A wonderful cycling holiday through the northern provinces of Belgium: Antwerp and Flemish Brabant. It goes without saying that the major cities of Antwerp and Brussels hold great appeal. But let us surprise you with some smaller towns such as lovely Mechelen (Mechlin), Leuven (Louvain) and Diest. The non-urban areas you will traverse are a promise of peace and quiet: the Campine region; the path along the Albert Canal; the woods and nature reserves. The alternation of culture and nature, combined with the Good Life of Flanders, make for a fantastic cycling holiday.
Bicycle holidays in Belgium
FIND your perfect trip!
FIND your
perfect trip!
perfect trip!
The Pearls of North Flanders
View Photos
The Pearls of North Flanders
Bike Tour: The Pearls of North Flanders - 8 days
Route
Day 1: Arrival in Mechelen
Day 2: Mechelen - Antwerp
Day 3: Antwerp to Herentals (approx. 50 km) or Geel (approx. 59 km)
Day 4: Herentals or Geel to Diest (approx. 57 or 41 km)
Day 5: Diest - Leuven
Day 6: Leuven - Brussels
Day 7: Brussels - Mechelen
Day 8: Departure from Mechelen
Day 1: Arrival in Mechelen
It is up to you to organize your journey to Mechelen. The old part of town is compact and well-preserved with many authentic historical buildings, many of them Catholic. Listen out for the harmonious chimes of carillon bells and browse the specialty shops for lace and tapestries.
Day 2: Mechelen - Antwerp
39 km
Your first cycling day and…. it’s back to school! In the town of Sint-Kathelijne-Waver, at the Ursuline Institute, a boarding school run by nuns, an exquisite surprise awaits. The convent/school complex, Our Lady of Wavre, is a successful blend of art nouveau, neo-Gothic, neo-Empire and art deco. Best of all: the winter garden! Feast your eyes on a masterpiece of art nouveau, an ode to nature, springtime and light! Back outside, it’s decision time. For those of you who need plenty of time to sightsee Antwerp we have devised a shorter route. Passionate pedallers should cycle the full 57 km. The short route passes through Duffel on the River Nete, Mortsel and Berchem. If you are into military heritage, stop off in Mortsel to visit Fort no. 4 of the originally eight Brialmont Forts (1860-1864) that made up the defensive line of Antwerp. It is built in brick with sandstone decorations and stands on an island surrounded by a ditch and glacis. If you take the long route, explore the historical town of Lier on the River Nete and check out the newly renovated art museum. Crown your day in Antwerp, a city with a long beer tradition and countless cafes. Discover the beautiful Old Town or go shopping for antiques and curio’s, home deco, vintage fashion finds or diamonds!
Day 3: Antwerp to Herentals (approx. 50 km) or Geel (approx. 59 km)
59 km
Just after leaving the built-up area of Antwerp metropolis, you will plunge into lovely, leafy Rivierenhof park, boasting a river and two castles. Next, proceed on an excellent cycle path along the Albert Canal to Herentals, birthplace of Rik van Looy and historical capital of the Campine region. Depending on where we find you accommodation you will spend the night in Herentals; or follow the Herentals-Bocholt canal to Geel.
Day 4: Herentals or Geel to Diest (approx. 57 or 41 km)
41 km
This leg of the tour is a peaceful journey along the water and through the countryside of Flanders. You will pass tranquil villages such as Meerhout, Schoot and Engsbergen. In the afternoon, pedal into the woods at Gerhagen nature reserve, with at its center a 19m-high panorama tower. The town of Diest is a delight. It boasts a beguinage that counts as one of the oldest, most beautiful and best-preserved in Europe. Paths for pedestrians and cyclists, steps, seating, even a boardwalk, invite you to spend some time by the river Demer, which flows through town once more after it had been covered up since the 1960s.
Day 5: Diest - Leuven
61 km
The basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel is a place of pilgrimage and of many sevens. In a heptagonal enclosed garden stands a heptagonal domed church. The dome, decorated with seven-point stars, is supported by seven pillars and surrounded by seven chapels… Apparently Mary had a thing about sevens: She had seven sorrows and granted seven graces. In the neighbouring town of Zichem, climb the 14th century tower, Maagdentoren, to enjoy a nice view of the surroundings. Continue to the town of Aarschot, a good place to have a break - at the town brewery perhaps? Subsequently cruise through the rolling landscape of Flemish Brabant to Werchter, venue of a famous rock festival. In the evening, have a taste of the good life in the lively university town of Leuven.
