7-Nights Holland & Belgium Bike & Boat: Amsterdam to Bruges

River Cruising

Relax and enjoy your day as you cruise along the river and take in the magnificent scenery.

Ghent

It is no coincidence Ghent was given several names: historic heart of Flanders, a city of all times, one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe. The city combines an impressive past with a vivid present. The historic heart of the city offers many places of interest. From St Michael's bridge there is a wonderful view of the skyline of Ghent with the three impressive towers of St Nicholas' Church, the Belfry with its bell tower, and St. Bavo's cathedral. Traces of the Middle Ages are well-preserved in Ghent. The old port with its guild halls on Graslei and Korenlei is merely one example of the beautiful views this town has to offer. Not far from Graslei arises the Castle of the Counts, once the medieval fortress of the Count of Flanders. Ghent also has several museums, abbeys, beguinages, dozens of churches and historical buildings. Everyone can find something here to suit his taste. Ghent offers shops, restaurants and an exciting nightlife. Discover Ghent by boat, carriage, bicycle or on foot.

Antwerp

Antwerp is famous for its art treasures, diamond industry, and culture, relaxation and entertainment. Shop at Grote Markt, at the heart of which stands Brabo Fountain. Antwerp’s main attractions include stunning City Hall, one of the most important buildings of the Northern Renaissance; Our Lady’s Cathedral, one of the finest gothic churches in Belgium; and the daintily restored 16th-century guildhouses. Visit Diamond Land or Provincial Diamond Museum. Other sights include The Steen - a waterfront gatehouse of a medieval fortress built on site of a 9th-century fortification from which the town spread that now houses the National Maritime Museum; Mayer van den Berg Art Museum; Royal Art Gallery - which has 2,500 paintings spanning five centuries; and Plantin-Moretus Museum - a 16th-century patrician mansion that was a famous printing house of the Plantin and Moretus families.

Dordrecht

Dordrecht is a city in the Dutch province of South Holland. The area is mainly famous for the Synod of Dordrecht, an important religious institute of a few centuries back. The Brothers De Witt, both men of state in the time of William of Orange, and 17th century painter Ary Scheffer, were all residents of Dordrecht.

Kinderdijk

There are more windmills near Kinderdijk than anywhere else in the world. While in Kinderdijk visitors will want to visit windmill park. It's famous 17th century mill is located in a beautiful green setting, which includes walking paths, and crisscrossing waterways. Other attractions include boat excursions from Rotterdam, Canal cruise, and Frisian horse tour.

Amsterdam

Cosmopolitan Amsterdam is most famous for its narrow, gabled houses lining the canals. Interesting attractions include the medieval weighhouse, Royal Palace on Dam Square, and New Church. Its most glamorous industry is the diamond trade. Not too far from Amsterdam are the flower centers of Aalsmeer, the picturesque fishing villages of Volendam and Marken, cheese markets at Edam and Gouda, and historic Haarlem, the main center of the bulb-growing industry. Enjoy the city’s sights from a glass-topped sightseeing boat which passes characteristic gabled houses and negotiates picturesque arched bridges. Facing Dam Square, the Royal Palace was built in 1648 and is still officially the royal residence, although the royal family resides in The Hague. The marbled Citizens Hall with inlaid maps of the world is worth seeing. One of Amsterdam’s most visited sites is historic Anne Frank House. Rijksmuseum, the city’s most prestigious museum, houses the largest collection of Dutch paintings in the world. Van Gogh Museum houses a striking collection.

Bruges

Because of the export of high-quality cloths, Bruges became prosperous and rich. The remaining buildings still let you feel how rich Bruges was. Museums house a lot of fabulous paintings from this time. At the end of the 15th century Bruges was prosperous because of the silting up of the coastal area in Zwin, now a natural park near Knokke that can be discovered by bike during the summer. Walking in the city you can feel Bruges's history. Bruges became poor and was put back in the spotlight by Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges la Morte". Bruges was reborn as an Art City, well preserved, never severely damaged. The city is admired every day by thousands of tourists from all over the world. In 2002 Bruges was been chosen together with Salamanca in Spain as culture cities of Europe.