Amsterdam - Bruges, MS Magnifique III

Embarkation and check-in is at 2 pm, where your crew for the week will be waiting to welcomeyou on boarou on board. At around 2 p.m. the ship will deparound 2 p.m. the ship will depart from Amsterom Amsterdam for Vianen, a small, fordam for Vianen, a small, fortifiedvillage on the Lek Rivvillage on the Lek River. After dinner you have the oppore the opportunity to enjotunity to enjoy a shory a short first test ridet first test ridethrough the surrounding area.

Today you will cycle along a beatiful route to Schoonhoven - nicknamed Zilverstad ("SilverCity") - a city renowned for its talented silver smiths since th 17th century. Later in the day as you cycle through the Alblasserwaard regon you will reach Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 large windmills. All 19 windmills have a UNESCO cultural heritage listing and are a definitive highlight - you will have the opportunity to visit one so don't forget to bring your camera! From nearby Alblasserdam you will take the "Waterbus", a fast ferry, that will take you and you bicycle in approx. 10 minutes to Dordrecht, one of the oldets towns in Holland.

As you enjoy your breakfast aboard the ship, the ship will sail to Willemstand where you will start your day's cycling. Willemstad is a beautiful old fortified town on the Haringvliet waterway. You bicycle ride goes to Tholen, once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Nowadays Tholen is connected to the mainland in various ways.

Then you cycle on to the destination of this trip, Bergen op Zoom. Bergen op Zoom is a historic fortified town that once lay on the open waters of the Oosterschelde. After dinner you can take a walk through the old town. Narrow streets, old town, market and church squares and idiosyncratic monumental building show the history of a rich and eventful past that goes back more than eight hundred years.

In the morning you will enjoy a small bike ride through the beautiful "Wouwse Plantage" surrounding Bergen op Zoom. In the early afternoon you will once again board the ship which will sail to the port city of Antwerp, situated on the river Schelde. Antwerp is famous for handling up to 80% of the world's rough diamonds and is a city with a long list of attractions including: the City Hall, one of several majestiv buildings constructed during the Renaissance period, the historical City Square Grote Market, the Onze-Lieve_Vrouwe Cathedral and the medieval Steen Castle. Dinner tonight (not included) will be in town in a restaurant of your choice (recommendations available on board).

This morning you will cycle out of Antwerp along a picturesque section of the Schelde River to St. Amands your home for the night. There is only one way to descrice the landscpae aroung the Schelde and that is "magnificent". It is without doubt one of the natural highlights of the tour.

Today you will continue to follow the river Schelde to Ghent where the ship will moor for the night at a lock in a suburb of town. Ghent is a lively university city that boasts a rich history. Since Roman times Ghent's position at the junction of Leie and Schelde Rivers has ensured that it has been a successful trading port. In total the city features an Opera House, 18 museums, more than 100 churches and over 400 historical buildings. Major attractions are St. Bavo Cathedral where a number of masterpieces of medieval art including the world famous 'Adoration of the Mystic Lam' by Jan van Eyck are kept and the 91-metre-tall belfry of Ghent, one of three medieval towers that overlook the old city center. Before dinner a small canal boat will take you for a guided tour through the historic city.

Today you will cycle from Ghent through the beautiful Flemish countryside of western Flanders to Bruges, widely described as the 'Venice of the North' and arguably the most beatiful of all the Flemish cities. Bruges attracts more than two million visitors every year who come to see the picturesque medieval town center of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic city and a long list of historic attractions. An outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, Bruges has managed to maintain its historic fabric as it has evolved over the centuries, with the result that today the city's original Gothci buildings form an integral part of the town's identity. While you are here you can visit one of Bruges many museums or simply take in the stunning beauty and culture of this unforgettable city from the comfort of a sidewalk cafe.
 

End of your tour: Disembarkation after breakfast until 09:30 a.m.