Trip We Love: Boat Bike Tours Offers New Belgium and France Adventure

River barge Fleur carries up to 20 passengers in 10 luxurious cabins for active cycling trips during Boat Bike Tours new Belgium and France trips. (Photos courtesy of Boat Bike Tours)

Boat Bike Tours is Europe's leading operator of cycling tours that use a boat or barge as home bases for amazing adventures. The company specializes in active travel experiences that combine cycling with luxurious barge cruising — two of our favorite ways to enjoy Europe. 

Video Features: Bike Cruise in France / Our First Barge Cruise

Boat Bike Tours, which is based in the Netherlands, began more than 40 years ago with a small fleet of passenger ships, offering adventurous group tours along Dutch waterways. What started as a modest idea has grown into a major player, now serving almost 20,000 active travelers each year from a fleet of about 50 vessels — including barges, sailing ships, and motor yachts — while visiting more than 15 countries.

The concept is simple yet captivating: your boat serves as a floating hotel. Each day, you cycle scenic routes through picturesque landscapes, historic cities and charming villages, while the vessel sails to the next meeting point. 

Evenings are filled with relaxation onboard and chatting with new friends during delicious meals while experiencing stunning views.

Boat Bike Tours offers more than 40 guided or self-guided tours, typically 8 days long, in destinations like the Netherlands (tulips and canals), Germany (river valleys), France (culinary trails), Belgium, Croatia (coastal islands), and beyond. Options include easy flat routes for leisurely riders, more challenging hilly paths and sail and bike adventures blending wind-powered sailing with pedaling. It's perfect for those seeking active, sustainable exploration.

New Belgium and France 15-Day Tour

Now, the company is expanding its boutique barge experience in 2026 with a new 15-day Belgium & France itinerary that cruises and cycles along the Somme River, where the company’s barge Fleur is the only passenger ship offering multiday trips.

For travelers seeking a more intimate experience, small boutique barges such as Fleur (20 passenger capacity) provide a “home away from home.” Captained by their owner, they blend comfort, warm hospitality and the ability to cruise narrow rivers and canals that larger ships can’t.

“Our boutique barges are really at the heart of our style of travel,” said Laurens Winkel, CEO of Boat Bike Tours. “They’re small and comfortable with a welcoming crew, so they can take guests biking in towns other ships can’t reach and let them settle in and connect on a personal level. The barge’s owner is also the captain and can share insight on local history, culture and the landscape. It’s a truly authentic way to travel.”

Home Away from Home

Each barge used by Boat Bike Tours offers its own cozy charm and an attentive crew determined to give travelers a memorable and fun vacation. Fleur’s cabins feature comfy beds with flowery linens, ample cabinet space and private bathrooms. 

A roomy sitting area offers an serene space to watch the scenery pass or put your feet up for a nap. Dinner is a time to gather around tables, relive the day’s cycling activities and savor the chef’s menu of Flemish and northern French recipes. 

Daily fresh-cut blooms add colorful accents throughout.

Your home is a vessel that is designed to cruise through narrow canals and calm backwaters, as well as dock in small harbors. Fleur is the only barge taking cruisers on the Somme River.

Flanders Fields and the Somme River Valley

Picture yourself biking through beautiful countryside to view history-filled places like Flanders Fields.

On the company’s new Belgium & France tour, you will cruise and bike from the canals of Bruges to Abbeville and the English Channel, along Flanders’ fields and through the idyllic Somme River valley.

Stops along the way feature opportunities to connect with the region’s history, culture and nature. Visitors can see World War I memorials and explore medieval cities, towns, castles, cathedrals and caves. 

More attractions: art at the Louvre-Lens Museum in Lens; learn about author Jules Verne’s life and taste traditional cuisine in Lille; and sip French whisky and taste goat cheese from a chèvrerie. 

Along the way, you’ll marvel at flatlands dotted with farms, the famed floating gardens of Amiens, tree-lined canals and the coastal atmosphere of the Bay of Somme.

Cruisers can select to use e-bikes and are offered two route options each day. The 15-day tour starts at $4,500 per person based on double occupancy.