Itinerary Bruges to Amsterdam

Itinerary from Bruges to Amsterdam

Day 1: Bruges (11 km/6 mi.)

Embarkation time in Bruges is between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. The ship awaits you in the Bruges harbor. After a welcome meeting with the crew at 1:30 PM the ship departs at 2:00 p.m. from Bruges to a suburb where there is time for bicycle fitting an a short test-ride through the countryside aroud Bruges. During dinner the barge sails into Ghent, a lively university city, again one with a rich past. The city has its origins in Roman Times, at the place where the rivers Leie and Schelde converge. This favorable situation brought a great deal of prosperity over the years. Textile industry brought great wealth. In the city center many old patrician houses have been preserved. In the Clothmakers’ Hall (1425) textile merchants used to meet. Major church is St. Baafs’ Cathedral, where you can admire a number of masterpieces mediaeval painting, of which the ‘Adoration of the Lamb by Jan van Eyck is the most famous. We advise you to come to Bruges one or more days earlier, so that you will have plenty of time to discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historical city of Bruges, aptlynamed the “Pearl of Flanders”. While you are there make sure you visit one of Bruges many museums or simply take in the stunning beauty and culture of this unforgettable city from the comfort of a sidewalk café.

Day 2: Ghent – Dendermonde/St. Amands (40 km/24 mi. or 53 km/32 mi.)

After breakfast in Ghent you will cycle downstream through a diverse landscape along the tidal Schelde River to Dendermonde located at the confluence of Dender and Schelde rivers. There is only one way to describe the landscape along the Schelde and that is: “magnificent”. It is without doubt one of the natural highlights of the tour. During this section of the Schelde the speed of the ship will be determined by the height of the tide. You will travel from Dendermonde to St. Amands by either bicycle or barge depending on the tides. Your floating hotel will be docked for the night in St. Amands.

Day 3: St. Amands – Temse – Antwerp (32 km/19 mi. or 49 km/31 mi.)

Today we will follow the Schelde river further downstream through the Temse region to Antwerp. Over the centuries the Schelde river has held strategic importance for the Romans, Vikings, Spanish and Napoleon… Today it is a beautiful waterway just perfect for bike and barge holidays! Antwerp, your destination for the day, is a harbor city famous for handling up to 80% of the world’s rough diamonds and as the birthplace of the famous painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens. There are many highlights in the city to discover including: the City Hall, one of several majestic buildings constructed during the Renaissance period, the historical City Square Grote Market, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Cathedral and the medieval Steen Castle. Dinner will be in town in a restaurant of your choice (recommendations available on board).

Day 4: Antwerp

Today your barge stays in Antwerp. This means you will have an entire day to discover this city of culture, filled with cobblestones and Flemish Baroque masterpieces. You can visit the Rubens House, the palazzo where the brilliant and versatile artist lived with his family. You will find some of his paintings to admire just a ten-minute walk away in the “Onze Lieve Vrouwe (Our Dear Lady) Cathedral”. Other ideas for spending a pleasant afternoon here are to visit the famous beer brewery of ‘de Koninck’ for a tour and tasting, explore the fascinating Museum on the Scheldt River (MAS —  Museum aan de Stroom) or go shopping in Antwerp’s welcoming shopping area. Dinner tonight is not included as you have the chance to dine at a restaurant of your choosing. If needed, your crew can provide restaurant recommendations.

Day 5: Antwerp – Kreekrak locks | Kreekrak locks – Tholen (36 km/23 mi. or 20 km/13 mi.) | Tholen – Willemstad – Dordrecht

This morning, the ship will sail along the Schelde-Rhine Canal and over the huge Kreekrak lock system. Here your bicycle tour starts through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” forest to Tholen, Tholen once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Nowadays Tholen is connected to the mainland in various ways. But it is still a picturesque village with many relics of an eventful past. From Tholen you will join the ship again for a nice afternoon sail to the city of Dordrecht. Halfway the ship will pass the impressive Volkerak lock system. Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands is your destination for the day. The guide will take you for an evening walk and tell you about the history of the Netherlands.

Day 6: Dordrecht – Kinderdijk | Kinderdijk – Schoonhoven – Vianen (32 km/19 mi. or 57 km/36 mi.)

Today you will start your tour with the “Waterbus”, a fast ferry that will take you and your bicycle in just 10 minutes to Alblasserdam. After just a few minutes of cycling you will reach Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 UNESCO cultural heritagelisted windmills – one of which you can visit (don’t forget your camera!). The windmills were constructed in the 18th century to pump water out of the low Alblasserwaard polder (a polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments). You will then continue to cycle via Schoonhoven to Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek (Lower Rhine), where you will stay for the night and where you can explore at your leisure after dinner.

