Bruges is flat. Perfectly, blissfully flat. The cycling infrastructure is excellent. And the landscape in every direction is beautiful in its own understated way. Here are five routes.

1. Bruges to Damme (14km round trip): The classic. Follow the canal north-east on a dead-straight path lined with poplars. Damme has bookshops, a ruined church, and pancakes. This is the route we recommend first.

2. Bruges to the Coast at Zeebrugge (24km round trip): Head north through the polders — flat farmland with wide skies and distant church spires. Zeebrugge has a beach and a working port. Return via Lissewege, a tiny white village with a 13th-century church.

3. Bruges to Loppem Castle (16km round trip): South through the suburban fringes into gentle countryside. Loppem Castle is a neo-Gothic fantasy with beautiful gardens. Open April-November.

4. The Rampart Circuit (12km): Follow the ring of parks and green spaces around the old city. You'll pass all four surviving city gates, three windmills, and several stretches of the old moat. This route gives you the best sense of Bruges' medieval footprint.

5. Bruges to Oostkamp via the old railway (20km round trip): A converted rail trail — flat, paved, traffic-free. It runs through woods and fields to the small town of Oostkamp. Good for families.

Bike rental: Several shops near the station rent city bikes for about €15/day. We're working on our own rental service — Happy Wheels — but it's not ready yet.

Always lock your bike. Bruges has low crime, but bike theft is the exception.