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The beautiful landscape and culture of Belgium can be best seen by a bike and barge or river cruise vessel. While cruising through Belgium, visitors will have some great experiences learning about the history, art, culture, gastronomy and beauty of the country. Europeanbarging offers a couple of itineraries that feature Ghent as a stop from a cruise vessel. The Arosa ship offers 7 night Holland Belgium cruises through the summer and fall months; Amawaterways offers a 7 night Holland Tulip cruise between March and May, and there are 24 passenger casual bike and barge vessels that offer cruises throughout the year, which will take travelers through the wonderlands of Belgium for an amazing and unforgettable experience.
and CultureThe flemish city of Ghent features in the “Art Cities” itinerary of Johanna. Ghent is predominantly a city of art and culture. Ghent takes pride in being home for 8 museums out of which three are most prominent such as S.M.A.K. (housing contemporary art), the Design Museum and the Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textiles. Also, there are 2 art halls, 7 art centers, 5 theatres and 5 concert halls, 1 music hall, 1 opera and 22 film screens. Additionally there are dozens of subsidized and recognized organizations located either in one of the above or elsewhere in the city. Check out our video on Ghent.
The central motto of Ghent is “city of knowledge and culture accessible for everyone.” Ghent has a university and 3 university colleges where over 60.000 students of higher education study, making Ghent the education capital of Flanders.
Ghent is world famous for its art and culture and art lovers cherish it fondly. The impressive medieval Castle of the Counts gives visitors a peek into the splendid past of the castle. The unique masterpieces of the Flemish Primitives will make visitors spellbound as visitors stand staring at them.
Ghent is a famous flemish city, which people know for its Burgundian nature. There are 426 restaurants and eating-houses and 346 cafés and pubs. So the city of Ghent is a nice place to spend time and have a drink with your friends!
Contact Europeanbarging to find the best cruise for you. info@europeanbarging.com or 888-869-7907 Barge and River Cruise specialist since 1998.
Enjoy a brief but luxurious float down the Thames River. Europeanbarging offers a 3 night Thames barge cruise on a sumptuous river barge. When you book a deluxe barge cruise, you get to experience adventure during the day while having travel details taken care of for you. The friendly crew delights in sharing their knowledge of the area while pampering passengers with top-notch service.
Drink champagne and watch the shores of England glide by. The first night, after your 
champagne reception, a one-hour cruise takes you past the regal Windsor Castle, the largest occupied castle in the world. Your barge docks overnight at Boveney Lock. While away the first evening of your deluxe barge cruise, enjoying beverages in the open bar or resting up for the next day’s adventure. Short river cruises afford you the opportunity to relax or pack as much adventure into your cruise as you’d like.
The Magna Carta Barge meanders past lavish riverside homes before passing under the widest brick arch in the world, Brunel’s railway bridge. Have a peek at the Eton College Rowing Lake while floating past Dorney. The barge moors at the Cliveden estate, almost 400 acres of formal gardens and woodlands. Enjoy afternoon tea in the house before touring the gardens; be on the lookout for the Fountain of Love and the Roman sarcophagi. You’ll have trouble pulling yourself away from the Chinese water garden and topiary, but a treat awaits you further down the Thames River: the picturesque village of Cookham, home of late artist Sir Stanley Spencer. Tour Sir Stanley Spencer’s Gallery, enjoying the eccentric painter’s love-tinged work.
Your deluxe barge cruise takes you back up the Thames. Observe the countryside from a different perspective, catching any of the historic sites you may have missed on the first journey. The dramatic site of Windsor Castle returns. You get to visit this important royal residence. Peep at the State Apartments, imagining life in the public eye. Tour around the Gothic St. George’s Chapel; make sure to look for the stone vaulting for which it is renowned. Ponder Queen Mary’s famous doll house, the largest, most beautiful doll house in the world.
The deluxe Magna Carta Barge sleeps just eight guests, making for an intimate, friendly setting. The 3 night Thames barge cruise is just one of the short river cruises Europeanbarging offers. Contact us to today to book your barge cruise. Rates from $2095 per person.
