Belgium and the Netherlands are considered paradises for those who like cycling tourism. Almost entirely flat land, where the mountains are more like orographic tacks marked on the map – except for the so-called “walls” where professional cyclists put themselves to the test.
Traveling aboard a bike, advancing at a rate of just over 20 kilometers per hour, integrated into nature and without engine noise or separated from the wind by a metal cage, these are the stimuli that those who undertake the knowledge of both often point out. Atlantic countries.
Flanders, one of the two historic nations that make up Belgium, strongly and conscientiously promotes bicycle tourism. The roads separated from motorized traffic are many and cover practically the entire territory. They are linked together, so that the cyclist tourist can always ride his iron horse along safe and perfectly conditioned routes.
The Flemish network of cycling routes that the authorities describe as "iconic" are nine, and have geographical or thematic regions as their common thread. You can follow the Scheldt river, the Bruegel countryside, the so-called cities of art, the Meuse or the coastline. One of the most original and fun proposals –although also daring due to the risks it may imply– is the one that encourages you to tour East Flanders visiting the breweries and cafes classified as top class.
The organization dedicated to promoting tourism in Flanders has been in charge of publishing, since 2015, a guide that details a walking tour and five bicycle tours passing through the more than 30 factories of the Belgian soft drink par excellence. In addition, charming cafeterias are added, which, according to the promoters, balances possible alcoholic excesses and gives families with children an alternative.
Turismo de Flandes publishes a careful guide where on the portico it warns that responsibility when drinking and the proposed route must be combined. However, the humorous drawings that open each chapter usually show scenes in which the cyclist has not succeeded in pointing the front wheel precisely on the asphalt of the bike lane.
The routes are of low difficulty, and range from 31 kilometers in the Lys region to 37 kilometers for the excursion through Scheldeland (a fluvial universe) or the Flemish Ardennes to 51 for the one dedicated to Waasland. These are distances that anyone in good shape can cover, taking into account the flat relief and the facilities for riding on tracks separated from traffic.
If you'd rather walk – or stagger, depending on your beer intake – there's also a suggested five-mile itinerary through the city of Ghent, which has over 300 cafes, so you don't need to be a stalwart. of alcohol to follow it.
The so-called Beer Plan proposes to know the different manufacturing systems, the types of beer, how they are drunk and even the most suitable glasses for each concoction. The maps provided by the official guide are very detailed, and include the connection nodes between different itineraries, not only those dedicated to this subject, but all the Flemish cycling routes. We recommend contacting some of the country's beer experts and a list of the factories where you can order the amber liquid to receive it at home and thus leave the dangerous intake of alcohol for when you have dismounted from the bicycle. Access to the maps is free and can be consulted on the Flanders website.
Throughout Belgium there are tourism companies that rent bicycles, as this type of tourism is deeply rooted, so there is no reason to think about taking your own vehicle from home.
