Arrive into Maastricht and meet us where we will have arranged refreshments and a Limburg pie for you before you get saddled up and start your ride. Today you will ride from from Maastricht to Liège, the “fiery city”. Crossing Holland into Belgium you will follow the River Jeker to the idyllic village of Kanne. From there you will head to Ternaaien/Lanaye, then onto Visé, and finally Liège.
You will spend time on the safe cycling lane that follows the the Meuse river. You will then follow the John Cockerill railway out of Liège. We recommend stopping at Val St. Lambert crystal factory shop to see the decorative glass before riding through the quiet back-roads past stereotypical Walloon villages, on to Huy. The Grande Place in Huy is a great spot to relax and enjoy lunch. You will then begin to make your way out of the industrial zones that litter the landscape and head out on to fresh pastures.
Today is a full day covering 80km. If you prefer not to do that, you can shorten your ride by taking the train from Namur to Dinant which will reduce the day by 30km. The 80 km challenge takes you to the banks of the Meuse where you will pass the town of Wépion, famous for its strawberries, before exploring the Gardens of Annevoie. Stop at a Dinant cafe for lunch before reaching the gorgeous Chateau Freyr. You will then follow the former railway from Hastière to Mariembourg before entering into France. From there you will cycle onto Haybes.
Today you will ride all day on the Voie Verte Trans-Ardennes, along the Meuse River. One of the nicest stops today is the quaint town of Monthermé where you can enjoy a rest from your cycling before heading onto Charleville-Mézières,
A picturesque landscape awaits you today as you cycle to Sedan, famous for hosting the largest castle in Europe. This is the point at which you leave the Meuse Route and, after a lunch break, you begin on the Vennbahn route. There is a small incline as you cross the border back into Belgium before a downhill all the way to Bouillon.
You will begin with a short climb out of Bouillon before taking on a fairly steep couple of hills up to the village of Cugnon. To reward your climbing efforts, enjoy a coffee and some apple cake in Hotel des Roches. Leaving Cugnon you will find yourself cycling along country roads through farmland. The villages you pass appear untouched by time and offer some superb views across the plains. Your day’s cycle ends in Bastogne, a town filled with monuments that remember the World War 2 Battle of the Ardennes.
Your ride will take you through one of the most beautiful parts of the cycling network South of Gouvy and into Luxembourg. You will ride through slightly undulating Luxembourg terrain on quiet roads to the Vennbahn route. Later in the day, you will cross the border back into Belgium and pass through idyllic landscapes to the ruins of Burg Reuland and then finally into the small town of Sankt-Vith.
You begin the day by riding on the excellent bike lane between Sankt-Vith and Waimes. From there, head towards the Ardennes-Eiffel Nature Park, stopping off in Montenau and Sourbrodt. Kalterherberg is a good spot to enjoy lunch. As you cruise on, you will leave the Vennbahn and head towards Monschau where you will stay the night. This enchanting Eiffel town boasts half-timbered houses, friendly cafes and great restaurants.
Today is your last day on the bike. To begin the day you will head from Monschau back onto the Vennbahn rail trail to Kerkrade via Aachen. From here you will jump on a train to Maastricht where you can relax having ridden through 5 countries on your cycling holiday.
Your ride across 5 countries takes in similar scenery given the proximity of each country. You can be assured of relatively flat riding except for a couple of isolated hills through Germany and Luxembourg.
