Bon Vivant by Bike and Boat: A Cycling Holiday from Bruges to Paris

During this 15-day bike & barge trip through Flanders (Belgium) and northern France, from Bruges to Paris, you’ll cycle through attractive areas not yet discovered by mass tourism. This tour is characterised by a wide variation in landscapes and has all the ingredients a good bike & barge tour needs to explore these interesting regions.

The first part, in Belgium, features highlights like exploring magnificent Bruges – an unbeatable start of a beautiful discovery tour – experiencing history in medieval Ghent, admiring tapestry in Oudenaarde, learning about Vincent van Gogh’s heritage, and sipping a tasty Belgium beer at the end of your daily cycling tour.

Highlights in France include World War I battlefields and memorials in the Somme valley, the Chateau de Chantilly and its art gallery the Musée Condé that houses one of the finest collections of paintings in France, and – last but not least – beautiful Paris, the “City of Lights”.

The Bruges-Paris tour can also be enjoyed the other way around: spend some time in Paris first before joining the tour and finish in Bruges. The cycling routes go over gentle hills and valleys, through forests and across open farmland, along the rivers Scheldt, Somme, Oise and Seine.

As well as being able to discover many picturesque villages each day – both on your bicycle and on foot – you’ll be able to:
• Visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historical center of Bruges;
• Explore Ghent where several masterpieces of medieval painting are to be found, “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” by Jan van Eyck being the most famous of all;
• Pass through Oudenaarde, the town of the tapestry weavers;
• Visit the town of Péronne with its fascinating “Grande Guerre” museum;
• Admire the splendid chateau of Chantilly, a luxurious castle with an impressive art collection and horse dressage;
• Walk to the grave of Vincent van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise;
• Visit many highlights of Paris.

Fully Guided

Accompanied by a competent, professional and multilingual tour leader, you and the group will visit interesting sights and places on the daily cycling tours. During the bike tour, the tour leader will explain the local history and culture behind the things you encounter along the way. If you’d prefer, you can choose instead to ride on your own with the help of a map and a GPS app on your smartphone.

Bike barge tour France — bon vivant by bike and boat

Fine French cuisine, excellent wine, charming chateaus, and a lust for life par excellence — it’s not hard to be tempted by a bike barge tour in France. And who are we to stop you? In fact, we too are lovers of cycle cruises exploring France’s classic landscapes, tumultuous history, indomitable culture and dangerously-good boulangeries, so we offer a wide range of cycle and cruise tours throughout this diverse and very bike-friendly country.

Our Provence – Camargue tour travels from Avignon to Aigues Mortes, passing through wild nature, the Rhone Valley and Van Gogh’s Provence — and even spotting the Pont du Gard.

Highlights of this tour
• Enjoy easy cycling in lovely southern France
• Take in the wild Camargue nature
• See Provence: an inspiration for Van Gogh and Cezanne
• Barges with max. 21 passengers

All roads lead to Paris on a bike barge tour in France

Paris. Little needs to be said about the City of Lights and its famous Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the grand bridges over the Seine River, or its cozy bistros … but it must be said that Paris is a wonderful starting (or ending) point for bike barge tours in France.

Take, for example, the voyage of exploration along the Seine River from Paris to Montargis, taking in the forests and history of Fontainebleau and the impressionist hotbeds of Barbizon and Moret-sur-Loing.

Highlights of this tour
• Experience Paris! (Need we say more?)
• Bike in the forest of Fontainebleau
• Learn royal history at Fontainebleau Castle
• Be inspired in impressionist Barbizon & Moret-sur-Loing
• Visit the beautiful medieval towns of Ferrières and Château-Landon
• Barge with max. 20 passengers

Or instead, depart in search of the homeland of Champange, Epernay, biking, cruising and tasting your way through this region of Brie and sparkling wine.
Highlights of this tour
• Start or end in Paris!
• Ride easily on an e-bike (included)
• Sample Champagnes and Brie cheese at the source
• Bicycle through scenic vineyards
• Barge with max. 24 passengers

Take a cycle cruise route in France, Luxembourg and Germany

Another option is to experience three countries on a cross-European bike barge tour through France, Luxembourg and Germany as you follow the Moselle River Valley, stopping off to sample its wonderful Rieslings and relaxing in towns full of half-timbered houses, before pedaling on under the watch of hilltop fortresses.

Highlights of this tour
• Bike on gentle vineyard routes in 3 countries
• Visit charming towns like Cochem, Bernkastel, and Saarburg.
• Learn about Roman history in Trier
• Taste the region’s fine Riesling wines
• Barge with max. 31 passengers

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