Day 6: Leuven - Brussels
42 km
Cycle through the hills of Brabant and through the Sonian Forest to Brussels. Alternatively, catch a train to have more time in Brussels. You can’t really explore Brussels in a day, but the beautiful market square, the Grande Place, with the Town Hall and town history museum, is a great place to start. If you have worked up an appetite, local specialties include mussels and chips, waffles, chocolates and of course beer.
Day 7: Brussels - Mechelen
44 km
After one last tour of the Grande Place it’s time to leave the city behind. Cycle through the suburbs to Grimbergen, known for its abbey with a baroque basilica that was never completed. A sequence of diverse landscapes will pass you by, with trees, water and vast cropfields. Finally you will reach the town where you started this bike holiday a week previously: Mechelen.
Day 8: Departure from Mechelen
After breakfast, your holiday will come to an end.
Prices & dates
Starting dates:
Saturdays from April 5th till September 20th.
| Price pp | € | |
| Double room, breakfast | 869.00 | |
| Single room, breakfast | 1,324.00 | |
| Extra night double room, breakfast only | 80.00 | |
| Rental bike | € | |
| Hybrid | 105.00 | |
| E-bike | 217.00 | |
| Extra services | € | |
| Bike theft insurance | € 3.00 x 7 | 21.00 |
| E-bike theft insurance | € 6.00 x 7 | 42.00 |
| Extra luggage | € 5.00 x 7 | 35.00 |
| Bike helmet | per piece | 15.00 |
| SGR | per piece | 5.00 |
| discount | per piece | -20.00 |
Start:
Mechelen
Accommodation
The hotels on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. A list of the hotels we work with appears below. If a certain accommodation is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will request a comparable alternative.
NH Hotel Mechelen ***, Mechelen
Mercure Antwerp City South**** (Antwerpen)
Hotel Karmel**** (Herentals)
Hotel de Franse Kroon*** (Diest)
Park Inn by Radisson Leuven*** (Leuven)
NH Brussels EU Berlaymont**** (Brussel)
Bikes
Instruction video hybrid bike and e-bike
Our hybrid bikes are aluminum bikes and have 27-gears
Assembly: Shimano Deore
Brakes: Shimano V Brakes (hand brakes)
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon
Saddle: Selle Royal Freedom
Pedals: flat pedals (XLC)
Weight: circa 16,5 kilo
The e-bikes are Freebike Harlem or similar. The bikes have a small electric engine and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric engine.
Assembly: Shimano Nexus 8 gears
Brakes: Shimano hydraulic discbrakes
Handlebars are adjustable without any tools
Tires: Continental
Pedals: Flat pedals
Saddle: Velo Comfort
Range battery: ca. 100 km (with normal use)
Weight: ca. 25 kilo.
For children who are at least 125 cm, we can also arrange bikes (these are 24”or 26” for children that are bigger than 140 cm). The bikes are Oxford Kick-Off bikes or similar, we also use child mountainbikes as child bike.
Assembly: Shimano 7 gears
Brakes: Shimano V-Brakes (hand brakes)
Pedals: flat pedals
Weight: 13,3 kg (24 inch) or 13,9 kg (26 inch)
The maximum body height for a child’s bike is 155 cm.
Bell
Brakes
Childseat
Helmet
Lights
Locks
Pannier
Pedals
Quickrelease
Repairkit
Saddle
Waterbottles
All our rental bikes come with a bell.
Brakes
All our adult bikes come with hand brakes.
Childseat
For children up to 30 months old (max. 15 KG) it is possible to rent a front child seat. This is not possible with e-bikes, due to the display.
For children older than 30 months (max. 22KG) it is possible to rent a rear child seat. This is also possible with e-bikes.
Helmet
Helmets are not mandatory in Belgium, but can be rented for €15,- per piece.|
Available sizes: Adult: 54-61cm, Child: 50-55cm.
