Amsterdam to Bruges

Your cycling holiday starts in Amsterdam, famous for its beautiful 400-year-old canal district, museums (the new Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, Anne Frank etc), street performers, Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, an infamous red-light district and much more. This city is packed with things to see and do, you simply cannot wish for a more dynamic start to your holiday. We recommend arriving in Amsterdam as early as possible, so you have plenty of time to admire the elegant tree-lined canals, the tall narrow townhouses and the 17th-century warehouses (World Heritage Site).

After a pleasant evening and night in bustling Amsterdam, enjoy the tranquillity of the ‘Groene Hart’, the Green Heart, a pleasant rural area of low-lying polders, peat meadows and grazing cattle. This is a flat, open and spacious landscape where church towers and windmills reach the horizon and clouds are reflected in lakes and canals. For centuries, people from far and wide have flocked here to buy horses, cows, meat, peat, seeds, cheese, etc. at the weekly and annual markets. Today’s final destination is the cosy little town of Gouda. Here we recommend an evening walk in the old town to take in the atmosphere of the past and marvel at the large and beautiful market square, with a wonderful 15th century town hall as well as a weighing house (‘Waag’).
68 km

From Gouda, cycle via the ‘green heart of Holland’ to the village of Kinderdijk, where 19 windmills have stood majestically in rows since 1740. They were used to drain excess water from the low-lying polder up to the river Lek. One of the mills is open to the public, take the opportunity to have a look. Your final destination, Papendrecht, is just a ferry crossing from one of Holland’s oldest cities, Dordrecht. Dordrecht is completely surrounded by rivers and with beautiful bridges that take you across the water into the heart of the city. Around the harbour you can see many monumental buildings.
The hotel in Papendrecht is located just 3 km outside the centre of Dordrecht, on the northern bank of the river.
38 km

The result of a major flood in 1421, the Biesbosch is one of the few remaining wetland areas in Europe, where the ecosystem has adapted both to salt water coming in from the sea through tidal creeks and to fresh water coming down the rivers. It is an ever-changing maze of streams and rivers that includes countless small islands of willow and reeds, a paradise for birds. End the day in Willemstad, a fortified city shaped like a seven-pointed star.
Please note that you will only be able cycle through the Biesbosch Park on the days that the ferry departs. This ferry does not run daily. If the ferry does not run, you will follow an alternative route.

Today you’ll be cycling in Zeeland, a province of the Netherlands characterised by light, wind, water and lots of space. Zeeland is made up of islands, with small bridges and ferries transporting you across the water as you slowly but surely approach Belgium. Picture book towns with old houses and cobbled streets await in the coming days. The journey takes you through a mosaic landscape of vast polders, idyllic countryside, rolling dunes and golden sand plains. Quite simply a paradise not to be missed! The evening and night are spent in the picturesque little village of Noordgouwe.
50 km

Walking along the narrow streets of Zierikzee is a pure delight. The quaint, small and old houses take you back to the city’s glory days, when ships sailed out to sell salt, wool, fish, grain and red dye as far away as the Baltic and the Mediterranean. Our journey continues to the charming village of Veere. From 1541 onwards, everything exported to Holland from Scotland (mainly wool) landed in Veere and was distributed from there. This brought the town not only prosperity, but also a very lively Scottish community that stayed for 300 years. Walk in their footsteps as you take a tour of the sights. Then, as you continue to cycle further south, you will discover the nostalgic splendour of the city of Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland.
End the day by strolling down to the beach in Vlissingen and watch the sun set over the sea.
43 km

After a hearty breakfast, hop on a ferry to Zeelandic Flanders, with its winding country roads, pollarded willows, wet meadows and scattered villages. After crossing the border into Belgium, you’ll arrive in the charming little town of Damme, on the banks of the romantic Damse Vaart. From here it’s just a short distance to Bruges, known as the Pearl of Flanders! This is an enchanting city that has been welcoming tourists for around 150 years. With most of its medieval architecture intact, the city is still exceptionally well-preserved and can really give you a sense of bygone times, when it was the centre of the European wool and cloth trade.

We at EverTrek hope you have had a great trip!
We hope to see you again.