Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat

Highlights: Guided

1. Bruges, known for its open-air museum feel
2. Gent, with its lively and cozy historical centre
3. Tournai, one of the oldest cities in Belgium
4. Peronne, near a famous battleground from World War I
5. Pierrefonds, one of the most majestic fortified castles in France
6. Auvers sur L’oise, a village where Van Gogn made over 70 paintings and now home to a small museum in his memory
7. Versailles, one of the largest castles in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site
8. Paris (Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and more)

Daily Program: Guided

This tour has two optional start cities: Paris or Bruges. Both itineraries are listed below.

Also, this is a 15-day tour, with one extra day built at the end of the itineraries to spend in either Paris or Bruges (or to use along the way if needed).

Each daily cycling distance is between 25 and 30 miles.

Bruges to Paris

Day 1: Bruges
At 14.00 P.M. we welcome our guests on board. You meet your companions or to take with you on your first bike ride to Damme. Of course you can also choose to go sightseeing in the lovely town of Bruges. The centre is at walking distance. In the evening we will be serving you a welcome dinner.

Damme is a very small town about 5 miles from Bruges. It used to be the port of Brugge. There are a few nice buildings to see, you will bike along a nice canal.

Bruges is the capital of the province of West-Vlaanderen.The town finds its origins around a county-castle in the second half of the 9th century.. The city reminds of a giant open-air museum. The enormous number of monuments and the well preserved grid of medieval streets attracts large numbers of visitors. In town there are many museums. Bruges is famous for its lace-work and chocolates. You can explore the city walking, cycling, by carriage or by boat in the city-canals.
Overnight in Bruges.

Day 2: Bruges – Gent
Every morning we serve you a good breakfast and you can make your own lunch package just the way you like it.After breakfast you can choose to stay on the boat and enjoy the sights while we sail to the next town, join our guide on a cycle-tour to the lovely town of Gent or use our maps and go cycling on your own.We welcome you back home at the Feniks in the afternoon with a bowl of homemade soup.After dinner our guide takes you for a walk in Gent.

Gent is one of Flanders major cities, it is the capital of the province of Oost-Vlaanderen. The city is lively and has a cosy historic centre, there are impressive buildings dating back to the later Middle Ages and the town has various curiosities.
Overnight in Gent.

Day 3: Gent – Oudenaarde
After breakfast the cycling-route will lead you along the river into farmland to Oudenaarde. Oudenaarde is called the pearl of the Flemish Ardennen. It used to be well-known in whole Europe of its wall-carpets and silverware. There are over a hundred protected monuments, two of them are on the UNESCO-list: the Begijnenhof and the town hall in which you will find a museum famous for its Gobelin-carpets.There are some nice churches and the castle Liedts. Or maybe you would like to visit one of the towns beer breweries. We can take you for a tour in the famous Kriek brewery to taste the typical Belgium kriek beer, made from cherries.
Overnight in Oudenaarde.

Day 4: Oudenaarde – Tournai
Today the cycle-route will take you on well-paved towpaths. We will head for Tournai, one of the oldest cities of Belgium.

Tournai belongs to Romance Flanders, from today you can practice your French lessons. It used to be one of the greatest cultural and economic centres of Flanders and some traces of that can still be seen today like the Our lady’s Cathedral and the Saint-Brice church. Other parts of interest are the 13th century Scheldt bridge and the main square as well as several old city gates, historic warehouses and a variety of museums.
Overnight in Tournai.

Day 5: Tournai – Bouchain/Arleux
Today we will cycle through the oldest regional park of France: Scarpe-Escaut.The park has forests, swamps and large fields with miles of cycling and walking paths.

If possible we will also visit the town of Arleux. It is famous for its smoked garlic, which you can smell everywhere on the streets. Our guide can take you for an excursion there and maybe the cook will make you her well-known garlic soup.

Bouchain is a nice cosy town in the French region Nord-Pas-de-Calais. It has 5000 inhabitants.
Overnight in Bouchain.

Day 6: Bouchainn/Arleux – Peronne
After breakfast we will cycle to the town of Lewarde. There we will find one of the biggest mine-museums of the world. You can visit the old mine with a small train which is spectacular and you will be guided by old mine-workers.

After our visit to the museum we will meet the Feniks to join its sail through a 3.5 mile long boat tunnel towards Peronne.

Peronne is a commune of the Somme department in France.It is close to where the Battles of the Somme took place during World War 1.The Museum of the Great War is located in the ancient chateau. This museum is a “must” visit for those with a passion for the horrors of the great war.The city of Peronne also has a nice town centre, there is a beautiful church and you can visit the Alfred Danicourt museum with one of the finest collections of early Gallic coins and antique gold jewellery.
Overnight in Peronne.

Day 7: Peronne
Today the barge will stay in Peronne.You can relax on the boat or explore the surroundings of the town by bike or walking. Our guide can help you by planning a beautiful day out.
Overnight in Peronne.

Day 8: Peronne – Noyon
After breakfast we will cycle along the river and through farmland to Noyon, a small but historic French town in the Oise department, Picardie. It has an impressive cathedral: the Notre-Dame, a nice museum about John Calvin and you can see the remains of sections of the Roman walls.
Overnight in Noyon.

