Cycle from Amsterdam to Bruges

The journey begins in one of Europe's most vibrant and bicycle-friendly cities. Amsterdam is known for its UNESCO-listed canals, narrow canal houses and rich cultural life. Feel free to arrive early in the day so you have time to discover the city's many attractions before the adventure begins. Stroll along the tree-lined canals, visit one of the city's world-famous museums or settle down at a café and enjoy the atmosphere. Here awaits the perfect start to a cycling trip through two of Europe's most classic cycling countries.

Leave the big city pulse behind and roll out into what is called Groene Hart, the Netherlands' green heart. The landscape is almost unrealistically flat with canals, open pastures, windmills and small villages that alternate with each other. Here cows graze in green meadows alongside church towers that rise above the horizon. Today's destination is Gouda, the city that has made itself world-famous for its cheese. Take an evening stroll through the well-preserved city center and discover the medieval square, the beautiful town hall and the historic scales where cheese was once weighed and traded.

Today's shorter stage offers one of the trip's absolute highlights. You cycle through the Dutch landscape to Kinderdijk, where nineteen historic windmills have protected the land from flooding since the 18th century. The facility is now listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and is one of the country's most iconic attractions. After the visit, you continue towards Dordrecht, one of the Netherlands' oldest cities, surrounded by rivers and connected by beautiful bridges. The overnight stay takes place just outside the city center in Papendrecht, which you reach after a short ferry crossing and a few kilometers of cycling.

Today awaits a landscape that differs from previous days. You follow the edge of De Biesbosch National Park, a unique wetland area where fresh and salt water meet. Small waterways, reed beds and willow-covered islands create a living natural environment that attracts crowds of birds. The route continues through a peaceful agricultural landscape before you reach the charming fortress town of Willemstad. The city's characteristic star-shaped defense facility is still clear and makes it one of the Netherlands' most special small towns. If the ferry through the national park is not operating on the current day, you instead follow an alternative cycle path.

Today you reach the province of Zeeland, where the sea has shaped both the landscape and the people. Bridges and ferries connect the islands while the wind sweeps over sandbanks, coastal meadows and open coastal landscapes. Today's cycling goes through a varied landscape with polders, small communities and wide views before you arrive at the historic trading town of Zierikzee. The cobblestone streets and well-preserved houses remind of the city's heyday during the Middle Ages. The overnight stay takes place either in Zierikzee or in the quiet village of Schuddebeurs just outside the city.

Feel free to take a morning walk through Zierikzee before today's stage begins. The city was once an important port with trade across large parts of Europe. Then the cycling continues to picturesque Veere, which for several hundred years flourished thanks to trade with Scottish wool. Today's destination is Middelburg, Zeeland's capital and one of the Netherlands' most important trading centers during the 16th and 17th centuries. Here await elegant canals, historic buildings, a lively city life and welcoming cafés. In some accommodation categories, the overnight stay takes place in the coastal town of Vlissingen.

After breakfast you continue towards Vlissingen where a ferry takes you over to Zealand Flanders. The landscape changes again and offers winding country roads, poplar trees, pastures and small villages. Soon you cross the border to Belgium and reach the idyllic town of Damme, whose canal is lined with historic buildings and cafés. From here only the last bit remains to Bruges – one of Europe's best preserved medieval cities. The city's cobblestone streets, canals and Gothic buildings make the end of the journey memorable to say the least.

After a final breakfast it's time to say farewell to the cycling countries Netherlands and Belgium. If time allows, a final walk through Bruges' historic center is recommended before the journey home. The city's canals, squares and medieval buildings provide a worthy end to a journey that has offered some of Europe's finest cycle paths, beautiful small towns and classic cultural landscapes.