Sue Picken

Barging through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France is one of the most relaxed and scenic ways to travel in Europe. Instead of highways and airports, you move slowly through a network of canals and rivers, passing medieval towns, vineyards, windmills, and farmland!

In the Netherlands, witness windmills turning slowly in the wind and brick farmhouses as you cruise the narrow canals lined with reeds. Start in Amsterdam and enjoy stops at Utrecht and historic harbor towns such as Dordrecht.

Barging through Belgium starts or ends in Bruges. Bruges feels like stepping into a perfectly preserved medieval storybook city. Narrow canals wind through cobblestone streets, Gothic church towers rise above red-roofed houses, and horse-drawn carriages echo across old market squares. It’s one of the best-preserved historic towns in Europe and often called “the Venice of the North.” 

When barging in Belgium, you will enjoy other wonderful stops in Ghent and Antwerp. Ghent is an atmospheric and medieval town with canals, stunning architecture and castle views. While Antwerp is bigger than Ghent, it is stylish, artistic, and historically one of Europe’s great trading ports.

Why not combine both Netherlands and Belgium with a "Bike and Barge" trip where you will feel like a local as you cycle through the countryside, along canals, and stop in Beautiful Medieval Villages.

In France, popular routes include the Canal du Midi and Canal de Bourgogne where the scenery changes dramatically from vineyards covering rolling hills to trees and lavender field along with visits at stone villages with Roman bridges.