Multi-day barge cruises in Belgium for up to 8 guests
Have you ever experienced a boating vacation in Belgium? A holiday on the water is incomparable to anything else… It is a very special experience, to which you will remember fondly for years to come.
You only have to unpack once, because your holiday accommodation cruises with you from place to place. You decide whether you want to experience the barging up close and literally watch Captain Maurits on his fingers in the large wheelhouse. Or you settle down on the sun deck with a drink and a good book and enjoy the ever-changing view. Or you opt for an active day of cycling: with a packed lunch and a mapped-out route, you cycle to the next place of accommodation…
Just about anything is possible! That is the big advantage of this small-scale cruiseship in Belgium!
The barge cruise takes you very close to interesting places. Belgium is surprisingly beautiful seen from the water.
You travel with your own company of max. 8 guests. Or you book 1 cabin and meet the other (international) guests on board.
Feel free to choose how long your cruise should last and which route you prefer!
Read more about the many different routes…
Cruising in Belgium… too good to be true!
This video gives you a short introduction to the leisure ship De 4 Vaargetijden and its crew.
Happy end of year festivities and all the best for 2022
Best wishes from Olga & Maurits and a big paw from Noty
Are you looking for a festive, simple, quick, healthy and delicious dessert?
You can find the video recipe for this original De 4 Vaargetijden dessert via this link.
Welcome aboard our cruising “holiday home”!
Plenty of room on our terrace!
… small-scaled and safe on a journey with our hotel ship!
Are you looking for a nice vacation after this long lock down period that is surprisingly different, but also:
- close to home and yet a completely different world
- a large terrace, with shade or sun as desired,
- a spacious wheelhouse with comfortable seats and plenty of ventilation
- only 8 guests or less around you
- a ship 30m long and 5m wide and also 2 floors… That’s a lot of space!
- cycling or walking à volonté… Long live freedom and tranquillity!
- a room with its own sanitary facilities and a large french window
- safe meals offered to the highest standards
Now you have found all that and much more…
Welcome to an enjoyable boating vacation, a special cruise experience!
Questions about boating vacations with the covid 19 virus
Can the barge cruise continue in 2022?
Read here our detailed answer
Welcome aboard for the most Burgundian barge-cruise of Belgium!
The barge “De 4 Vaargetijden” started its career in 1924 as a barge for freight. For more than 50 years it was used mainly for transporting sand and gravel. Taking 184 tons of freight per trip, the ship’s owning family earned good money. Since 1998: after complete renovation, main purpose of the ship is to carry passengers. →
See here the different barge tours, with the descriptions an travel schedules of the different cruises and google maps of the voyages.
New: Virtual tour to the monuments of Oudenaarde
Virtual photo walk through Oudenaarde
Discover Oudenaarde from your lazy chair at home!
Video recipe Ship’s food
free recipe for festively warm dessert
Looking for a teaser of the ship’s cuisine?
Reviews
“We will never forget our relaxing days aboard the hotelbarge De 4 Vaargetijden on the canals and river Leie in Belgium. The meals were truly wonderful.” – Louis Wood & Jim Hunsley (Edwardsville USA). Read more guest reviews
Why book a barge cruise in Belgium?
The biggest advantage of a boat journey is that you only have to unpack once. Your cabin sails with you day after day!
And why exactly in Belgium?
We sail about 60 km per day. Belgium has so much variation within a short distance that every day seems like a new country…
Belgium is situated in the heart of Europe. There is a centuries-old tradition of trade. For the transport of both goods and passengers, water transport was the most comfortable option. Around these rivers and canals, the historical cultural cities arose.
Nowadays, we sail almost right into the city centre of Lier, Ghent and Bruges or the Walloon pearls Tournai, Namur & Liège. You can walk straight to the sights! Tired of walking, then the hotel ship De 4 Vaargetijden is nearby to take a breather…
Belgium has a lot of ribbon development along the streets. Our guests, both from Belgium and abroad, are always surprised how green the landscape is along the waterways. During the cruise, there is a nice mix of tranquillity and greenery with the, for many guests, unfamiliar activity of shipping, bridges and locks.
The Belgian chefs have also looked beyond borders and combined the best of their neighbours’ performances: “the quality of France, the quantity of Germany for the price of the Netherlands”… So, expect “ship’s food” from the Belgian kitchen with a surprising twist from your chef Olga.
Belgian TV1 tourism program
Watch here the reportage the Belgian broadcasting company Eén Vlaanderen Vakantieland made about De 4 Vaargetijden. <
Photos tell you more than a thousand words. We have collected a few impressions on several of our routes.
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Films of the barge cruises
Here you can virtually step aboard and cruise along for a bit!
No professional recordings, but a good attempt to capture what can be experienced during a boating trip in Belgium.
Follow us on youtube as new recordings are added regularly.
Inclined plane at Ronquières
How is the weather in Belgium today?
Triennial Bruges 2021 Modern art in the historic city centre
Bruges is always special. So many monuments in an almost medieval setting.
This summer, there is an extra attraction! In the context of Triennial 2021, modern works of art are placed throughout the city centre. The theme for this edition is TraumA.
Noty and I went to explore it in order to advise our guests well.
Would you like to join us on a walk?