Day 9: Noyon – Compiegne
Our cycle-routes will get a bit more hillier, we will cycle through the forest of Compiegne , visit the lovely village st Jean-aux-Biox and make a stop at the castle of Pierrefonds, some say it is the most majestic fortified castle of France.The castle has a museum with ancient bicycles and cars, rooms with the original furniture and a beautiful ballroom. At the square in front of the castle is the starting point of the famous Parijs-Roubaix cycling-race.Also in the forest is the Rethondes Armistice Clearing where World War 1 was ended.
Compiegne also has a very nice church the Eglise St.-Antione with a collection of unique Greek porcelain and a beautiful city hall.
Overnight in Compiegne.

Day 10: Compiegne – Creil
Today we will continue our tour through the forest and the real countryside of France.We will end our day in the city of Creil. On the way we will visit the graffiti-museum with art dating from the stone age.
Creil is a town with a nice Gothic church with a 13th century interior and a 16th century tower. It also has a museum with 19th century provincial furniture, pottery and paintings.
Overnight in Creil.

Day 11: Creil – Auvers sur L’oise/Conflans
We will cycle through the forest to the famous castle of Chantilly. This chateau is located in one of the largest forests near Paris, it has one of the finest museums of historical paintings in France, a well stocked library, beautiful gardens and a living horse museum. After our visit to the castle we will cycle to the Feniks at Auvers sur l’Oise.

At dinner time we will be sailing to Conflans, a lovely town, close to Paris.

Auvers sur L’oise is a little village where a lot of famous artists used to live. Van Gogh made over a 70 paintings here and you can visit the graves of him and his brother. In the auberge Ravoux where he used to live and work, you can find a small museum.
Overnight in Auvers sur L’oise/Conflans

Day 12: Auvers sur L’oise/Conflans – Bougival/La Defense Paris
While the guests are having breakfast the Feniks will sail to Bougival. There we will go off with our bikes. We will make a tour through town and then go to the Palace of Versailles. The chateau of Versailles is one of the largest castles of the world and on the heritage list of UNESCO. You can take a look inside or wonder through the gardens. After our visit to the castle we will meet the Feniks. If possible the boat will sail to La Defense in Paris and stay there overnight. This will give us more time to visit Paris.
Bougival is a little commune in the western suburbs of Paris, the town is home of a number of French celebrities. It was known as the cradle of impressionism. Painters like Monet and Renoir painted the light, sky and water of this area. In the historical centre you will find the 12th century Notre-Dame church.
Overnight in Bougival.

Day 13: Bougival/La Defense Paris – Paris
Today the Feniks will take us for a unique sailing tour through the centre of Paris. We will pass several monuments like the Notre Dame and the Eifel Tower. After we arrived at our final destination our guide will show you the famous spots of Paris on a city walk. It is also possible to enter Paris by bike.

Paris is the capital of France and the country’s largest city. It is been called The City of Light, La Ville Lumière. There are many things to see and do: Paris has 150 museums, famous parks and gardens, beautiful cathedrals and churches and other remarkable buildings.You can visit a market or go shopping and in the evening see the theatre, cabaret or some live music.
Overnight in Paris.

Day 14: Paris
The tour has come to an end. We say bye after breakfast and hope you enjoyed your stay at the Feniks.Of course we can help you if you need directions how to go somewhere in Paris, how to get on your train, plain and so on.

Day 15: Departure
Departure from boat in Paris.

Paris to Bruges

Day 1: Paris
Day 2: Paris – Bougival/la Defense Paris
Day 3: Bougival/la Defense Paris – Conflans/Auvers sur l’Oise
Day 4: Conflans/Auvers sur l’Oise – Creil
Day 5: Creil – Compiegne
Day 6: Compiegne- Noyon
Day 7: Noyon- Peronne
Day 8: Peronne
Day 9: Peronne – Bouchain/Arleux
Day 10: Bouchain/Arleux – Tournai
Day 11: Tournai – Oudenaarde
Day 12: Oudenaarde – Gent
Day 13: Gent – Brugge
Day 14: Brugge
Day 15: Extra day

Included Services: Guided

• Hybrid touring bike, 21-speed bicycle with pannier, lock and water bottle
• Multilingual tour guide
• Tour itinerary
• 7x breakfast, 7x lunch package and 6x dinner a week
• Coffee, tea and biscuits
• Afternoon snacks
• Cabin with private bathroom including bed linens and fresh towels (please specify whether you prefer bunk beds or twin beds on your booking form)
• Shampoo, shower gel and soap
• Daily check of your cabin, once a week extra cleaning
• Use of washer and dryer
• Ferry fares and harbor fees
• Bicycle insurance

Bike Rentals: Guided

Bikes available on this tour (included in tour package):

• Hybrid touring bike, 21-speed

Bikes will be equipped with:

• Lock
• Pannier bag
• Water bottle

On the first day of your tour you will be allocated a bicycle suitable to your height. This bicycle is at your disposal during your trip.

Our tour guide has all the necessary tools with him on the ride and a first aid kit. When you prefer to go biking by yourselves we can provide you with maps and a repair kit.

Helmets:
The tour operator prefers you bring your own helmet. Although they do have some extra, due to limited storage on board they are not prepared to supply helmets for all guests on this tour.