Bike and barge holidays

3
The best of both worlds

Bike and barge holidays are perfect for those who like having the best of both worlds. Do you enjoy getting active while on holiday — saddling up and biking through some of the wonderful natural landscapes and attractive cities that your destination has to offer? And perhaps you also like to watch the world pass by from the comfort of a barge deck or salon, indulge in a tasty treat from that tempting boulangerie or a refreshing local tipple, and explore Europe’s metropolises before retiring to comfortable lodgings for the evening?

If you answered yes to both, then bike and barge holidays are the perfect fit for you!

Top 3 bike and barge holidays

All bike and barge holidays
Amsterdam One way tour. Possible in both directions. Bruges
Premium Experience the higher levels of comfort, smaller groups and extra’s.
Amsterdam - Bruges Premium Discover the best of Holland & Flanders

Colorful Holland & Flanders bike tours

World-famous Amsterdam, Antwerp & Bruges

Enjoy a romantic canal trip in Ghent

Barges with 20 to max. 40 passengers

Duration of the tour.
travel time 8 days
5 stars
369 Reviews
Guidance
  • Guided cycling: A tour leader will guide you during the cycling days
  • Independent cycling: No tour leader, the ships’ crew does daily briefing, independent cycling
guidance Guided cycling
Difficulty
  • Level 1: easy tours, very flat terrain
  • Level 2: quite easy tours, mostly flat terrain
  • Level 3: requires a higher level of exertion, medium hilly terrain
  • Level 4: for experienced cyclists, hilly terrain with climbs
Difficulty level 1 Difficulty level 1
Passau Round tour.
Passau - Budapest - Passau Highlights of 4 Danube countries

Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary

Day of rest & exploration in Budapest

Around 200 km / 147 miles

Ships with max. 150 passengers

Duration of the tour.
travel time 8 days
4 stars
73 Reviews
Guidance
  • Guided cycling: A tour leader will guide you during the cycling days
  • Independent cycling: No tour leader, the ships’ crew does daily briefing, independent cycling
guidance Independent cycling
Difficulty
  • Level 1: easy tours, very flat terrain
  • Level 2: quite easy tours, mostly flat terrain
  • Level 3: requires a higher level of exertion, medium hilly terrain
  • Level 4: for experienced cyclists, hilly terrain with climbs
Difficulty level 1 Difficulty level 1
Amsterdam Round tour.
Hansa Highlights Immerse yourself in medieval times

Cycling along the Rhine & IJssel

Hanseatic cities like Deventer & Kampen

Learn about the reclaimed polderlands

Ships with max. 71 passengers

Duration of the tour.
travel time 8 days
5 stars
69 Reviews
Guidance
  • Guided cycling: A tour leader will guide you during the cycling days
  • Independent cycling: No tour leader, the ships’ crew does daily briefing, independent cycling
guidance Independent cycling
Difficulty
  • Level 1: easy tours, very flat terrain
  • Level 2: quite easy tours, mostly flat terrain
  • Level 3: requires a higher level of exertion, medium hilly terrain
  • Level 4: for experienced cyclists, hilly terrain with climbs
Difficulty level 1 Difficulty level 1

What exactly are bike and barge holidays?

As the name suggests, bike and barge holidays see you explore a region, country or even multiple countries with pedal power and by boat. As if having these two unique perspectives wasn’t enough, the ship that you are traveling with doubles as a floating hotel!

A typical day on a bike and barge tour starts with breakfast onboard, before you depart for independent or group explorations through regions like, for example, the best of Holland or Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. Occasionally, you’ll cover some stretches of the trip by boat, and at the end of each day, a delicious three-course meal and rejuvenating rest await you onboard.

All the comforts of home, on wheels and water

One of the biggest upsides of bike and barge holidays is that you can go on a beautiful long-distance cycling tour without having to give up on creature comforts. Guests traveling with the ships of Boat Bike Tours have private bathrooms, luggage storage, and even the easy option to rent a bike if they can’t or don’t want to bring their own wheels with them.

Even better, the ships’ chef will serve lovely cuisine mere meters away from your cabin — and who could resist a nightcap in the barge salon after a fulfilling day of bike touring?

Our bike and barge holidays travel to 13 countries, so why not take a look!