Belgian Biketours

The route is over 200 km long and incorporates the RAVeL in Belgium and the in France. It is a promise of four days of highly enjoyable cycling through the valley of the River Meuse, past castles, forts and pretty villages, surrounded by breath-taking natural beauty.

On our bicycle holiday you will cycle the entire International Meuse Route, staying the night in Liège Namur and Dinant in Belgium and in the picturesque village of Haybes, Charleville-Mézières and Sedan in France.

We have devised a wonderful cycling holiday through the Netherlands down into Belgium, past towns, villages, canals – on high-quality cycling paths. In eight days of cycling you will discover many delightful places you otherwise wouldn’t have chanced upon.

Starting in Amsterdam and travelling in a southwesterly direction you will go to the following towns: Gouda, Dordrecht, Willemstad, Zierikzee, Middelburg, Vlissingen (Flushing), Sluis, Damme and Bruges. They count among the most picturesque towns in the Netherlands and Flanders and are remarkably well-preserved and evocative of centuries past. The route is predominantly rural and passes through a number of nature reserves.
We also offer this tour with Bruges as the starting point. This is not a round trip!

Belgium is famous for its many different beers. Belgian beer brewing dates to the Middle Ages, when even children drank beer because water could make you ill. Today there are over 200 breweries still in operation. Many popular beers, from refreshing white ale to bolder tripels and quadrupels can be traced to Belgium. On this cycling holiday you will discover the origins of several of Belgium’s best beers, all the while enjoying the lovely surroundings these beers come from. You will cycle through the woody Campine region, past famous Achelse Kluis abbey, crossing the border into the Dutch province of Noord Brabant.

Next, you will explore Turnhout, the town of playing-cards. In the city of Antwerp you may run out of time to see everything that is on your list, however a visit to De Koninck Brewery should not be missed. Finally, the university town of Leuven always lives up to its reputation as a welcoming, friendly place. One fun and quirky highlight of this route can be experienced on the last day: cycling through water.

Ideally, you would cycle this tour in spring, when Haspengouw, a region of orchard farmers, is at its most beautiful: For a short period in April – May, the landscape is ablaze with colour, thanks to the mesmerizing cherry, apple, and pear blossoms. Although it is impossible to predict exactly when the trees will flower, if you strike lucky, consider the blossoms to be the “cherry on the cake” of your cycling holiday, as the saying goes in these parts (icing on the cake!). For Haspengouw is lovely all year round!

In this paradise for cyclists, you will find low hills, romantic castles, fertile farmland, woods, historical towns and of course orchards. Thanks to its moist, clay-rich soil, this is reputedly the largest center of fruit production in Western Europe. For some very different scenery you will briefly digress into the Campine region which still boasts some marshy areas and heath; and into the Land of 1001 Ponds . On this tour, the roads and paths are flat to gently sloping; and low in traffic. The start and finish of the holiday is in the friendly university town of Hasselt.

Other towns you will discover are lovely Diest, Sint Truiden and Tienen. Beer enthusiasts will enjoy a visit to Hoegaarden Brewery. Talking of beer, when in Flanders, don’t miss the opportunity to dine out on their famous beef and onion stew made with beer as the braising liquid. The dish is called Carbonnade. This is a holiday with something for everyone!

A wonderful cycling holiday through the northern provinces of Belgium: Antwerp and Flemish Brabant. It goes without saying that the major cities of Antwerp and Brussels hold great appeal.

But let us surprise you with some smaller towns such as lovely Mechelen (Mechlin), Leuven (Louvain) and Diest.  The non-urban areas you will traverse are a promise of peace and quiet: the Campine region; the path along the Albert Canal; the woods and nature reserves. The alternation of culture and nature, combined with the Good Life of Flanders, make for a fantastic cycling holiday.

It’s when an old abandoned railway that has fallen into disrepair is transformed into a path for cyclists and pedestrians. The Vennbahn rail trail, one of the prettiest and longest in Europe, was officially opened to cyclists in the summer of 2013. One hundred and twenty-five  kilometers long, it is the result of successful collaboration between Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the EU. It is seen as a milestone in the history of cross-border tourism. From 1885 to 1989 the Vennbahn railway connected the German town of Aachen to the town of Ulfingen (now Troisvierges) in Luxembourg.

Since 2013 tourists and locals alike have been zooming enthusiastically up and down the former railway through the hilly Eifel and Ardennes landscapes. Happily the maximum average incline is only 2% because trains couldn’t handle anything steeper. In 2014, at the Amsterdam Cycling and Hiking Fair, the Vennbahn was nominated Best Cycling Route of the Year 2014.

Now comes the exciting part! By connecting the Vennbahn Trail to an existing well-known bike route between Luxembourg and Maastricht in the Netherlands, an unique and beautiful eight-day round trip was created! The Luxembourg-Maastricht trail was developed 25 years ago by Amsterdam geographer Paul Benjaminse. It is part of a relatively flat route that leads from the Netherlands all the way to Rome. Bicycle tracks and quiet back-roads take cyclists through the prettiest spots in the Green Heart of Europe including the High Fens nature reserve in Belgium. Like a true explorer Benjaminse succeeded in tracing a route that bridged altitude levels as gradually as possible. So your pedals will turn at a tranquil and leisurely pace for the duration of the holiday, both on the Vennbahn and on the Benjaminse route, guaranteeing optimal enjoyment. Cyclists stay the nights at hospitable three- and four-star hotels that also take care of your luggage transport.