Board the canal boat and meet the crew. Sail to Uithoorn, a charming town that you’ll get to explore on your bike. (D)

Go biking along country roads past rivers and canals in the heart of the Netherlands. Arrive in Gouda and visit the historic city centre, with its canals, old stone streets, and Gothic church. Gouda is a typical, friendly Dutch town known for its stroopwafels (crisp waffles with a caramel filling), clay pipes, pottery, and of course, cheese! (B-L-D)

Go biking along the IJssel River and across Krimpenerwaard, the lowest-lying polder in the Netherlands. Keep going all the way to the Lek River and take a ferry to Kinderdijk to see the village’s network of eighteen windmills, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit a windmill, then cross the Alblasserwaard polder to the Beneden Merwede River. The bike ride takes you all the way to Dordrecht, Holland’s oldest city. (B-L-D)

Sail to the 17th-century walled city of Willemstad. Cross the Volkerak locks and traverse polder landscapes to the woods around Bergen op Zoom. Continue by bike to the Brabantse Wal, a wooded sandy ridge dating from the Ice Age. This region is known for its mouthwatering strawberries and asparagus. Reboard the canal boat to pass through the immense Kreekrak locks en route to Antwerp. (B-L-D)

Cross the Scheldt via the old Sint-Annatunnel on a wooden escalator—an experience you’ll never forget. Continue to Bazel, one of Belgium’s most beautiful villages, and Rupelmonde, birthplace of 16th-century cartographer Gérard Mercator. Ride through wetlands and nature reserves like the Durme and Schouselbroek to Sint-Amands, a peaceful village nestled in a meander of the Scheldt. (B-L-D)

Sail to Termonde to visit the magnificent market square, with its impressive town hall and 14th-century belfry. Continue to Berlare, then to Wetteren and its rose nurseries. Reboard for the border crossing and sail to Ghent. This museum city boasts many well-preserved patrician houses, old warehouses, the Castle of the Counts of Flanders, Saint Nicholas’ Church, Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, and the belfry. (B-L-D)

Head out through the peaceful East Flanders countryside, with its forests, meadows, small villages, and castles. Continue to Bruges via the old towpath along the Ghent-Bruges canal, the oldest in Belgium. Explore Bruges, a medieval UNESCO World Heritage city known for its magnificent Gothic buildings and masterpieces of Flemish primitive art. (B-L-D)

Breakfast on board. Disembark at 10am. (B)