Cycle Bruges to Amsterdam

Land Tour

8 days

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Cycle Bruges to Amsterdam
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$AUD 249 per day

Departure: Bruges, The Netherlands

When it comes to self guided cycling holidays the cities and countryside of The Netherlands lends itself to this flexible style of travel. This itinerary, which crosses from Belgium, follows high-quality cycle paths past the delightful towns, villages and canals that The Netherlands is famous for and will take you to regions of the country you would otherwise never discover. From the Belgium city of Bruges, the pearl of the Flanders region, the ride takes you past the famous Kinderdijk windmills, polders and nature reserves en-route to the border. You'll ride north, with the wind at your back, to the Green Heart, through some of the most picturesque, well preserved and evocative towns of the Netherlands and Flanders including the cheese capital of Gouda and the fortified town of Willemstad. Finishing in the dynamic city of Amsterdam, you should allow time to explore its many museums, parks and canals either on foot or by bike.
About
7 breakfasts: Breakfasts are continental style and will usually consist of breads, cheese, ham, tea, coffee & juices
7 nights in 3-4 star hotels on a twin share basis with ensuite facilities. Optional upgrades available: in Bruges on day 1 at a more centrally located 4* hotel
Information pack provided digitally including route notes & navigational app for use with your smartphone, and a printed pack at the joining hotel
Luggage transfer between hotels - limited to 1 piece of luggage per person weighing a max 20kg - excess charges apply, to be booked and paid before departure. Please note that small bags cannot be attached to the main luggage. They will be charged as separate pieces of luggage.
24 speed hybrid rental bike with pannier, helmet, repair kit and lock (e-bikes available - supplement applies)
Emergency hotline
Hightlights
Cycling in a flat landscape through The Netherlands' Green Heart
Exploring vibrant Amsterdam and historic Bruges
Sampling cheese in Gouda and waffles in Willemstad
Discovering the Biesbosch wetlands and pedalling past the famous Kinderdijk windmills

Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Bruges
The trip commences in enchanting Bruges. With most of its medieval architecture intact, the town remains exceptionally well preserved and gives a sense of times gone by when it was at the centre of the European wool and cloth trade. After checking in to your hotel, we recommend heading to the Markt for some delicious waffles, chocolates or beer.
Optional upgrade available in Bruges to a more centrally located hotel - supplement applies, must be requested a time of booking.
Day 2 - Cycle to Zeelandic Flanders and take the ferry to Vlissingen/Middelburg (66km/41mi)
After a hearty breakfast you start cycling to the charming little town of Damme on the banks of the Damse Vaart. Then continue to the border and enter Zeeland, a Dutch province marked by light, wind, water and lots of space. It is mostly made up of islands so bridges and ferries will be taking you across the waters as you drift north east. Picture-book towns with ancient houses and cobbled streets are lined up for the coming days. But first you will pass through Zeelandic Flanders with its winding country roads, pollard willows, wet meadows and scattered villages. At the end of the day, at Breskens you hop on a local ferry (The ferry crossing must be reserved online in advance, link provided on booking). and cross to the maritime town of Vlissingen. A little further north, you will discover the splendour of Middelburg, capital of Zeeland. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the most important centres of trade in the Netherlands.
Optional hotel upgrade available at Vlissingen - must be requested at time of booking.
Day 3 - Cycle via Veere to Zierikzee / Noordgouwe (42km/26mi)
Today you discover the charming village of Veere. From 1541 everything that was exported to Holland from Scotland (mainly wool) came ashore and was distributed from Veere, which brought the town not only prosperity but also a very lively Scottish expat community that stayed for 300 years. Walk in their footsteps as you take a tour of the sights. A wander down the narrow streets of Zierikzee is an absolute delight. Quaint little old houses take you back in time to the town's glory days when ships set sail for the Baltic and Mediterranean to sell salt, wool, fish, grain and red dye.
Day 4 - Cycle to Willemstad (50km/31mi)
Enjoying your last day in Zeeland, traverse a patchwork landscape of vast polders, idyllic countryside, rolling dunes and golden sand flats. Round off the day in Willemstad, a fortified town shaped like a seven-point star.
Day 5 - Cycle Willemstad to Papendrecht (65km/40mi)
The result of a major flood in 1421, Biesbosch is one of the few remaining wetland habitats in Europe where the ecosystem has adapted both to saltwater coming in from the sea through tidal creeks, and to freshwater coming down in the rivers. It’s an ever-changing labyrinth of creeks and riverlets encompassing countless little islands of willow woods and reeds, a paradise for birds. Pedalling on, you will reach one of the oldest towns in Holland: Dordrecht, completely surrounded by water. The area around the marina is a true gem. This oldest part of town counts over a thousand historical buildings and three nostalgic canals.
Please note you will only cycle through de Biesbosch park on days that the ferry departs (not a daily service, payable locally, card only). If the ferry ds not go you will follow an alternative route.
Day 6 - Continue past Kinderdijk windmills to Gouda (37km/23mi)
Hit the trail once again and set off for the village of Kinderdijk where nineteen majestic windmills present a unique spectacle. They were used to drain excess water out of the low-lying polder up into the River Lek. As you ride towards Gouda, cruising at about 2m below sea level, enjoy pastoral countryside and wonderful cloud-scapes. For centuries, people flocked from far and wide to buy livestock, meat, turf, seed, cheese etc, at weekly and annual markets in Gouda. We recommend a stroll around the old part of town to soak up the yesteryear atmosphere including all the way around St John’s church and the market square, boasting a 15th-century town hall and a Weighing House (“Waag”).
* Due to limited availability, if we are unable to accommodate you in Gouda, we will book an overnight in Bodegraven, Oudewater or Wrden.
Day 7 - Cycle to Amsterdam (68km or 58km/36 or 42mi)
Leaving from either Gouda or Bodegraven, you plunge into the “Grne Hart” (green heart), a pleasant rural area of low-lying polders with peat meadows and grazing cattle. It’s a flat, open, spacious landscape where church spires and windmills touch the horizon and clouds are reflected in lakes and canals. From Wrden, through an increasingly urban landscape towards the city. Your cycle journey ends in Amsterdam, famous for its gorgeous 400-year-old canal district. The city is brimming with things to see and do. Street artists and performers draw crowds on Dam, Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, a new attraction is “Het Grachtenhuis” (Museum of the Canals), and don't miss the Rijksmuseum and Maritime Museum.
Day 8 - Trip concludes
The trip concludes this morning in Amsterdam after breakfast.
Location

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