Netherlands - Belgium - Germany

Individual arrival in Vlodrop. After the tour information with coffee/tea and cake, you will be handed your bicycles (if booked).

At first we cycle through the romantic Maas Valley, a heath landscape with marsh areas. Finally we arrive in Maaseik, the birthplace of the van Eyck brothers (Maler, Genter Altar). We cover the next kilometres on fully developed cycle paths through the “Hoge Kempen” National Park and reach today’s destination, Genk.

From nature to culture – we leave „Hoge Kempen“ National Park and bike to Bilzen and to „Landkommende Alden Biesen“, the biggest castle complex between the Rhine and Loire. Afterwards we head for Maastricht, one of the most beautiful and oldest cities in Western Europe.

After several kilometres through the Maas Valley we reach the pictorial village of Eijsden. Afterwards we head through the Flemisch Voeren into the French-speaking Wallonia. An impressive panorama, marvellous descents, and many a cultural pearl, such as the Val-Dieu Abbey, reward us on this route for having to put the pedal to the metal. By the way, we will be greeted in German once we reach our Belgian destination, Eupen.

After the good sport training we had yesterday, we will master today’s hilly section through “Hohes Venn” National Park without any difficulty. Impressions of the beautiful descent to Monschau and of our tour of the neat Eifel town will stay with us for a long time. We cycle farther along the bank of the Rur to Lake Rur. In order to cut today’s stage short to approx. 50 km, we can take a ship to the northern tip of the lake (to be organised on your own). Our hotel for tonight lies directly on the bank of the lake.

Again we follow the Rur through picturesque villages and enchanting landscapes. Past Düren, the city of the papermaking craft, the small town of Jülich invites us for a rest. Who likes to may shorten today’s bicycle stage, e.g. to approx. 53 km. The Rur Valley train runs about every hour between Heimbach and Linnich with several stops (train ride to be organised on your own). Our stage destination today is Hückelhoven.

Our last stage runs after a leg along the Rur through the “De Meinweg” National Park. Soon we reach Vlodrop once again, the point of departure of our trip.

Individual departure or extension of trip.