Paris to Amsterdam 10-Day Boat & Bike Tour

Day 1: Paris
Bienvenue. After your flight, a representative of the operator will meet you at Charles de Gaulle Airport and accompany you to your deluxe, centrally located hotel in Paris, in the quiet 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank. Your tour leader will welcome you and help with check-in, and for the rest of the journey will be your dedicated concierge, on hand for recommendations, questions and reservations. In the afternoon you will meet your guides and your fellow travellers for the first highlight of the trip: the Seine welcome cruise, a private boat tour on the river. The rest of the day is yours to explore the neighbourhood.

Day 2: Paris – Bruges
The day opens with a scenic coach transfer from Paris to the medieval heart of Flanders, Bruges. There you will board the deluxe Magnifique X, your floating boutique hotel for the week ahead. Settle into your suite, get acquainted with your bike and take a short stroll or ride to absorb the atmosphere of the city. Dinner on board is the moment the group comes together, and the evening can end with a drink or a soak in the hot tub on deck.

Day 3: Bruges – Ghent (34 km or 45 km)
The morning is yours in Bruges, a city that looks as though it stepped out of a fairy tale: cobbled lanes, medieval facades and quiet canals that invite an unhurried walk or a last coffee. After lunch on board you set out by bike through rolling countryside and open fields, on quiet paths towards Ghent, whose historic towers appear gradually as you approach. The ship is waiting just outside the city, at the end of a day that runs from storybook charm to urban energy.

Day 4: Ghent – St. Amands (38 km or 50 km)
You start by cycling into Ghent, with time to explore its historic heart at your own pace: Gothic spires, elegant squares and lively cafes in a city that carries a long history lightly. From there the route follows the gentle curves of the Schelde, one of the calmest stretches of the whole journey, through open countryside and small villages where life moves at an easy rhythm, with a relaxed picnic along the way. By late afternoon you reach the quiet riverside town of St. Amands, where the ship is moored for the night.

Day 5: St. Amands – Antwerp (30 km or 41 km)
You continue along the Schelde towards the harbour city of Antwerp, and the scenery shifts slowly from green landscapes to elegant urban architecture. There is the soaring Cathedral of Our Lady, home to masterpieces by Peter Paul Rubens, and the Grote Markt with its ornate guild houses and cafe terraces. An included visit takes you to the Red Star Line Museum, a moving account of the millions who left Europe from this port for a new life in America. The evening is yours: dinner tonight is not included, and your tour leaders will gladly recommend a good table in town.

Day 6: Antwerp – Dordrecht (22 km or 34 km)
After a morning cruise out of Antwerp you disembark near the Kreekrak locks and cross into the Netherlands by bike, following forest paths through the lush Wouwse Plantage to Bergen op Zoom. Lunch there is followed by a guided walk through the historic centre, and a short final ride brings you back to the ship. While it cruises on towards Dordrecht there is an on-board talk that brings Dutch culture and landscape into focus.

Day 7: Dordrecht – Schoonhoven (32 km or 45 km)
The day begins with a scenic Waterbus ride to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most recognisable landscapes in the Netherlands, where nineteen windmills, some dating from the eighteenth century, stand against a wide sky; they were built to manage the region's long struggle with water. From Kinderdijk you cycle across the Alblasserwaard, a serene stretch of reclaimed land where canals, pastures and vast skies make a thoroughly Dutch panorama. A Taste of Holland lunch is a welcome pause before you continue to Schoonhoven, known as the Silver City for its long silversmithing tradition. Dinner tonight is on your own; your tour leader is happy to suggest a restaurant.

Day 8: Schoonhoven – Utrecht (44 km)
Today's ride crosses the Green Heart of Holland, a quiet region of small villages, empty roads and timeless landscapes set between the country's major cities. Along the way you visit a traditional cheese farm to taste what it makes, and stop in Oudewater to see the historic Witches' Weigh House, a curious reminder of the Dutch past. By late afternoon you reach Utrecht, one of the most elegant and liveliest cities in the country. In the evening the ship leaves Utrecht and sails on, leaving time to relax on board and look back on the week.

Day 9: Breukelen – Amsterdam (28 km)
Over breakfast the ship cruises to Breukelen, where you say goodbye to the crew who have looked after you all week. Your luggage goes ahead to your hotel in Amsterdam while you set off on a last relaxed ride along quiet canal paths and green parkways, with time to stop for lunch on your own in a village or a local cafe. In Amsterdam you check in at your hotel, set in a restored historic building in the city's former harbour district, and the rest of the afternoon is free. In the late afternoon the group gathers for a private farewell reception aboard a classic canal boat, a last chance to see the city from the water.

Day 10: Amsterdam
After breakfast it is time to say goodbye. Your tour leader will see you onto the transfer to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. If you would rather not leave yet, an optional two-night extension in Amsterdam is available, with your tour leader still on hand for suggestions.