Lights
All our bikes come with both front- and rear lights. You need to push the button on the lamp and it will flash three times. This means that the lights will automatically start working when it gets dark.
When you push again, the lamp will flash one time and the lights will be turned off.
Locks
Our bikes come with a defender lock with plug in chain (cable lock that is attached to the regular lock, see picture).
You need to turn the key a bit, take out the pin from the cable lock and attach it to a pole/other bike/fence etc.
When you push the pin back into the regular lock, you need to lock the regular lock as you always do, and both locks will be secured.
Pannier
1 pannier is included at the 'standard' bikes and the e-bikes.
Height: 42 cm
Depth front to the side: 17 cm
Wide top: 32 cm
Wide down: 23 cm
Volume: 20 liters
It has an easy click-on/click-off system. The panniers are water resistant, so everything will stay dry.
Pedals
The rental bikes come with regular pedals, so no click-in/SPD pedals.
Quickrelease
All our bikes come with a quick release system, which makes it very easy to adjust the height of the saddle and the handle bars.
Repairkit
There is one small puncture kit included, which can be found in the pannier. In case a rental bike has another problem, we always advise you to go to a bike repair shop or call the bike breakdown emergency number which is provided in the travel documents when you book this extra service.
Saddle
Saddles can be adjusted in height without using any tools, see ‘Quick Release’.
Our saddles don’t come with a gel cover.
Waterbottles
Dutch Biketours does not provide water bottles. We can also not guarantee that there are bottle holders on the bikes. You will always receive 1x pannier, so you can always store your water bottle in your pannier.
We have a limited amount of tandem bikes available on request. The tandem bikes are steel Victoria Special 8.7 or similar. Tandem bikes are suitable for two adults only.
Assembly: Shimano Acera 24 gears
Brakes: Magura HS11 (hand brakes)
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus
Saddle: Selle Royal Rio Plus SR 8020
Weight: ca. 28 kg
The tandem bikes have a frame size of 48 cm.
The height of the handle bars on a tandem bike cannot be adjusted.
We have limited family tandem bikes available on request. The family tandems are made of aluminium and can be used for one adult and one child with a minimum body height of 125 cm.
Assembly: Shimano (8 gears)
Brakes: V-Brakes (hand brakes)
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon plus
Saddle: Selle Royal Rio
Pedals: Flat pedals
A tag-along bike is a good option for children between approx. 100 cm and 125 cm, as they can pedal themselves and on their own pace but don’t have to worry about other traffic.
Child trailers can be rented for a maximum of two children who are up to 100 cm (max. 35 KG in total).
We mostly use the XLC Duo 2 child trailer.
Child trailers are not possible in combination with e-bikes.
Mile after wonderful mile of untroubled cycling is what we would wish our clients. However there is a minimal chance of breakdown along the way. If this thought is a nagging worry to you, a Bicycle Breakdown Assistance insurance policy may ease your mind. If you buy this insurance from our partner FietsNED in advance, their service is as follows. If your bike breaks down by the roadside a FietsNED bicycle repair man will drive to you in his repair van and fix your bike so you can continue your tour.You won’t have to pay him repair costs. If you are cycling on your own bicycle you will be charged for any new spare parts your bike may require. If you are renting a bicycle through Dutch Bike Tours any new parts are at our expense. If it turns out the bicycle cannot be repaired on the spot, or if you don’t wish to continue cycling, the repairman can drop you off somewhere in his van. One companion plus bikes may join you in the van.
The Bike Breakdown Pass is €2,75 per day per bike and can only be booked for every participant in a booking.
Do you wish to insure your bike against theft? The cost is € 3,- per day per standard hybrid bicycle.
For an electric bicycle, premium bike or racing bike: € 6,00 per day per bicycle.
Please see the General Terms and Conditions for Bicycle Hire and Insurance.
If a rental bike gets stolen or damaged, we will hold the client responsible.
If your insurance does not cover this event, you will have to pay the costs yourself.
Article 1 Bike Rental Price
The bike rental price is determined by the rates mentioned on the Dutch Bike Tours website at the time of the booking; or as subsequently agreed.
