Bike and boat guided: from Vilvoorde (Brussels) to Bruges with the Floor van Aemstel

Your first cycling tour takes you via Mechelen – notable for the density of more than 300 listed buildings, including eight churches, in less than three square kilometers – through green, rolling hills, past charming villages and stately country estates to Willebroek. Meanwhile, your boat sails along the Willebroek Canal to your destination.

From Willebroek, the journey continues via Lier to Antwerp. This port city on the Scheldt River is the world center of diamond processing and offers numerous sights: the richly decorated Renaissance-style town hall, the historic Grote Markt, the seven-aisled Cathedral of Our Lady, and the medieval Steen Castle.

Your cycling tour today takes you upstream along the Scheldt towards Hemiksem, where, after a short climb, you'll cycle comfortably back to Rupelmonde. Here, where the Rupel flows into the Scheldt, you'll follow the Rupel for a while longer and, after a few kilometers, reach the town of Niel, bordered by the Walenhoek nature reserve. Here, between Niel and Boom, lies a historic brick-making area where bricks have been produced since the Middle Ages. You'll then cross the Brussels-Rupel Canal and finally reach a water tower on the outskirts of St. Amands. Here, your ship awaits you, and you have the option of taking a boat trip along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Scheldt to Dendermonde. Otherwise, you can continue your cycle journey along the Scheldt Dam to your destination for the day. Worth seeing: the Beguinage with its beautiful local history museum. A coffee break on the beautiful Flemish Grote Markt is a must.

In the morning, enjoy a boat trip along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Scheldt River to Dendermonde. From here, you'll continue by bike along the Scheldt Dam to your destination for the day. Worth seeing in Dendermonde: the Beguinage with its beautiful local museum. A short coffee break on the beautiful Flemish Grote Markt is a must. Your destination for today is Ghent. Explore Ghent's beautiful old town, partly by bike and partly on foot. In the Middle Ages, Ghent was the second largest city after Paris and has retained its architectural wealth in its city center to this day. Your ship will dock for the night just outside of Ghent at the lock in Merelbeke, a suburb of Ghent, about a 30-minute bike ride from the city center.

Departure to Lovendegem in the morning. Today's entire cycling route follows the Ghent-Ostend Canal through the vast Flemish plain to Bruges. 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. There's still time today to admire the hustle and bustle around and on the Grote Markt. 

The bike tour continues through the small town of Damme ("birthplace" of Till Eulenspiegel) and Groot Ter Doest, with its picturesque Ter Doest Abbey, to Lissewege, the "most beautiful village in Flanders" – whitewashed houses cluster on both sides of a small canal and around the imposing village church. The route then continues directly to the coast. A long sandy beach and numerous cafés invite you to linger. After a stay of approximately two hours, the return journey to Bruges begins.

After breakfast, disembarkation until 09:30 and individual journey home