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Three days on a motorbike through Belgium - covering 1,000 kilometres

From the peaks of the Ardennes to the long beaches of the North Sea, the neighbouring kingdom offers a diverse range of landscapes that are well worth a visit. On this Belgium tour, we also recommend a few nice detours to France and the Netherlands.

Itinerary

Let’s go!

Day 1: Once across the Gaume

This first stage covers 329 kilometres before you reach Tournai and its cathedral with its five bell towers, the city’s symbolic masterpiece. On the winding roads of the Gaume, riders and their co-drivers can gather their first impressions. Cruising from one bend to the next, you will pass through Gérouville, Orval and Jamoigne before plunging into the ‘Ardennes’. The aim of this motorbike tour is to ride as close as possible to the Belgian border and regularly take a few detours into neighbouring countries. The Meuse is crossed on French territory – in Vireux-Molhain to be precise – before you return to the province of Namur.

The beauty of the Étansg de Virelles indicates that you are on your way to the lakes of Eau d’Heure. The place is beautiful and invites you to stop for lunch after the first 210 kilometres. Covering an area of more than six square kilometres, this body of water is ideal for water sports activities. The rest of the day’s route leads back to France. From there, you cycle through the Avesnois Regional Nature Park to your final destination in Tournai, where we recommend the Hotel Alcantara (www.hotelalcantara.be). It is just a few steps away from the Grand-Place and allows you to park your motorbike in an enclosed courtyard.

Day 2: In Zeeland along the coast

The second stage of the tour covers 360 kilometres. You set course for Turnhout, travelling along the Belgian coast and making a detour to Zeeland. Tourcoing, Lille and Bailleul are the first stages of this excursion, which starts in the ‘Sch’ti’ area. After 120 kilometres, you reach De Panne and breathe in the salty sea air. You then cycle through Nieuwport, Ostend and Blankenberge. In Blankenberge, we recommend the Oesterput restaurant, which is famous for its fresh lobster, seafood, fish and mussels (www.oesterput.com). From there it is only a few kilometres to the Netherlands. Close to the border is the picturesque village of Sluis. The tour continues through Zeeland, a beautiful province with diverse and idyllic landscapes. You cycle around Antwerp and after 170 kilometres you reach Turnhout on the Dutch side and the City Hotel there (www.turnhoutcity-hotel.be).

Day 3: Back to Luxembourg

On the 312-kilometre return journey to the Grand Duchy, you make several loops from north to south through the province of Limburg. The route takes you through the city of Maastricht, where you cross the Meuse before reaching the natural region of Entre-Vesdre-et-Meuse at Les Fourons. You now cycle through the German-speaking region of Belgium and pass Welkenraedt and Eupen. In this town, we recommend a lunch break at the Eupen Wald Restaurant 222. This is located in a rural setting close to the High Fens Nature Park (www.waldrestaurant.be).

The second part of the day takes you 160 kilometres to the lakes of Gileppe and Robertville and finally to the Upper Sûre reservoir before you reach the finish in Bartringen.

Texts and photos:
Jean-Luc VANQUIN

GPX file and road book

Belgium - Motorbike route (gpx file)

1 MB

Roadbook Belgium

1 MB

How to download your route (gpx file)

Please visit https://www.garmin.com/en-US/shop/downloads/basecamp and download Basecamp (for Windows or Mac) free of charge.
In Basecamp, open a ‘new list’ and give it a name.
You can ‘copy and paste’ the gpx file provided by the ACL into your Basecamp list and consequently view your route. (Note: we recommend that you connect your GPS to your computer in order to take full advantage of all of the features of your map)

How to upload the file to your GPS

Once you have opened your route in Basecamp you should click on the ‘Send to device’ icon, which you will find in the toolbar.