Merlijn's famous Holland & Belgium tour

Day 1: Bruges – Overnight dock

Afternoon check in, afterwards Merlijn will set sail. We’ll present you with a welcome drink and introduce the crew. We will also provide information on the tour, the ship, and offer you a safety briefing. After you have become acquainted with your home for the next 10 days, we will serve you dinner in Merlijn’s restaurant. In the evening, there will be time for a stroll on land because Merlijn will be docked for the night.

*Please note that we will not visit Bruges during the tour, we strongly recommend travelling a few days earlier to see and visit Bruges, also called ‘the Venice of the North’. It is perhaps the most beautiful of all Flemish cities. Its old centre, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is almost completely intact. At the time, Bruges was a metropolis, a centre of art and commerce, which we can still fully enjoy. It’s also a great place to shop and have an evening out.

Day 2: Overnight dock – Ghent. Bike tour: 35-40 km

We start with a sailing breakfast, and a bike introduction so you and your ‘barge bike’ can get to know each other. At the first dock your bike tour will start, taking you through the pleasant countryside of western Flanders. Today’s destination Ghent is a lively university city, and once again one with a rich and varied past. The city has its origins in Roman times, and it is where the rivers Leie and Schelde converge. This favorable location has generated a great deal of prosperity over the years. Its main church is the St. Baafs Cathedral, built in various ages and various styles. The berth in Ghent is a fair distance from the centre. We will cycle a loop along the city, and we will organize a boat ride through the city’s canals, before biking to the Merlijn.

Day 3: Ghent – Baasrode/Sint-Amands. Bike tour 30-35 km or extend to 45-50 km

After breakfast on board, your bike tour starts from Ghent and leads you along the river Schelde. There is a beautiful cycle path, and the landscape around the river is magnificent. Arriving at Dendermonde, a nice country town on the Dender estuary, you will find Merlijn awaiting you. From here, you can board and cruise, or bike on to Baasrode/Sint-Amands, which is a small town on the tidal Schelde river, surrounded by nature.

Day 4: Sint-Amands/Baasrode – Antwerp. Bike tour: 40-45 km

Today’s cycle tour will start from our overnight berth, and leads you further along the beautiful but capricious river Schelde. You will soon spot the St. Anna Tunnel, which will take you to the other side of the Schelde, where you’ll find the diamond city of Antwerp.

Antwerp is not only known as the ‘diamond city’, but also as the native city of the painter Rubens. In the heart of the city, you will see the Cathedral of ‘Our Lady’, we’ll include entrance today or tomorrow. Interesting as well are the opulent merchant homes from Antwerp’s illustrious past around the Market Square. At night, you can enjoy some Belgian cuisine, while eating out in one of the 1000+ local restaurants in Antwerp.

Day 5: Antwerp – Tholen. Bike tour: Morning 40-45 km, afternoon 25-30 km, or total 65-70 km.

Because we love the city of Antwerp, Merlijn will be docked in the harbour until noon, leaving you with the difficult choice of these two options:

1. Spend another morning in the city to explore its cultural highlights, or shop in the lively city centre. From noon, you’ll join Merlijn for a cruise through Antwerp’s magnificent harbour and enjoy lunch on board. You then start biking from the little town of Kreekerak to Tholen, a short jaunt on Dutch soil.

1. You’ll start biking after breakfast, where a long route will lead you through the ‘harbour landscape’ until you reach Kreekerak where you can board Merlijn, or add another 20 km and bike on to Tholen!

All options will cross the border from Belgium to Netherlands, where passports are long gone and end the day in Tholen. Which was once an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where the main occupation was fishing. Nowadays, it is connected to the mainland in various ways, but is still a charming village with many relics of an eventful past.

Day 6: Tholen – Dordrecht. Bike tour: 35-40 km

After another delicious breakfast on board, you’ll start your cycle tour towards Willemstad, which will be on flat terrain through a ‘Dutch polder landscape’. After arriving in Willemstad, you can spend some free time in this picturesque small town with its windmill and harbour, after which the afternoon cruise to Dordrecht will start. If you’re in need of a bit of rest, then today is perfect to cruise along, not just because we’ve just passed the half-way mark of your journey, but also because Merlijn will arrive in Willemstad before lunch, and will stay there until the afternoon before we cruise on. This will afford you the opportunity to visit the town as well. After a nice cruise, we’ll arrive in Dordrecht, one of Holland’s oldest cities. After dinner, there will be time for a walk through this well-arranged, mid-sized city.

