Casual Barge Biking Cruises in Holland, Belgium, Germany and France

The cruises listed below are for those passengers that are looking for a very laid back experience at an affordable price.  These cruises are multi language.  Your cabin consists of your own private toilet and shower, though you take care of cleaning your room.  You are given clean linens during the cruise and you make your own bed.  Lunch is a packed bag each day.  There is no formal meals such as a Captain's Farewell dinner.  No alcoholic beverages included in the rates.

These are a great value and great fun if the above features appeal to you.  The 3 vessels - 24 passenger Iris (built in 2004), the 20 passenger Fleur (converted in 2002) and the 20 passenger Allure (most casual, converted in 1998) are Dutch barges.  Allure, Fleur and Iris are three practical and comfortable barges with a friendly appearance.

 

Bruge to Paris Tour - Following the Pilgrims
Fleur
15 days
€
1495,- pp
March 24 - April 07, 2007

Pictures of the Fleur

15 days, breakfast, packed lunch, dinner, bed linen, bike rental, tour guide.                                                                            

Itinerary: Bruges – Ghent – Oudenaarde  – Cambrai – St. Quentin – Compiegne – Coflans – Paris.

Highlights: round trip of the canals of Bruges – Belfort in Ghent – tunnel of Riqueval – basilica ofSt. Quentin – Royal palace in Compiegne – Paris.

  NB: We offer this tour as a bike& barge or as barge only tour. There are to guides and you can decide each day if you want to join the bike ride or not. Daily distances can be adjusted.

Flemisch history and French scenic beauty
This trip we follow the trail of the pilgrims to the source of the river Schelde.

Starting point is Bruges, with its picturesque town center probably the most beautiful of the historical Flemish cities. You will get the opportunity to visit one of its many museums and to have a look at the famous hand-made Bruges lace.

We cruise the river Schelde to the south and we pass Ghent, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of the old days in the town center with its impressive Belfort and the St. Baafs-cathedral, where you can admire the famous triptych of painter Jan van Eyck. Next, we visit Oudenaarde and Tournai, which was an important cathedral city for the pilgrims during the Middle Ages.

Once in France, we still follow the, at that point unnavigable, river Schelde while cruising the wonderful old canal of St. Quentin, through the tunnel of Riqueval to the historical city of St. Quentin, where the gothic basilica and the town hall are worth a visit.

After that  we follow the valley of the Somme in a southern direction via Noyon to Compiegne. From the Middle Ages on, this part of France used to be the centre of the French kingdom. A visit to the palace of the French kings is on the program. We follow the valley of the river Oise with its varied scenery and arrive at Conflans. Here the Oise flows into the Seine and we follow this river upstream into the direction of Paris. We pass the Eiffel tower and the Louvre.  Our final destination is Port d’Arsenal in the heart of Paris, not far from the Notre Dame.

Contact us for a full details itinerary.

 

 

Lowlands
Iris
8 days 
  € 895,- pp

  Amsterdam – Amsterdam
 May 26 -  June 2, 2007

 Rate includes:  8 days, breakfast, lunch package, dinner, bed linen, bike rental, tour guide.

You can book this trip as a bike & barge trip or as a cruise. If you book a bike & barge trip, you can make a bike tour of 20 – 40 km per day, accompanied by an experienced guide. If you book a cruise, you sail with the barge and you use public transport, accompanied by another experienced guide.

Itinerary: Amsterdam – Haarlem – Leiden – Delft – Rotterdam - Gouda - Amsterdam

Highlights:  round trip of the canals of Amsterdam – Cruquius museum –Dutch painters - Delft ware – Harbour of Rotterdam - Deltaworks– windmills in Kinderdijk – cheese market in Gouda -  flower auction Aalsmeer.

Living With Water

The tour begins in Amsterdam and takes you to the beautiful, historical cities of Haarlem , Leiden en Delft . You will learn about the watermanagement of the Netherlands through the years, but you will also get to know other aspects of the rich history of the Netherlands .  In Rotterdam we will visit the Deltaworks exhibition and make a roundtrip through the harbour.The windmills in Kinderdijk are visited and you will get the opportunity to admire the famous delft ware. In addition to this, a bustrip to the Deltaworks in Zeeland and a visit of the flower auction in Aalsmeer are on the program. On your return to Amsterdam , you will get the opportunity to visit the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh museum.

You will be surprised by the beautiful, varied scenery and the wonderful bikeways of Holland . And don’t forget to visit a traditional cheese farm, where you can taste Dutch cheese

Contact us for a detailed itinerary.

 

 

Flemish Cities Tour
Iris  
8
days
€
900,- pp

Amsterdam to Bruges:  
July 28 - August 4 2007

Pictures of the Iris

Rate includes:  8 days, breakfast, lunch package, dinner, bed linen, bike rental, tour guide

Itinerary:  Vianen – Dordrecht – Antwerp – Ghent – Bruges

Highlights: Amsterdam - Cheese farm – windmills Kinderdijk – Rubens house in Antwerp – Belfort in Ghent – round trip of the canals of Bruges

Flemish hospitality and history

During this tour, the historical Flemish cities are central: Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges. But before we arrive there, you will get to know a very beautiful part of the Netherlands. You bike along the winding river Vecht with its impressive castles on its banks, you visit a real Dutch cheese farm, where cheese is still produced according to traditional methods and you visit the Dutch windmills in Kinderdijk. From the fortified town Willemstad, which is situated on the impressive wide Zeeland streams, we head for Belgium. There we spent the night in Antwerp, the city of Rubens, and of course we will visit the Rubens house. You bike from Antwerp to Ghent along the beautiful tidal river Nederschelde, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of  the days of old in the town center, with its impressive Belfort and the St. Baafs-cathedral, where you can admire the famous triptych of painter Jan van Eyck. Final destination is Bruges, with its picturesque town center probably the most beautiful of the historical Flemish cities.

Contact us for a full detailed itinerary.

 

 

 

 

Dutch Cities
Iris
8 days 
  Charter Only   € 14,500,-  for 24 passengers  (€ 605,- pp)

  Amsterdam – Amsterdam
 Oct  20 - 27, 2007

 Rate includes:  8 days, breakfast, lunch package, dinner, bed linen, bike rental, tour guide.

You can book this trip as a bike & barge trip or as a cruise. If you book a bike & barge trip, you can make a bike tour of 20 – 40 km per day, accompanied by an experienced guide. If you book a cruise, you sail with the barge and you use public transport, accompanied by another experienced guide.

Itinerary: Amsterdam – Haarlem – Leiden – Delft – Gouda - Amsterdam

Highlights:  Round trip Amsterdam - Delft ware – Painting of the Dutch masters – windmills in Kinderdijk – round trip of the canals of Amsterdam

Tulips, cheese and Dutch history

The tour begins in Amsterdam and takes you to the beautiful, historical cities of Haarlem, Leiden en Delft. You visit the Keukenhof, where you can admire the Dutch tulips in all their splendour. The windmills in Kinderdijk are visited and you will get the opportunity to admire the famous delft ware. In addition to this, a visit to the parliament buildings in the capital of The Hague and the flower auction in Aalsmeer are on the program. On your return to Amsterdam, you will go for a round trip of the canals and you will get the opportunity to visit the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh museum.

Contact us for a detailed itinerary.

This short tour begins and ends in Amsterdam and takes you through the beautiful, historical cities of Haarlem en Leiden. You visit some spectacular windmills at