The bicycle has always been the pride of Flanders. Not only because this is where the Ronde van Vlaanderen is held — the classic race that has made the region a true mecca for cycling enthusiasts — but also because bicycles are in the Flemish DNA, and it is the perfect means of discovering and experiencing this northern Belgian region.
In Flanders, short distances, manageable elevation gains, and excellent infrastructure allow you to enjoy a refreshing and authentic holiday experience, along bike paths often bordering rivers or the characteristic canals, alternating between visits to art cities like Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp, all extremely bike-friendly, and moments immersed in unexpected nature, with heathlands, dunes, forests, pastures, and orchards. All at your own pace, never losing your way thanks to the convenient “node” system, which refers to the numbered intersections of the dense cycling network, allowing you to easily plan and follow your route, even for short trips to enjoy as a half-day outdoor excursion starting from a city.
Cycling in Flanders, iconic routes
9 Iconic Cycling Routes
If your goal is a true cycling holiday in Flanders, you can easily create longer routes, knowing that the services for cyclists here are abundant: easy transport by train or ferry, bike parking, and bike-friendly hotels. For such an experience, the best choice is to follow one or more Iconic Cycling Routes, or Iconic Routes, that highlight the best of Flanders’ landscapes. There are nine of them, covering over 2,500km, signposted in both directions, and offering various difficulty levels, from the flatter ones to the more hilly. You can choose one or combine several. You can find all the details, including GPS tracks, at www.fiandreinbici.com. In the meantime, here are the nine routes:
- Coastal Route
- Art Cities Route
- Green Belt Route
- Hill Route
- Kempen Route
- Scheldt Route
- Meuse Route
- ’14-’18 Route
- Flanders Route
When planning your trip, keep in mind that a cycling holiday in Flanders doesn’t just mean cycling. In addition to stops in nature, you can enjoy contemporary art or ancient masterpieces, architecture from past centuries, or immerse yourself in the latest industrial heritage. As for stops to refuel, your taste buds will be satisfied: the Belgian beer and bike combo is well-established, but you’ll also get to taste local dishes and ingredients from each place, from Belgian fries to shrimp croquettes on the coast.
Cycling in Flanders, iconic routes
Words from those who’ve been there
The guys from Enough Cycling spent three days bikepacking on the Iconic Routes of Flanders, including the Kempen, Meuse, and Hill routes. Here’s an excerpt from their travel story.
“We started from Leuven […], and then we took the opportunity to do a loop on the 2021 World Championship course and feel a bit like Alaphilippe and Elisa Balsamo. Okay, maybe we went a bit slower and made a few stops at the bar. Also because Leuven is the beer capital of Belgium: no wonder there’s also what they call ‘the longest bar in the world,’ a never-ending stretch of bars one after another. How many stops you make is up to you. […]
Cycling in Flanders, iconic routes
“We’re on the Kempen route and the first stop (editor’s note: was) cycling through the trees, which is super fun. After riding a bit on the suspended bike path through the trees we moved to Ter Dolen for lunch: a small family-run brewery where the owner showed us the production process before letting us taste all the beers they make. And there are quite a few.
But we’re still doing well and head off again to cycle through the water before reaching our goal for the day. Cycling below water level for a few meters was an experience we hadn’t had before: here too, a straight stretch dividing a water body for a couple hundred meters. […] This was our wonderful itinerary in Flanders. If you want to do it, you can take the track from us, or go ahead with your own creativity and make your own.”
REFERENCES
To learn more, visit Visit Flanders’ website www.visitflanders.com/it