Day 7: Dordrecht. Bike tour: 20-25 km + Canoe tour or Hike.

Merlijn stays in port today, giving you the opportunity to enjoy Dordrecht, and it’s amazing nature in the ‘backyard’ to the fullest. We have added this day to the tour to give you more choice and multi adventure. Let’s start with the options.

1. Give your bike a day off, and enjoy everything Dordrecht’s old city offers like; Culture & Museums; in 1814 the first Dutch constitution was signed here. Or shopping; Dordrecht has the longest continuous shopping street in the Netherlands! Of course you can just relax onboard and finally read that book you brought.
2. Our guide can lead you, with a short bike ride, to 'the Biesbosch', a large and very well-known national park. Put your bike on the kickstand, hop into a canoe, and paddle for several hours through the small creeks of this area. You can spot wildlife and enjoy the quiet life of the Biesbosch. Don't be afraid to get lost as we will be guidance. If canoeing isn't for you, take a look at the next option.
3. Also for this option, you will cycle with the group to the national park. We have prepared a hiking trail which, depending on the ability of the group, will be between 10 and 15 km. Many Dutch people preceded you to walk along this unique nature reserve. After your visit to the Biesbosch, we cycle together as a group back to the ship.

Tonight you are enjoying dinner on your own in the city, there is a good range of delicious dishes both local and international. By arranging dinner by yourself, you really have the freedom to arrange this day completely as you wish. Dordrecht is also the home port of the owners of Merlin, so we can inform you well about the possibilities.

Day 8: Dordrecht – Kinderdijk – Rotterdam. Bike tour: 20-25 km or extend to 45-50 km

After breakfast on board, the cycle tour for today will start. The first stop is ‘Kinderdijk’, which is world-famous for its windmills, you will be able to see an impressive row of them, built to drain the ‘Alblasserwaard polder’. The best way to see this open-air museum is by bike. Kinderdijk is official UNESCO world heritage.

After your visit you continue to the town of Alblasserdam. From here you have two options;

1. Board a deluxe fast ferry, which will take you directly to Rotterdam, where Merlijn awaits you.
2. Extend the tour and cross the river by a small ferry, then you’ll cycle on to Rotterdam.

By deluxe ferry or by bike, soon the skyline of ‘Manhattan on the Maas’ - as the city of Rotterdam is also known - will appear. During WWII Rotterdam was heavily bombed, the result of which can still be seen in post-war modern architecture. You’ll cycle along the highlights of this metropole, following the paved cycle paths, you will reach Merlijn. Dinner will be served onboard and we’ll stay overnight in port.

Day 9: Rotterdam – Gouda – Vreeswijk. Bike tour: 40-45 km

Today’s cycle tour will start from Rotterdam, your guide will choose the quiet bike paths leading you soon into the polder landscape Netherlands is famous for. One of these days we will visit a real Dutch cheese farm, these hard-working farmers are not always open for visits, so we will look at when is most convenient. You can see how cheese is made and often buy tasty 'souvenirs'. Talking about cheese, you cycle by Gouda along the way! The city you might know as 'Gudah', known worldwide for its cheeses. You’ll make your way to Schoonhoven, also called the ‘silver city’ because of its fame trading in silver. After visiting this lovely town, Merlijn awaits you for an afternoon cruise along the river ‘Lek’. An old Captain told us that this river best represents the Netherlands, enjoy the beautiful scenery passing by from one of Merlijn’s terraces. Diner will be during the cruise and at night there will be time to take a post meal walk in todays destination Vreeswijk.

Day 10: Vreeswijk – Utrecht - Amsterdam. Bike tour: 35-40 km or extend to 55-60 km

One more cruising breakfast before you get on the paddles. The last bike tour of your journey will start from Utrecht, taking you along more traditional Dutch landscapes. Did you already stop at a local bakery for a coffee? (the Dutch really know their coffees!) Following the winding river ‘Vecht’, you will soon reach a dock where you can board Merlijn for an afternoon cruise. Or if you haven't logged enough miles yet, you can cycle on all the way to the final destination. Your tour ends in the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. A farewell dinner on board will follow.

Day 11: Amsterdam

After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip or leave for the airport. Extend your stay in Holland, and set some time aside to explore the city. You might want to go on a ride along the canals, or visit the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, or the Amsterdam Hermitage.