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The Turrets & Tapestry Cruise
Nieuwpoort > Bruges > Gent > Kortrijk > Oudenaarde > Nieuwpoort
Enjoy all the cultural charm of Belgium in this wonderful two week cruise to Oudenaarde - the capital of the Flemish tapestry industry which still thrives today. See for yourself the amazing 17th century tapestries on display. En route visit Bruges, Gent, Deinze, Kortrijk and Bossuit.
- Distance: 350 km
- Cruising Time: 80 hrs
- Locks: 27
- Bridges: 57
- Return Trip
Nieuwpoort > Bruges > Gent > Kortrijk > Oudenaarde > Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort is a lively and cosmopolitan seaside town, popular with families and featuring a 2 km long promenade. The town lies on the River IJzer 3km/2miles from where it flows into the North Sea. It is divided into Nieuwpoort Bad and Nieuwpoort Stad lying a little further inland, and is an important fishing port. Six canals, which are regulated by many sluices, join the IJzer in Nieuwpoort. These are situated a little north of the Grote Markt near the IJzer bridge and are an interesting sight. A channel of approximately 2kms runs between the marina and the sea and here a promenade has been built which is very popular with cyclists and walkers.
Bruges Or Brugge
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Bruges' incredibly well-preserved medieval architecture makes it one of the most exciting tourist attractions in Europe. Small enough to explore by foot, horsedrawn carriage or by canal boat, there is much to see museums and art flourish, good restaurants abound and pretty shops sell lace, Flemish tapestry, speciality beers and chocolates.
Deinze
Deinze is a lively town with a good range of shops and recreational facilties. The " Brielmeersen " park offers you a large choice of beautiful walks. There is an imaginative childrens play area here with a minigolf course and a French Bowls playing-field and a gigantic bamboo labyrinth.
Oudenaarde
An attractive town with some beautiful buildings. Oudenaarde is famous for weaving and tapestries and a museum in the Cloth Hall displays typical "Verdures" - tapestries depicting scenes of nature with predominant green and blue colours. Nowadays the river Scheldt cuts through the town, but until the 16th century there was a town on each bank: Oudenaarde and Pamele, which later merged. The Broodstraat, Nederstraat, Einestraat and Hoogstraat are the main shopping streets that still have some of the charm of old medieval alleys.
Kortrijk/courtrai
An attractive town with a good range of shops and pedestianised streets in the centre. There is also a large shopping centre on the outskirts of town - the Ring Shopping Centre (Ringlaan 34), with a couple of large supermarkets (Colruyt and Carrefour) and many department stores, a restaurant etc.