There is perhaps no better way to tour the historically rich, scenic towns of Rhineland Germany than by river cruise. The cruises usually feature relatively small cruising vessels that have limited passenger capacity but are large on amenities, style, and service. 
Quaint villages and conspicuous German castles are thoroughly enjoyed by the 360 degree views provided on the sun decks of most river cruise ships and barges. A favorite tour among discerning travelers is the Mosel River cruise which meanders past beautiful Cochem Germany. These unique trips often climax with memorable shore excursions to popular attractions like those found on the Mosel bike and barge cruise.
The Mosel river or “Moselle” river as the French call it is a peaceful tributary of the Rhine River that flows from France to Germany. The area surrounding the Mosel River in Germany is known as the Mosel River Valley, and the towns located there are reminiscent of storybook tales of the medieval era. For those who find romantic villages complete with cobblestone streets surrounded by lush vineyards and Germany castles appealing, then a Mosel River cruise is an ideal choice for a holiday trip.
Cruising down the Mosel River gives holiday travelers the opportunity to see many of the oldest towns in the heart of Europe in grand style. Depending on the chosen itinerary, passengers get to view the cities of Koblenz, Cochem, and Bernkastel just to name a few.
The cities visited are not the only appeal of this type of holiday choice; the cruises themselves are absolutely exquisite. Many cruises are taken on luxury river or barge vessels that feature five-star dining and stellar service. The all-inclusive travel packages ensure that passengers completely relax while travelling from the time they board until disembarking at the end of the journey.
A popular river cruise itinerary includes a trip to the town of Cochem. The Mosel Bike and Barge cruise allows passengers to conduct a shore excursion that gives them the best of both worlds when it comes to scenic views. After leaving the river cruise barge, active passengers bike to Cochem to explore the popular town.
The town of Cochem holds a very interesting past as an imperial estate complete with a castle and fortifications that was eventually lost in its entirety to the French during the 1600’s. French troops razed the original Reichsburg Castle to the ground, and the castle was only rebuilt in its current neo-Gothic style architecture in 1868 by a wealthy Berlin business person who used the renovated castle as a summer home for his family. Since 1978, tourists have been able to take tours of the Reichsburg Castle. For more information about booking a cruise to the romantic Reichsburg Castle, contact us.
The Hospices du beaune, nestled among the gently rolling hills of Burgundy, is one of the most popular travel destinations in all of France. As one travels south down the Rhone River on the Burgundy barge cruise towards the Mediterranean sea, the cheerful roofs of the Hospices will beckon for a closer look.
The Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, also known as the Hospices, is one of the iconic buildings of Burgundy that you can see while vacationing the Burgundy barge cruise. It was built as an “almshouse,” or a home for the poor and needy. It was founded by Nicholas Rolin, a man who lived at the time of Joan of Arc. burgundy was not then part of France, but a rival kingdom, though Rolin was one of those who would help broker the peace that ended the Hundred Years War and paved the way for the eventual union of burgundy and France. Rolin and his formidable wife, Guigone de Salins, founded the Hospices as a charitable institution in 1443.
Burgundy is a rich province and always has been. The history of the province goes back thousands of years, to the legendary Merovingians. The Hospice was built with the same sumptuous quality and attention to detail that one sees all throughout Burgundy. The famous roof of the Hospices, with its distinctive checkerboard of golden tiles, is visible from kilometers away. At the time the hospice was one of the finest hospitals anywhere in the world, and the poor could be sure of good treatment there. The hospital maintained its tradition up to the present day, with an exceptionally interesting role in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and continues to serve the poor and indigent today. However, the patients are now served in a modern hospital. The original Hospices is now a museum, visited by thousands of people every year. It is also home to a world famous charity wine auction every November. The auction is held in the spectacular “Grande Salle des Pôvres,” or the Great Hall of the Poor.
The Hospices is especially delightful to visit by the Rhone River. A Burgundy barge cruise can leave from Dijon or Provence and travel down the pleasant river for a wonderful excursion to the city. We welcome your inquiry into these spectacular barge cruises.