Bruges Amsterdam

Saturday Bruges, arrival at 4 PM. Round tour, 15 km
Your cycling tour starts in Bruges, capital of the Belgian province of West Flanders (with over 120,000 inhabitants).

Sunday Bruges – Ghent, 52 km
In the morning you leave the city in an easterly direction towards Ghent, mainly following the canal between the two cities. It is a lovely, quiet cycle tour with a lot of variety. Early in the afternoon you arrive in Ghent, which allows you to visit the centre with its age-old architecture and pleasant atmosphere. The city of Ghent is proud of its rich past, but is much more than just a museum town. This lively city with its numerous squares and cosy pubs is an excellent mixture of mediaeval edifices, stylish shopping streets, splendid mansions, working-class quarters from the beginning of the 20th century which now often house students and busy little squares where people eat out till the wee hours on a sultry summer night.

Monday Ghent – Middelburg, 73 km. or boarding in Terneuzen, 41 km
Today you will leave Belgium and arrive in the Netherlands. Through a national cycle route through eastern Flanders you will ride to Breskens. In Breskens you can take the ferry to Vlissingen (ca. 20 min crossing). Vlissingen is an important port at the mouth of the Westerschelde located on the former island of Walcheren. From there you will cycle to Middelburg. The route goes through the wide country of Zeeland Flanders, with only a few villages, winding roads and remnants of many creeks. You have arrived in the Delta area of our great rivers. Previously, there was an open connection to the sea by the many river arms. After the flood of 1953 the Delta works were build; dams have closed most tidal inlets of the sea. The province of Zeeland is nearly totally at or below sea level. In 1953 the dikes were in bad condition and lower than nowadays. There was a once-in-80-years' chance of flooding. The Delta Project, and in particular the storm surge barrier, has reduced this chance to once in 4,000 years. We recommend you to have a closer look at the interior and exterior of the storm surge barrier, which is in tomorrow's itinerary. You will find yourself surrounded by concrete that is to last for 200 years, by huge steel doors of 15 foot wide, with tidal waves storming and raging underneath. This is something not to be missed!

Tuesday Middelburg – Zierikzee, 51 km. Or cycling to Zandkreekdam and sailing to Zierikzee, 32 km
First you will ride to the town of Veere, formerly an important trading place. From Veere you will cycle over the Veersgatdam (here you have the possibility of a beach visit) to North Beveland. Soon you will reach the Eastern Schelde Dam and on the south side you will have the opportunity for swimming (beach and dunes). About halfway through the Eastern Schelde Dam, the former work island Neeltje Jans offers a varied program of issues related to the damming and the sea. All islands of the province are connected since the completion of the Delta, so they are not real islands anymore. However, they retain their character. This is a ride for strong cyclists, because it is always windy here. Near West Schouwen you reach the end of the trip on the dam and continue to cycle to Zierikzee, located on the south side of the island of Schouwen-Duiveland.
In strong wind, you can opt for the crossing with your ship from Walcheren to Zierikzee on Schouwen-Duiveland. You then cycle from Veere to Zandkreekdam and go on board.

 

Wednesday Zierikzee, cycling to Bruinisse or Willemstad, 24 or 54 km and sailing to Dordrecht
A nice ride on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland is on the program. You ride to Bruinisse. The village is known as a very isolated community. The main source of income is the mussel fishery, on the dike to the Grevelingen you will find a statue of an opened mussels. You will go on board here and sail to Dordrecht or you ride on to Willemstad (an old fortified town) and go on board there. The cycling route to Willemstad is over the Grevelingendam through the south of Goeree-Overflakkee and the Hellegatsdam. You end in Dordrecht today, one of the oldest cities of Holland and located at the crossroads of busy waterways.

Thursday   Dordrecht – Vianen, 47 km
If you have left Dordrecht behind you, you cycle through the Alblasserwaard first. It is an area with elongated rural villages situated along winding watercourses. Here you will experience the tranquillity of the countryside with sheltered roads, wide views across the meadows and the inevitable windmills, so typical for the Dutch landscape. Before you arrive in Vianen you will ride through the area between the major rivers that is called Vijfheerenlanden (Country of five gentlemen). The area owes its name to five men that in 1284  together kept the area from flooding. You will follow the route along the Merwedekanaal to Vianen.

Friday  Vianen – sailing to Breukelen – cycling to Amsterdam, 43 km
While having a breakfast cruise you pass through the dramatic locks in the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal. Disembarkation in Breukelen, the charming town that rendered its name to Brooklyn, the well-known New York district. The final stretch takes you along meandering waterways and through smaller and larger villages. The diverse scenery of this route is very picturesque. On the river Vecht numerous 17th-century country houses for the upper middle class of those days can be seen. Elegant gazebos or 'teahouses' mark the corners of the spacious gardens on the water front. Almost without noticing you enter Amsterdam, following the Amstel River. The extensive network of bicycle paths ensures a relatively easy way back into the city, showing you some remarkable sites in the centre. Then it is time to say goodbye to your bike. Before the fare-well dinner you may want to go for a walk in town. At night there you may want to take a canal trip or go on a city walk through the centre of the city.

Saturday Departure
Amsterdam, end of the tour after breakfast.

1 km = 0.62 miles

One week not enough?

It is easy to combine the tours we offer. Even combining with a Bed & Bike tour is easy to do. These are self-guided biking tours staying at hotel accommodation. Duration of these tours is from 2 days up to 8 days.

Amsterdam City card
To people who would like to extend their bike holiday with a few days in Amsterdam, we offer in 2011 the 'I Amsterdam Card'. You can buy this card through us when reserving a bike tour.
The 'I amsterdam Card' consists of a chip-card, a public transport ticket,  a pocket guide and provides over 40 free and 50 discounted offers on major tourist attractions and restaurants. This card is comparable with a City Card offered in many European Cities.
Should you want more information about this card, please send us a message at information@cycletours.nl