Amsterdam - Bruges by Boat & Bike

The Netherlands and Belgium aren’t particularly large; therefore a tour between Amsterdam and Bruges by boat & bike is easily manageable in a week. Find the similarities and differences between the reformed States General and the Catholic-Spanish Netherlands. Explore countless UNESCO world cultural heritage sites, from individual noteworthy buildings to entire townscapes. You will never be far from the water, whether in the form of canals or the North Sea, which you can access from municipal beaches. This tour in the Netherlands and Flanders on MS Fluvius starts in Amsterdam.
Here you can find details about your boat MS De Holland.

Day 1 Amsterdam - Vianen
Check-in at 1 pm, then boat trip at 2 pm to the fortress town of Vianen, where you will also stay overnight.

Day 2 Bike tour Vianen - Kinderdijk, approx. 56 km/35 mi
Through the silver town of Schonhoven to Kinderdijk, a collection of drainage windmills that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Overnight stay in Dordrecht.

Day 3 Bike tour Tholen - Kreekrak, 20-36 km/12-22 mi
First you will cycle tour through one of the rare forest areas, from there through the Kreekrak locks to the centre of the City of Diamonds - Antwerp..

Day 4 Bike tour Antwerp - Dendermonde, 47-61 km
First you will cycle through the nature reserve Walenhoek. Then you will cycle through the region where the red bricks used to build houses are produced.

Day 5 Bike tour Dendermonde - Ghent, 52 km/32 mi
First, the river Schelde takes you through typically Flemish villages. Later on you will reach Ghent, once known for its wealth and elegance with its cathedral and magnificent town houses.

Day 6 Bike tour Ghent - Bruges, 45 km/28 mi
Boat trip during breakfast, then you will cycle along the Ghent-Oostende Canal until you reach Bruges, which is also known as the ‘Venice of the North’ and is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. In the evening, indulge in Belgian delicacies in a restaurant.

Day 7 Round trip to the North Sea, 37-48 km/23-30 mi
Today you will visit the seaside. 12 kilometres of fine sandy beaches and the nature reserve Het Zwin await you.

Day 8 Departure
After breakfast your tour from Amsterdam to Bruges by boat and bike comes to an end.

Here are details about MS De Holland.

Included in "Amsterdam - Bruges by Boat & Bike":

• 7 nights aboard in your chosen category
• full board (7 x breakfast, 6 x packed lunches,
  6 x dinner; no dinner in Bruges)
• complimentary coffee/tea until 4 pm daily
• cabins are cleaned daily
• bed linen and towels supplied
• welcome drink
• bike tours are introduced and discussed daily
• detailed travel documents in english
• GPS tracks
• optional rental bike

Accomodation:

• 1 suite on upper deck, approx. 13 sqm (140 sq ft) with french balcony
• outside cabins, approx. 10 sqm (107 sq ft)
• seperated, level-access beds
• individuelly adjustable A/C units
• upper deck cabins with openable windows

Rental bicycles:

• We offer comfortable unisex-bikes with 7-speed gearboxes and freewheel, equipped with a waterproof bike bag and a bike lock. We also offer e-bikes if desired.
• If you choose to wear a helmet, we recommend using your own due to the variety of head sizes and shapes and for hygienic reasons.

Travel time 2024:

• Arrival on sundays
  25.08. + 08.09. + 22.09.

Prices:

All prices are per person.

• booking code "Amsterdam - Bruges by Boat & Bike":
  RS-HFH-7M
• how you can save some money
• costs of cancellation

The booking process

Arrival to the tour "Amsterdam - Bruges by Boat & Bike":

• Arrival by car:
  There are options of parking your car for the duration of the trip. In any case, please drive to the quay first and bring your luggage and (if applicable) personal bike aboard. Then
  - drive to the car park Oosterdok near Amsterdam Centraal station. Costs are approx. 175 €/week.
  - make use of our parking service from Centralparking. We will arrange for your car to be picked up from the quay, stored safely and returned to the ship. Your vehicle is insured against all types of damage or theft and will be parked in a protected underground facility. Advance booking necessary. Cost approx. 175 €/week.
  - if you have bike racks mounted on the car, the cost increases by 35 €/week.
  - you can park your car free of charge in the streets or on a P+R- parking lot in Abcoude. Good train connection to Amsterdam, duration approx. 20 minutes, departure approx. every 30 minutes, cost approx. 4,20 €.
  Parking details are included in the travel documents.

• Arrival by train:
  Amsterdam Centraal station, get the 48 bus to the quay, duration approx. 10 minutes, cost approx 3 €.

• Arrival by plane:
  Shiphol Airport, take the train to Amsterdam Centraal station (approx. 20 minutes, approx. 5 €), followed by the 48 bus to the quay (approx. 10 minutes / 3 €)
  Alternatively, get a taxi from the airport to the quay, cost: approx. 50 € per vehicle.

Return transfer:

• Individual return journey by train from Brugge SNCB to Amsterdam Centraal (3 changes, duration approx. 4,5 hours, price approx. 50 €). Alternatively you can take the Thalys from Brussels (1 change, duration approx. 3,5 hours price approx. 90 €).
  www.thetrainline.com is a helpful on-line resource

Personal bikes:
In principle, you can bring your own bike along. However, please note that your bike will be loaded on and off the boat twice a day along with several others and therefore slight cosmetic damage to individual bikes cannot be ruled out, which is why we do not take responsibility or liability for such damage. We recommend reserving one the excellent rental bikes we offer.

Perfectly looked after:
During your tour, we are available between 8 am and 8 pm, 7 days a week. We are happy to help with any kind of problems you might be having. You will find this emergency number in your travel documents.

Please note:

• As is the case with all boat trips, changes in travel itineraries due to the weather, the rivers’ water levels or technical issues can be undertaken at any time.