Flanders, a region in northern Belgium, is one of the iconic lands of world cycling. Here, cycling is part of everyday culture: everywhere you look, you’ll find perfect cycle paths, safe roads, and great respect for cyclists, both in cities and beyond. Through the countryside, villages, and legendary “walls”, every pedal stroke becomes a journey into the true soul of cycling.
There are nine iconic cycling routes for a perfect cycling holiday in Flanders. We chose the Art Cities Route, which connects Brussels, Leuven, Mechelen, Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges, all the way to the coast at Ostend, a journey rich in nature and culture, spanning centuries of Flemish history. The route is almost entirely on dedicated cycle paths, with signage in both directions.
The entire route is not very long and is flat – about 340km with 800m elevation gain – but we recommend 6/7 days to ride it calmly, taking time to visit the wonderful cities of art that you’ll meet along the way.
HOW TO GET THERE
We flew to Brussels Airport, where we reassembled our bikes. This is a very convenient option because there’s a luggage storage area on Level 0 where you can leave your bags/boxes and a bike service point with a pump and various tools needed to reassemble your bike. As soon as you land, call the luggage storage number (they’ll give it to you at the info point, +32 2 7533013). A memebr of the team will come to store your bag in a secure location, as the lockers are too small for bike bozes (about €9 per day). Due to time constraints, we took a train to Antwerp, where we began our tour. Below, however, we’ll describe it in its entirety; sooner or later we’ll return to cycle the first two stages.
DAY 1:AIRPORT/BRUSSELS CENTER – 13km/90m D+
13 kilometers of cycle paths lead to the center of Brussels, or you can also take the train. Brussels is a large and vibrant capital city; it would take days to explore it thoroughly. Here‘s a list of bike-friendly accommodations.
DAY 2: BRUSSELS/MECHELEN – 74km/300m D+
The only stage of the journey with some elevation gain, the first 30 km of which is all up to Leuven, a city rich in artistic wonders and home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. If you have time, consider staying here for the night; otherwise, continue along the Leuven-Dijle Canal and the Dijle River to Mechelen. Don’t miss the impressive St. Rumbold’s Cathedral with its tower.
DAY 3: BRUXELLES/ANTWERP – 54km/90m D+
The drive to Antwerp is short, leaving you the afternoon free to explore the city. To do so, we suggest following the Flanders Finest circular route, which will take you to the main points of interest in Rubens’ city, from the Rubenshuis to the paintings in the Cathedral, the diamond district, the medieval center, not to forget Het Steen Castle and Zaha Hadid’s futuristic Port House. A must-see stop is the historic De Koninck brewery. We dined at Bourla and stayed overnight at Hotel Motel One.
DAY 4: ANTWERP/GHENT – 90km/220m D+
We begin by crossing the Scheldt River through a spectacular 500m tunnel, then ride all day following its course, with continuous crossings on small (free) ferries. Ghent is a city with many cultural attractions, where medieval charm blends with modern architecture. A visit to Saint Bavo’s Cathedral to admire the Van Eyck brothers’ masterpiece, the Mystic Angel, is absolutely not to be missed. It’s also worth checking out the exhibitions at the SMAK (Museum of Contemporary Art) and the MSK (Museum of Fine Arts). Dinner with a typical Belgian dish revisited in a vegan way at Oh! Ma and an overnight stay in charming Ganda Rooms & Suites.
DAY 5: GHENT/BRUGES – 64km/260m D+
We pride first along the Ghent/Bruges Canal and then through countryside and woods until we quickly reach fairytale Bruges. Known as the Venice of the North, Bruges is a marvelous city, crisscrossed by a maze of navigable canals that wind through fascinating Gothic architecture. Dinner at Garlic n Greens (vegetarian/vegan Indian food) and an overnight stay at bike-friendly Hotel Fevery. If you need a bike repair shop or parts for your bike, just outside Bruges is the well-equipped Shifting Gears.
DAY 6: BRUGES/OSTENDE – 44km/100m D+
Another canal, the Gent/Ostend canal, leads to the sea and intersects with the Coastal route. Ostend is a port city that combines Belle Époque charm with contemporary style, and is dedicated to contemporary art. We went hunting for artworks at the Beaufort Sculpture Park—a 67 km open-air trail through Ostend featuring 42 works of art (mostly sculptures) that interact and integrate with the landscape — and for murals of The Crystal Ship, one of Europe’s coolest street art events held annually in the city.
We had lunch with mussels and fries at La Mouliniere before taking the train back to Brussels Airport (with a change in Antwerp). This is the Belgian Train. website.
