Holland and Belgium Bike & Barge Brussels ​

Depart from the U.S. for Belgium. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Today, join our local guide at 9 a.m. in the hotel lobby for an orientation tour of Bruges. The rest of the day is yours to sightsee and shop in Bruges, a city that has been compared to a vast open-air museum. Be sure to go to the top of the Belfort Tower for a panoramic view of the city and its entire medieval splendor. You may want to visit the 12th-century Basilica of the Holy Blood, said to contain a small vial of Christ's blood that was brought to Bruges from the Holy Land in 1149. Or stop by the Memling Museum, housed in one of the oldest surviving medieval hospitals in Europe.

At 6 p.m., meet our VBT Trip Leader in the hotel lobby for an introductory meeting. He or she can recommend a nearby restaurant for dinner on your own.

After breakfast, take a boat excursion to the center of the city with a local guide, then explore on your own. Ghent is located at the confluence of the Schelde and Leie rivers. This “City of 200 Bridges” was founded around 600 AD and boasts many beautiful buildings dating to medieval times, when the textile industry brought great wealth to Ghent's merchants. Many old patrician houses have been preserved in the city center. One historic building is the Cloth Makers' Hall, built in 1425, where textile merchants used to meet. The city's major church is St. Baaf's Cathedral, constructed and enhanced in various styles over many centuries. In the cathedral, admire a number of masterpieces of medieval painting, including Jan van Eyck's famous “Adoration of the Lamb.” (On Sunday morning there is a service in the cathedral, and it is not possible to see this famous painting—only the replica.) Lunch is on your own in Ghent. The bike path we'll follow out of the city parallels the Schelde River, so you're sure to find a nice spot with magnificent views for your picnic lunch. Your destination today is Dendermonde, a centuries-old city with a Benedictine abbey at its center. This evening, your Trip Leaders will give you an insight into water management systems. You can also enjoy a Belgian beer tasting and crew presentation.

This morning, visit Antwerp, known as the “Diamond City” and the hometown of the painter Rubens. In the middle of the city, you find the Cathedral of Our Lady and beautiful old townhouses around the Market Square. During lunch on board, cruise through the impressive port of Antwerp. In the early afternoon, cycle across the Oesterdam in the Oesterschelde. The dam connects Flanders to Tholen, today's destination along the Wouwse Plantage, a wooded area. Tholen was once an island in the middle of the extensive Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Today it is connected to the mainland, but it remains a picturesque village with relics of an eventful past. After dinner, we will visit a family in their Tholen home.

During breakfast, we sail the River Noord to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where 19 of Holland's famous windmills — some more than 260 years old — decorate the horizon. We visit one of these windmills and learn how these gems were used well into the 20th century. Then we cycle to Schoonhoven, known as the “Silver City.” Spend the night in Vianen, a small city on the River Lek.

During breakfast this morning, we will cruise to Breukelen, where we begin cycling toward Amsterdam. Follow the beautiful rivers Vecht and Amstel, which lead you right into the city. Stop for a picnic lunch along the way. Tonight enjoy our last dinner on board.

VBT No-Air Package guests: After breakfast, your tour ends. It is important that you leave the barge no later than 9 a.m. Please refer to the information listed in the tour handbook.

VBT Air Package guests and Post-Trip Extension guests: After breakfast, say goodbye to your barge crew and VBT Trip Leader, then join your other Trip Leader for an orientation walk through Amsterdam's canal-lined streets to our hotel. Please note that check-in time is 3 p.m. but the staff will do their best to get you to your rooms as soon as possible. After checking in, explore Amsterdam and enjoy dinner on your own. VBT provides you with City Information in your Final Travel Booklet that includes recommendations on what to see and do in Amsterdam.

VBT Air Package guests: After breakfast*, meet in the hotel lobby for transfer to the Amsterdam airport and your departing flight back to the U.S. Be sure you are waiting at the designated time and transfer location.

Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests.

* Note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.