Article 2 Payment
a. The rental price and any other due sums regarding the rental agreement must be paid before the bike is handed over to you.
b. If, for whatever reason, you cannot make use of the bike(s) you have rented, Dutch Bike Tours will not be held responsible for any resulting expenses or damage.
c. In the case of the article 2b, the client remains obliged to pay the full rental price and any other amounts mentioned in the invoice, in accordance with our General Terms and Conditions of Booking, unless the client can prove that his not being able to use the bike was the consequence of a defect that was already present at the beginning of the rental period.
Article 3 Rental Period
a. The rental period runs from the morning of the first cycling day (day 2) to the end of the holiday (the departure day), as stated in the booking confirmation.
b. Extension of the rental period is possible only after approval by us and according to the (extension) rates as mentioned in article 1.
c. No refunds are possible after the rental period begins. If you return the bike(s) to us before the end of your holiday, the rental agreement will automatically be terminated and you will not get any of your money back.
d. At the end of the last cycling day of your holiday, the bike(s) must be returned to the hotel from where it was/they were issued, no later than the time stated in the booking confirmation.
If you book a one way tour tour you can leave the bike at the last hotel of the trip.
e. If the bike(s) is /are not returned by the return time stated in the booking confirmation, we will continue to charge you rent until such time as the bike(s) is/are returned to us or is/are received by us. In the event of late return, the rates as mentioned in article 1 will continue to apply, plus a fine of €25 per day. We also reserve the right to demand payment for any costs and/or damages suffered by us due to late return of our rental bike(s).
f. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, in the event of late return of our rental bikes, we reserve the right to dissolve the rental agreement without judicial intervention and immediately claim back our bicycles where ever they may be and from whomever has them. Dutch Bike Tours also holds this right in the event that the client does not comply with any of the other conditions stated in this rental agreement.
Article 4 Improper Use
a. The bicycle(s) may only be used for its/their intended purpose and only by the cyclists listed in the rental agreement.
b. The bike(s) must be returned to us in the same (clean!) state in which you received it/them.
c. You must take excellent care of the bicycle(s), as if it/they were your own. You must take every precaution against damage, loss or theft.
d. The bicycle may not be used on the beach; or on sandy paths in the dunes unless a paved path is unavailable.
Article 5 Damage, Loss and Theft
The renter will be held responsible for damages to or loss of the bicycle(s) or parts of it, as well as bicycle keys and chains and locks, for such an amount as is determined by us according to standard market prices. You must understand that you are not insured for damage to the bicycle(s) or for any damages to third parties.
Article 6 Theft Insurance
It is possible to purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance. Covered are: damages arising out of the theft of the bicycle; and damages to the bicycle as a consequence of the theft. Not covered are: theft of bicycle parts; and damages arising out of attempted theft.
Article 7 Theft Insurance Premium
a. The premium for Bicycle Theft Insurance is € 3,00 per day per standard hybrid bicycle. For an electric bicycle € 6,00 per day as well for a Premium bike and racing bike.
The number of insurance days is the same as the number of cycling days as stated in our booking confirmation.
Article 8 Liability in the Event of Theft
a. If you did not purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us before the start of the holiday, you will be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.
b. If you did purchase Bicycle Theft Insurance from us, but you failed to lock the wheel lock and failed to produce the original wheel lock key and failed to produce an official theft report drawn up by the police, you will still be held fully accountable for the sum determined by us according to standard prices.
Article 9 Costs During the Rental Period
Any charges and taxes regarding the rental bicycle(s), such as fines and ferry tickets, are to be paid by you. You will also be required to pay all costs ensuing from the use of the bicycle(s) such as parking fees, maintenance and repairs.
Practical info
7 nights included
3/4 star hotels
Tourist tax included
Breakfast included
Tourist information on all the places of interest
The possibility of renting our bikes
7-days a week service-hotline
Luggage transport to your next hotel
Mechelen
Parking possibilities at the hotel
GPS-tracks available
Any ferry crossings are not included
Arrival info
Similar Trips:
The Pearls of North Flanders
Info
- Who are we?
- Contact
- General Information
- Environmental Policy
- FAQ
- Privacy
- Copyright
- Sitemap
-
Celsiusweg 12
6662 PX Elst
Netherlands
info@belgian-biketours.com
+31(0)481 745 011
