Day 1: Bruges
Individual arrival in Bruges. Your ship will already be waiting for you in the harbor in Bruges. The crew will welcome you at 4:00 p.m. Take some time to discover this beautiful city. The “Venice of the North” is known throughout Europe as a city of art and museums. Bruges’ old town with its numerous canals is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy the hustle and bustle around the Grote Markt with a good cup of coffee or tea.
Day 2: Round trip around Bruges, approx. 55 km
Your first bike tour today takes you along a quiet, poplar-lined canal through an attractive polder landscape with small farms. Via the small town of Damme (birthplace of Till Eulenspiegel), you will reach the North Sea coast. A 12 km long, fine sandy beach, numerous cafés, and the charming dune landscape of “Het Zwin” (nature reserve) offer variety at lunchtime. Then return to Bruges along a small canal.
Day 3: Bruges – Moerebrugge – Ghent (Merelbeke), approx. 60 km
During breakfast, you will travel by boat to Moerbrugge. Here you will start your bike tour to Ghent. The entire bike route follows the Ghent-Ostend Canal through the wide Flemish plain to Ghent. The second largest city after Paris in the Middle Ages, Ghent has preserved its architectural wealth in its historic city center to this day. Your ship will moor for the night at the Merelbeke lock, a suburb of Ghent and about a 30-minute bike ride from the city center. However, there will be plenty of time to explore the city center of Ghent on the way to the ship.
Day 4: Ghent (Merelbeke) – Sint Amands, approx. 65 km
After breakfast, you will leave the metropolis of Ghent and head first to Dendermonde. Worth seeing: the Beguinage with its beautiful local history museum. A must: a coffee break on the beautiful Grote Markt. Then continue to Sint Amands, a stretch of the Scheldt that is among the most beautiful and winding.
Day 5: Sint Amands – Temse – Antwerp, approx. 42 km
Your bike tour starts today in Sint Amands. Cross the Brussels-Rupel Canal by bike and then ride through a historic brick-burning area where bricks have been produced since the Middle Ages. Follow the Rupel and you will reach the Scheldt. From Rupelmonde, you cycle leisurely towards Hemiksem, then down the Scheldt to Antwerp, the world center of diamond processing and your destination for the day. The city offers numerous sights: the ornate Renaissance-style town hall, the historic Grote Markt, the seven-nave Cathedral of Our Lady, and the medieval Steen Castle.
Day 6: Antwerp – Willebroek, approx. 45 km
After breakfast, you will cycle through the quiet suburbs of Antwerp with beautiful villas and well-kept gardens to Lier. From here, you will continue along the small river Nete to Willebroek, where your ship will be waiting for you.
Day 7: Willebroek – Mechelen – Vilvoorde, approx. 40 km
As your ship travels along the Willebroek Canal today, your last bike ride takes you through green, rolling hills to Mechelen. Noteworthy in Mechelen is the density of more than 300 listed buildings, including eight churches, in less than three square kilometers. From there, continue to Vilvoorde, a charming suburb about 10 km north of Brussels. Tip: Brussels can be reached by public transport in about 30 minutes. Use the afternoon to explore this fascinating city on your own, which captivates with its diversity and cosmopolitan flair. (Distance from the mooring to Vilvoorde train station: approx. 2 km, cost of train ticket to Brussels: approx. €4 per person).
Day 8: Vilvoorde (Brussels)
After breakfast, disembark by 9:30 a.m. and return home or extend your stay in Brussels.