Flanders: bucket-list cycling destination & beyond
Flanders is the heartland of cycling. The northern part of Belgium is where the cycling season really kicks off. Visiting Flanders during the Spring Classics is pure magic. You watch the races amidst a crazy crowd and you can ride these same routes yourself, during one of the many sportives or on your own with one of our routes. You can really visit Flanders year-round with April through October offering the best weather conditions to cycle.
But how to plan your trip to Flanders?
- Which road cycling routes should you ride?
- Which routes include the most famous climbs?
- Can I go on a bikepacking trip or go for a challenge in Flanders?
- Where should I stay, rent a bike, etc.?
Read on, you've come to the right place.
Tick off Flanders on your cycling bucket list
Cycling in Flanders - that's us - is part of the of the official tourist organisation VISITFLANDERS. Our goal is for every road cyclist to ride Flanders' bergs (cobbled climbs) at least once in their lives. Flanders really is a bucket-list destination packed with cycling heritage.
Cycling is our religion and your trip to Flanders will be a true pilgrimage. But where to start?
Pick your route(s) or challenge
When you plan a road cycling trip to Flanders, you can choose from a range of routes and challenges:
- Our crown jewel is the Flandrien Challenge, one of the best challenges in Europe. The Flandrien Challenge invites you to conquer 59 cobbled segments and bergs in under 72 hours. Some ride it in one go, others use 3 (or 4) days. Here you find all the different routes and free GPX downloads.On this page you find lots of information for the logistics of your trip, including cycling-friendly accommodation near the start of the routes.
- We have a myriad of routes to choose from. There's plenty that start in Oudenaarde, like the signposted Ronde van Vlaanderen Loops. Start and finish is at the Tour of Flanders Center where you can also shower and have a drink or a bite. And then there's plenty more routes covering the best regions of Flanders.
- Want to go bikepacking? Then we have two options:
- Ultimate Flanders 525: our 525km bikepacking light route. Pack your saddlebag, pick your accommodations along the route and honor the GOAT Eddy Merckx. 1km for each one of his 525 victories!
- Flanders Divide: a 567km gravel bikepacking route across Flanders
The logistics of your cycling trip to Flanders
If you want to ride the famous bergs and cobbles from Flanders' Spring Classics, here are the best cities and regions to stay:
Oudenaarde & the Flemish Ardennes around it. If you check our map with accommodations, you'll quickly see the 'hot' region to stay. This is where you're really close to all the famous bergs.
Want to combine your rides with some lively city vibes and sightseeing, Kortrijk and Ghent are also very convenient. Both are beautiful historic cities with great restaurants, Belgian beer and nightlife. They have excellent train connections to Oudenaarde and it's easy to take your bike on Belgian trains. More info on this page. Or you just hop on your bike and ride some extra kilometers (30-ish) along the river Scheldt (nice and flat). In Flanders nothing is far away.
Belgium: cycling, history and Belgian beer
A huge advantage of Flanders, Belgium as a cycling region: the proximity of... well, everything! Flemish people love to eat and drink, so visitors are in for a treat. You won't have any trouble finding great places for breakfast, lunch, dinner or café stops along your route. Make sure you don't return home without tasting Flemish
Or you can visit one of Flanders' many breweries to taste the best beers in the world. There's several recreational cycling routes that pass by some great breweries and beer experiences:
- Cycling in the Flemish Ardennes: from Oudenaarde to Horebeke, including breweries Liefmans & Roman
- Bike tour in Flanders Fields, including breweries St.Bernardus & the Sint Sixtusabdij
- Cycling from Leuven: Beer and Bouts route, including breweries Stella Artois, Hof ten Dormaal and several other micro-breweries
- Mechelen-Boom route, including brewery Het Anker and micro-brewery Batteliek
- Lambic-Geuze route, including breweries Boon & 3 Fonteinen