8-day Amsterdam to Bruges Cycling Holiday

Embark on a cycling holiday from amiable Amsterdam with its 400-year-old canal district and memorable museums like the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, Anne Frank. Stumble upon street artists and performers on the Dam, Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, and wander round the red-light district. This is a city overflowing with sights and sounds, so plan to get here early. Explore the elegant tree-lined canals, take photos of townhouses and walk the 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Set off from buzzing Amsterdam and plunge into the country’s peaceful green heartland, ‘het Groene Hart’. Cycle past low-lying polders and peat meadows, gliding across flat landscapes with grazing cows. Church spires and windmills dot the horizon and clouds are reflected in lakes and canals. Join centuries of visitors and flock to the market in Gouda where horses, cows, turf, seed, meat and cheese are sold. Revel in the Old Town’s yesteryear atmosphere and marvel at the market square, 15th-century town hall and Weighing House or ‘Waag’.

Option of splitting this route into two shorter rides. To do so, book an extra night in Woerden or cycle part way then take the train.

Get into the 'Green Heart of Holland' as you ride to Kinderdijk where 19 majestic windmills have stood the test of time since 1740. Formerly used to pump water out of low-lying polders and back into the River Lek, the mills provide curious visitors with insight first-hand. Dordrecht, one of Holland’s oldest towns, is entirely ‘hemmed in’ by rivers. Cruise across bridges into the colourful heart and harbour, virtually overflowing with monumental monuments and quaint corners. Your hotel in Papendrecht is just a ferry crossing away.

A transforming 1421 flood created Biesbosch, nowadays one of few European freshwater-saltwater wetlands areas. Nurtured by both rivers and tides, this reserve offers a protected paradise for birds, with its labyrinth of brooks, reeds and tiny islands. Roll along at the edge of the National Park and end your day with a wander round Willemstad, an imposing star-shaped fortified town surrounded by a marvellous moat.

Zoom into Zeeland, a land of light, wind, water and wide-open spaces. Drifting down toward Belgium, you criss-cross an island-scape of bridges, ferries and waterways, riding into fairy-tale settings. Tall townhouses on cobbled lanes, vast polders, picture-perfect farms, golden dunes and endless sand flats.

Wander back in time in pretty Zierikzee. Quaint village houses recall grand trading eras, when enormous ships laden with salt, wool, fish, grain and red dye sailed off to the Baltic and Mediterranean. Chance upon charming Veere, a wool-distributing centre way back in the 1500s and home to Scottish expats, and move onward to splendourous Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland and one of the Netherlands’ major trading towns in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Set off for Vlissingen, where you catch the ferry to Zeelandic Flanders yet another sort of scenery, with meandering country lanes, pollard willows, remote villages and marshy meadows and scattered villages. Rolling over the border into Belgium, you make your way to Damme’s idyllic setting on the Damse Vaart. Now it’s just a short stretch to Bruges, the pearl of Flanders, a bewitching destination and popular tourist destination for the last 150 years. Its exquisitely preserved medieval centre exudes an ancient elegance, which hearkens back to the town’s vital role in the European wool and textile trade.

Your self-guided cycling holiday comes to an end this morning after breakfast. Departure from Bruges.