Paris to Bruges Bike and Barge

Embarkation and check-in is at 2pm in the centre of Paris. After a welcome by the captain, crew and tour guide the barge will cruise right through the city. The mooring place for the night is a suburb of Paris. After the sailing dinner there is time for a short walk. If you arrive early you can leave your luggage on board from 11.00 am. We recommend coming to Paris one or more days earlier, to have time to discover the city.

After breakfast we will cycle along quiet towpaths along the river Seine and up to St Germain, where the gardens of Le Nôtre provide a magnificent view across Paris. Next we will ride through a forest area to Conflans for a picnic on the pier amongst the terraces. After a short stop at the Pontoise Bridge, we continue cycling across the picturesque Chemin des Monts to the church of Auvers, famous for Van Gogh’s paintings. You can visit Van Gogh’s grave in the local cemetery during a short evening walk.

During breakfast we will cruise to Beaumont. From here today's cycle begins, following the Oise River upstream, passing the Royaumont abbey, which is one of the best preserved abbeys from the 13th century. During the afternoon we will visit the splendid Chateau of Chantilly, with its horse dressage and impressive art gallery Musee Conde, which has one of the finest collections of paintings in France. We continue cycling via Senlis and through the forests of Halatte to today's destination, Pont-Ste-Maxence.

Pont Sainte-Maxence owes its name to the fact that in the Middle Ages it had one of very few bridges over the Oise River, becoming the place to stay overnight for kings and merchants on their way to Flanders. From here we cycle past the abbey of Moncel, founded in 1309 by King Philip le Bel, and through small charming towns. We continue through the "Foret de Compiegne" (forest), where French kings once hunted, to our destination, Compiegne. In the middle of the forest lies the little town of Pierrefonds, where you can admire the exterior of the impressive castle. Compiègne owes its architectural wealth to its proximity to Paris. The gardens of the Chateau de Compiègne are definitely worth a visit. Dinner is not included tonight, you can choose to eat at one of the local restaurants.

Today we will leave the river Oise to continue our cycle via the canal system connecting France and Belgium. In the morning we cycle into the most northern part of the forest of Compiegne, where we visit the “Clairière de l’Armistice" (Glade of the Armistice), where German and French generals signed the treaty to end the First World War. You can visit the small but interesting museum. We then cross the river Aisne and cycle through the forest of Ourscamp. In the afternoon we will spend some time in Noyon, where you can visit its imposing cathedral, one of the oldest in the country. We will then cycle back to the canal at Pont l'Eveque to board the barge.

The day begins with a cruise along the Canal du Nord. The construction of this canal was planned in 1903, but it took until 1966 to complete the works. It was built to replace the older and smaller Canal de St Quentin, constructed by Napoleon in 1801 to transport coal from the mines to the north. During breakfast the barge will bring us to Haudival. From here the cycling begins through gently rolling, open countryside, to the art deco town of Ham, continuing along the river Somme and through the picturesque surrounding villages to Peronne. We will find the barge moored just outside this charming town, with its compact square and church as well as a castle and the fascinating Grande Guerre museum.

The barge will stay moored near Peronne. You are free to spend the day resting, visiting the museum or exploring the area.

We will continue cycling through the valley of the Somme river and later through the sparsely populated open and rolling landscape to Ruyaulcourt. At the end of World War I this area was the frontline of the battle around the Somme. We will then join the barge for a cruise through the Canal du Nord, which has two tunnels, the longest of which we'll take - the tunnel of Ruyaulcourt (at 4350 m/2.7 mi). Above the tunnel is the watershed between the rivers Somme and Escaut (Scheldt). From here the barge goes downhill in the direction of Arleux, to our mooring on the highest point of the Canal du Nord next to farmland near Havrincourt.

Today we will cycle to Cambrai, once a Roman provincial capital and an important destination for pilgrims. Worth seeing are the impressive restored buildings of the city fortress, built under King Charles V. It also has a special place in history due to the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, where tanks were used on a massive scale for the first time. We will continue to the rural town of Arleux, from where we cruise to the lock of Pont Malin.

We cruise on the Canal du Grand Gabarit for a few hours, passing through a former industrial area of northern France where old coal mines and steel sites border the canal, then our cycling stage starts in Denain. We'll ride through open farmland and former mining towns towards the French-Belgian border. Once in Belgium we will cycle through the so-called "white land". The charming little fortress town Antoing lies at the heart of this region and since the Roman days, white limestone has been mined here. Today's destination is Doornik (Tournai in French), one of the oldest cities of Belgium, and part of Wallonia, the French-speaking area of Belgium, where towns and villages have both a French and Flemish name. Until the beginning of the 17th century Doornik was ruled by the French. Here tapestry weaving gained in importance over the cloth industry, and excellent examples of this can be found in the town's museums. In 1940 the entire city centre was destroyed after a German air-raid, however the town has since been wonderfully renovated. The cathedral of Notre Dame, from the 12th and 13th century, and the Belfort, built around 1200, are well worth visiting. Dinner is not included tonight, you can choose to eat in one of the local restaurants.

While the barge sails downstream on the river Scheldt, we set off by bike crossing the language barrier to enter Flanders, where Flemish is the spoken language. Our destination for today is Oudenaarde. In former days this small town was situated on the border of the French and German empires and as a result was frequently involved in wars. As Oudenaarde was often in the firing line, there was always someone on the lookout. You can find a statue of the most famous watchman, Hanske de Krijger, in the splendid town hall. The town hall was built in the first half of the 16th century in Brabantine late-Gothic style and is one of the most beautiful town halls of Flanders (and UNESCO World Heritage listed). Oudenaarde is also known as the town of the tapestry weavers, with their tapestry famous around the world. After dinner you might like to enjoy a Belgian beer at the atmospheric Market place.

We cycle from Oudenaarde and shortly after pass the ruins of the old abbey of Ename, located on the river Scheldt. We continue following the river through the idyllic Ooidonk landscape towards Ghent, today's destination. Ghent is a lively university town with a rich history. It arose in Roman days at the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Leie. Its favourable location brought great wealth, peaking in the late 13th and early 14th Centuries when it became a trade and textile city. The cloth industry was a source of great richness in the Middle Ages, and traders gathered in the "Lakenhal" (Cloth Hall) in 1425. Many patrician residences have been preserved in the city. The most important church is Saint Bavo's Cathedral, constructed in different centuries and in different styles. Here you can find several masterpieces of medieval painting, the most famous of which is "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck. In the evenings the city centre is a very atmospheric. You can join a canal tour through the city (included) or visit the castle Gravensteen.

Today's cycling stage is through the pleasant flat country side of Western Flanders to Bruges. Known as the "Pearl of Flanders" and the "Venice of the North", and many say Bruges is the most beautiful Flemish city. Its old centre dating from the Middle Ages is almost completely intact. From the 14th to the 16th Century it was renowned as one of Europe’s most important centres of banking and art, and after Paris was the second largest city of Europe.

Today the barge will stay in Bruges. An optional bicycle ride through the pleasant countryside around Bruges will be offered, or you can choose to spend your time in beautiful Bruges, visiting a museum, shopping, exploring.

The trip concludes this morning in Bruges, with disembarkation by 9:30am. Note: the trip operates in the reverse direction, from Bruges to Paris, every alternate departure. See below for details.