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West European Delta and Flanders fields

West European Delta and Flanders fields

This bike and boat trip shows you lots of the Dutch and Belgium highlights. In Belgium you fall in love with the beautiful buildings and cathedrals in old cities like Bruges and GhenThe impressive monuments of the First World War around Ypres with the "Last Post". In the Netherlands you will visit get acces to see a windmill from the inside and discover lovely cities like Amsterdam, Leiden and Delft.

 With the Quo Vadis is included:
• 11 days / 10 nights on board,  2-Persons cabin with private shower and toilet, air conditioning and central heating
• Full board (10 x breakfast, 9 x packed lunch, 7 x 3-course dinner and 1 x 4 course dinner)
• Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water on board
• Daily cabin cleaning
• Free WIFI on board
• Use of touring bike,  8-speed, cycle bag and helmet
• A water bottle
• Guided bike tour
• Visiting a windmill
• Transfer to/from Ypres
• Visiting WW1 Memorial Museum
• Belgium Bier tasting
• All ferries
• Tourist taxes

What’s not included
• Insurances
• Local transportation and airfare
• 2 x dinner in Ypres and Zierikzee
• Other entrance fees than mentioned
• Drinks other than mentioned
• Private excursions
• Bicycle protection
• Gratuities

 

Itinerary

Su: Day 1: Amsterdam – Spaarndam - Haarlem, 11 miles  (18km) bike tour
You are able to check-in from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm. The barge departs from Amsterdam at 2:30 p.m.! to Spaarndam. After the bike-fitting we start our first short bike trip along the oldest lock of Europe, and the famous statue of Hansje Brinker, the legendary Dutch boy that prevented a flooding with his finger in the dike. From there you will bike along a dune landscape to the historical city of Haarlem.

Mo: Day 2: Haarlem - Leiden, 30 miles (48 km)
Get ready to pedal through the dunes, along sandy beaches and quaint harbor villages, like Zandvoort, the cycling continues through a landscape of fields, along country estates and ends via diverse villages in the historic city of Leiden. Leiden originated around 800 AD as a marketplace at the confluence of the Old and New Rhine river flows, the Vliet river and the Mare (‘Leyten’ means ‘at the waters’). It was the center of the textile industry in Medieval times and for a long time it was the second city of the Netherlands after Amsterdam. A well-known episode from the history of Leiden is the siege of 1574 by the Spanish. These were finally driven away after the lands around Leiden flooded because dikes had purposely been pierced through. Leiden is also the birthplace of Rembrandt van Rijn.

Tu: Day 3:  Leiden - The Hague - Delft, 30 miles (48 km)
From Leiden you will follow the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) westwards. A tranquil cycle path through the dunes leads you to Wassenaarse Slag. Here you Will find remains of the Atlantikwall, the 1900 miles long coastal fortifications built by the Nazi Third Reich. Then we head to The Hague, through the Haagse Bosch, a large park, and past the Royal Residence Huis ten Bosch. In the afternoon will arrive in Delft, one of the very famous Dutch cities. In its beautifully preserved historic centre you discover the rich history of the city. Delft is known for its painter Vermeer, the Delfts Blue ceramic and the Nieuwe Kerk with its historic link to the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family.

We: Day 4: Delft - Rotterdam - Kinderdijk - Dordecht - Willemstad,  30 miles (48km)
From Delft you’ll bike through the countryside of Midden Delfhand to Rotterdam. This bustling city has many architectural highlights, interesting museums and is the main port of Europe. The modern architecture makes Rotterdam to what is known as ‘Manhattan on the Maas’. From here you will take the high-speed ferry to the world heritage site of Kinderdijk. You'll enjoy the lovely scenery of water and meadows. The many inundations and the slowly sinking surface made water management essential in this fenland. Canals and ditches were dug and windmills were constructed. Nineteen of these windmills for watermanagement remain today. After visiting one of the mills you bike to Dordrecht to meet the Quo Vadis again. You will enjoy a sailing dinner while motoring to the old fortress town Willemstad.

