre, which dates from the Middle Ages, is almost completely intact.

Day 8 (Sat)

Bruges

After breakfast: end of the tour and disembarkation till 10:30 AM.

Parts printed in italics will be covered by ship.
All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours.
Program + details barring changes, a.o. as a result of nautical, technical or meteorological reasons.

Amsterdam-Bruges / Bruges-Amsterdam - Details

Rental bicycle with 7 gear, hand- and/or pedal brakes, pannier bag : € 60,00 per week
Ticket canal tour Amsterdam, ca. 60 minutes – for our guests with discount: € 10,00 (at the cash desk € 13,00)
Reservation fee € 15,00 per booking/group

Additional dates 2012:

Amsterdam-Bruges: tours April 21-28, May 5-12, May 19-26, June 30- July 7, July 14-21, Sept.22-29, 2012
Bruges-Amsterdam: tours April 28 - May 5, May 12-19, May 26-June 2, June 9-16, July 7-14, July 21-28, September 1-8, September 15-22, Sept. 29 - Oct. 6, 2012

Included:

• Tour and accommodation on board 8 days / 7 nights (Sat.-Sat.) from/to Amsterdam or Bruges, cabin in the booked category on board of the MS Fluvius;
• Full board (7 x breakfast, 6 x picnic lunch during bike tours, 7 x three course dinner incl. 1 glass of wine);
• Use of bed linen and towels (change of towels daily possible); daily short cleaning of the cabin;
• Welcoming drink and -speech on the first evening;
• Tour leader (multilingual) with daily briefings of the bike tours, some short city tours, daily guided bike tours: the tour leader will be cycling with the group; individual, self-guided cycling tours are possible;
• Maps and info material on board;
• Daily coffee and tea till 4 PM.

Not included:

• Transfers to/from the docking places in Amsterdam and Bruges;
• Reservation costs €15,00 (obligatory surcharge);
• Rental bicycle, other transfers, parking fee, entrance fees & excursions, fees for ferries;
• Drinks on board;
• Personal insurances;
• Gratuities (at your discretion).

Bicycles:

The bicycles on board are mostly unisex touring or trekking bicycles with normal mount (ladies model), 7 gears, hand brake and/or pedal brake and pannier bag. Guests are also allowed to bring their own bicycles (at no extra cost). However, the crew or tour operator are in no way responsible for any damage, loss or theft of such bicycles. In the Netherlands bikers are not obligated by law to wear a bike helmet. Bike helmets are not available on board.

Background information:

The General Conditions (travel conditions) of CCH Tours B.V. (incl. Boat Bike Tours) apply to cycling cruises, as well as to confirmation and cancellation of such tours. We would be pleased to send a copy of these conditions on request. These conditions constitute an essential part of the travel agreement when booking a tour. In principle, children are very welcome on board. However, before booking, we advise you to satisfy yourself that your child is able to manage a cycle trip of 30-60 km. Children’s bikes, tandems, parent-and-child tandems, slip streamers etc. or child’s saddles are available on request. Of course you may stay one or more days longer on board (children under the age of18 years must be under supervision). The interior of the ship is a no-smoking zone: smoking is only allowed on the sun deck. As a safety measure, a statutory smoking ban applies in all cabins; this means that all cabins and rooms on board are no-smoking zones

MS Fluvius

The small and comfortable river cruiser MS FLUVIUS for max. 36 guests is sailing from Asterdam to Bruges. On board of this familiar furnished ship are a total of 19 cabins (ca. 10 M² = 108 square feet) with shower + toilet, all with 2 low beds and air-conditioning, individual adjustable, and ventilation system; 3 cabins on the upper deck (supplement) and 16 cabins on the lower deck. All cabins have a window (the windows on the upper deck can be opened; the windows on the lower deck are for security reasons fixed). The salon with bar is a large room for common use and has a semi-separate restaurant area. On the large and partially roofed sun deck of the ca. 70 Meter long ship are sitting places (tables + chairs) and storage room for the bikes. The ship sails under Dutch Flag and had it’s sailing area in Germany for many years. As from 2011 it’s sailing area is in The Netherlands and it is a beloved ship for boat & bike tours.