Day 7: Vianen – Breukelen | Breukelen – Amsterdam (36 km/23 mi. or 46 km/28 mi.)

During breakfast the ship will cruise to Breukelen where you disembark to start your final day of cycling. Ride along the Vecht River in an area famous for its beautiful mansions, small castles, impressive houses and their large gardens. After cycling through the villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland you will arrive at Nigtevecht where you can visit a traditional cheese farm. Continue cycling through the historical town of Muiden and on to Amsterdam where you will meet the barge for the final time in the Amsterdam harbor.

Day 8: Amsterdam

End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 9.30 a.m.

Map

Ship MS Magnifique III

MS Magnifique III

After the overwhelming success of the premium ships Magnifique and Magnifique II there will be another sister: the Magnifique III.
The upper deck has five spacious suites (16 m² – 172 sq.ft.) with two separate single beds, a small sitting area and a “French Balcony”: ceiling-to-floor sliding glass doors.

All cabins with very comfortable beds, an ensuite bathroom, satellite TV, mini-safe and hairdryer. The lower deck has fourteen beautiful twin cabins (12 m² – 129 sq.ft.) with two separate single beds and two single cabins (9 m² – 97 sq.ft.). In most cabins and all suites, on prior request, the beds can be set together as a double bed. On request, an additional third bed is available in one of the suites and one of the twin cabins (Pullman bed, above one of the other beds).
The cabins on the lower deck have portholes (fixed for safety reasons), upper deck suites have sliding glass doors that can be partly opened. The air conditioning in all cabins can be individually regulated.

On the upper deck there is a tastefully furnished salon with a restaurant, bar, a lounge with a wide screen TV, large windows and Wi-Fi (unlimited use of data). There is a partly covered teak wooden sun deck with chairs and table on the aft deck for the use by guests and a cycle shed (front deck). On the top deck you will find a Jacuzzi and deckchairs.

Travel Dates & Prices 2022

Bike and Barge Amsterdam - Bruges - MS Magnifique III

Included

• 8 days/7 nights
• 7 x breakfast
• Packed lunches
• 6 x 3-course dinner
• Coffee and tea on board
• Welcome drink
• Use of bed linen and towels
• Daily cleaning of the cabin
• Climate-controlled cabin
• Daily briefings
• Maps and notes for cycling tours (1 set per cabin)
• GPS tracks
• Use of a helmet
• Use of a waterproof pannier bag
• Water bottle
• Wi-Fi
• Carbon offset payment to the Non-Profit organization Justdiggit

Not included: 1x dinner (Antwerp), Drinks, Bicycle rental or E-bike rental, Personal insurances, Gratuities (at your discretion), Entrance fees and excursions (not mentioned under inclusions), Transfers to/from the docking place, Parking fees, fees for ferrys

Tour level

Easy tour on flat cycle tracks and minor roads.

Bicycles

The bicycles on board is a unisex city bike with a low-entry and a riding position that is upright and comfortable. The bike is handmade in the Netherlands by Azor, specially designed by Boat Bike Tours. The bike consists of a lightweight aluminum frame and is equipped with responsive roller brakes (handbrake), a Shimano 7 speed nexus drive, Selle-Royal gel saddle (adjustable), an easy to use lock (fixed on frame) and the Schwalbe Marathon anti-puncture tyre. This all results in a lightweight, stable and reliable bike, good for many miles on the saddle.

The E-bike is an Azor Steps with Nexus 7 gears and hand brakes. The crank Shimano motor (400 WH) offers 4 support levels, The E-bikes have a comfortable gel saddle and a lock on the frame (or a comparable brand/model).

Bicycle rent is optional. Guests are also allowed to bring their own bicycles/e-bikes (limited number of parking places available). Guests can book a parking place for a normal bicycle or a parking and charge station for an e-bike for a small additional fee. For safety reasons it is no longer possible to charge the batteries of your own e-bikes in the cabin. The crew will inform you where on deck/ on board you can recharge your battery. However, the crew or tour operators are in no way responsible for any damage, loss or theft of guests own bicycles or e-bikes. / Prices of other bikes (e.g. children’s bikes, “slip streamers”/tag-a-long, tandem bicycles etc. and child’s saddles (rear) are on request.

Upgrade guided tours

On this trip you have the opportunity to ride all bike tours together with an experienced tour guide (supplement see above). If you choose this option, the guide will show you all the interesting places and the most exciting sights along the way. For larger groups, a second guide will accompany you. Some entrance fees (canal tour through the center of Amsterdam, entrance to the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp and canal tour through Ghent), shorter city walking tours and the cost of the ferries on the route are included in this upgrade.

Transfer between Amsterdam and Bruges

There is a good train connection between these two cities. Please visit one of the following websites for timetables, tickets or more information www.omio.co.uk or www.trainline.eu.