Th: Day 5: Willemstad - Zierikzee, 35 miles (57 km)
From Willemstad you will start biking mostly below sea-level to the delta of the great rivers. There used to be many open connections with the sea here, but after the big flood disaster of 1953, the Delta Works plan was carried out. As a result, most tidal inlets are now (partly) closed off from the sea by huge dams; we will cross two of these. A beautiful tour on the island of Schouwen-Duiveland comes next. Your destination for today is the well-preserved historical town of Zierikzee.

Fr: Day 6: Zierikzee - Veere - Middelburg, 30 or 36 miles (48 or 58km)
Today's bike tour will start by taking you towards the western part of the island, Schouwen. At Westenschouwen you will begin crossing the Oosterscheldedam. Halfway along the dam, you can spot the former artificial island, Neeltje Jans. Be sure to take a closer look at the interior and exterior of the storm surge barrier. Although all the islands of the provinces Zuid-Holland and Zeeland are now connected, they have all retained their original character. With a strong headwind, this trip can be quite strenuous. After the dam, quiet country roads will take you into the beautiful old town of Veere. Here you can choose to either sail with the Quo Vadis or continue cycling the last 10kms to Middelburg. This town became, after Amsterdam, the most important center for the Dutch East India Company. Middelburg played also an important role in the 18th century slave trade.

Sa: Day 7: Middelburg - Vlissingen (Flushing) - Sas van Gent - Gent, 28 miles (45 km)
By ship you will head to Vlissingen (Flushing), an important port at the mouth of the Westerschelde. Here, you will take the ferry to Breskens in Zeeuws Vlaanderen (the Dutch part of Flanders), which takes about twenty minutes. Belgium is now getting close. While cycling through the spacious land and scattered villages, you may not even notice that you are crossing the Dutch-Belgian border, but your bikeguide will surely make it clear to you. In Sas van Gent the Quo Vadis waits for you and brings you to Ghent. The city of Ghent is proud of its rich past, but is much more than just a museum town. This lively city has numerous squares and cozy pubs and is an excellent mixture of medieval edifices, stylish shopping streets, splendid mansions, working-class quarters from the beginning of the 20th century which now often house students, and busy little squares where people eat out till the wee hours during the summer.

Su: Day 8: Gent - Machelen - Kortrijk, 22 miles (35 km)
In the morning we might take some more time to visit Gent, e.g. the st. Baafs Cathedral or the Belfry. From Gent we will follow the beautiful meandering river Leie via one of the most beautiful castles of Belgium and the village of St. Maartens Latem to a pier near Machelen. From there we sail with the Quo Vadis to Kortrijk. This town originates from a Gallo-Roman town, at the crossroad of two Roman roads. In the Middle Ages Kortrijk grew to one of the biggest and richest cities in Flanders because of the flax and wool trade with France and England.

Mo: Day 9: Peace tour around Ypres through Flanders Fields, 25 miles (40 km)
After breakfast we’ll go to Ypres by bus transfer with our bikes in a trailer. Today the Peace bike tour brings you along many historical sites and Memorials of WW1, including a visit to a very interpretive museum. The route will be a little bit hilly. In the late afternoon you’ll be back in Ypres. Here you can enjoy the regional cuisine in one of the many city's restaurants - at your own expense. At 8:00pm you should visit the Last Post Ceremony under the Menin Gate. This ceremony is a tradition since 1929, every night and in all weathers! After this event you’ll be brought back by bus to the Quo Vadis.

Tu: Day 10: Machelen – Bruges, 30 miles (48km)
You will cycle through the beautiful countryside of Western Flanders with its small villages, along country estates and through a wonderful forest (part of which goes by the name ‘purgatory’!). Our tour ends in Bruges, the Venice of the North and one of the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. Its old medieval center, is still almost completely intact. Bruges was, in old times, a metropolis and center of commerce and art. It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We: Day 11: Departure in Bruges
Departure is after breakfast, till 09:30.

Program and timetable may differ.

Contact

Weemhofseiland 23
9766 VK Eelderwolde
The Netherlands

info@quovadis.nu

T+31 6555 70 911

Groningen berth opposite Oosterhaven No. 7

Phone on board: +31 624 755 688

12

Spacious double cabins

24

Passengers

30

Hybrid bikes

16

E-bikes