HIGHLIGHTS OF BELGIUM

Day1.
Welcome by the driver upon arrival at Brussels airport and transfer to 5*, situated on short walking distance from the Grand'Place.

Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Brussels

Day 2.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Morning
Welcome by our English speaking guide at the hotel
City tour of (duration 3 hours) by car and on foot

By private car we make a sightseeing tour covering all Brussels 'places of interest: the Atomium, the Royal Palace of Laeken, the Japanese tower and the Chinese pavilion, the Cinquantenaire Park,the EU-quarter,the Palace of Justice,the Warande park, the Wetstraat/ Rue de la Loi, the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudule, On foot we discover the famous Grand'Place with its beautiful guild houses and surroundings (the St Hubertus galleries, the notoriously small Manneken Pis, the square with the imposing 19th century Stock Market, the Mint and its theater,..)
Afternoon
Lunch at own arrangements
Free time in Brussels
Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Brussels

Day 3.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning
Transfer to
Visit on foot of the historical center of (3 hours) with local guide
We start with a stroll through the 'Vlaeykensgang', a medieval quarter full of narrow streets and blind alleys. Next we visit the main square, the old Market Place ( the Grote Markt) . The Brabo fountain, the Renaissance City Hall and the 16th and 17th century guild houses catch the eye.
Stop and visit of Saint Mary's Cathedral. This magnificent Gothic church has great pieces of art by a.o. P.P. Rubens and other Flemish masters. Via the Groenplaats we walk towards the Meir (Antwerp's main shopping street) and pass some landmarks put on the international fashion map by the Antwerp Six. On our way we pass by at the 'Rubenshuis' (see the outside, closed for several years for renovation works), for twenty five years the house and atelier of the Baroque painter Pieter Paul Rubens.
We continue our walk over the Keyserlei towards the Central Train. Due to its late 19th century eclectical style the building is dubbed 'The Railway Cathedral' by Antwerp's inhabitants.

Lunch at own arrangements
Afternoon
Free time in Antwerp
Transfer back to Brussels in the afternoon (car remains 8 hours at disposal)
Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Brussels

Day 4.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning
09h00 Check out and transfer to
In Ghent we make a 2 hours guided walk along the picturesque Graslei and Korenlei. The gables of their guild houses turn them undoubtedly into two of Ghent's most beautiful historical streets. From one of the flanking bridges, one can see the postcard panorama of the three towers: the belfry and the steeples of the St. Nicolas church and the St Bavo's cathedral. A stroll over the Korenmarkt , a stop at a.o. the St Nicolas church, the impressive belfry and its cloth hall ( both on the World Heritage list) brings us to the There the famous altarpiece The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (1432) by the van Eyck brothers, a milestone in art history, is not to be missed ! On our way to the Vrijdagmarkt we elaborate the City Hall with its mixture of styles from flamboyant Gothic to sober Renaissance. In the middle of the Vrijdagmarkt Square we stop at the statue of Jacob Van Artevelde. He sees to it that Ghent thrives again like it did in the 14th century when Jacob ended the English boycott on wool imports. A little further we encounter Dulle Griet ("Evil woman"),a 15th century cast iron cannon, weighing more than twelve tons. Once we have crossed the Lys we enter the inner courtyard of the House of Alijn. This former almshouse is now the Museum of Folklore. The exquisite complex is part of the Paterhol. The only neighborhood in Ghent where the original medieval street plan is still intact. Through winding alleys and cobbled streets with numerous restaurants we reach the Castle of the Counts. This imposing fortress used to be the residence of the count of Flanders. Later on it was used as a courthouse, a jail and even a textile factory. We return to the Korenlei passing the St-Veerle square and the Old Fish Market.
Lunch at own arrangements

Afternoon
Free time in Ghent
Transfer to
Installation in in Bruges

Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Bruges

Day 5.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Morning
09h00 Welcome by our guide at the hotel and visit of Bruges on foot

During this city tour we discover the main highlights of Bruges such as the Market Square with Belfry, the Burg Square with City Hall and Basilica of the Holy Blood, the fish market, the Dijver, Our Lady Church, Saint Savior cathedral, the Princely beguinage, …
Bruges is also proud to be called the "chocolate capital of Belgium".
Since the 16th century chocolate has been produced in Bruges. Nowadays the city center counts more than 50 chocolate manufacturers and has its own chocolate museum.
During our discovery walk we will pass by at some of the finest chocolate shops and a visit of the chocolate museum is also on the program (tasting included)
Lunch at own arrangements

Afternoon
Visit (regular tour/ not a private tour) of the where the Brugse Zot beer is being brewed. A local guide will tell your clients everything about hops and malt.

Time at leisure

Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Bruges

Day 6.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning
Visit of the with private local guide (duration: 90 minutes)
In the Groeninge Museum we find an excellent survey of works by Belgian painters from the 15th century till today. This museum boasts a complete collection of the Flemish Primitives like Van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling and Pieter Brueghel. In the modern art section we find Paul Delvaux, René Magritte, Constant Permeke and Gustave van de Woestyne.

Lunch at own arrangements

Afternoon
Time at leisure

Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Bruges

Day 7.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning

Transfer direction Ypres
We start our guided tour at the : where we see the causes of the 1° WW and we visit some historic sites like: Essex Farm and the station where "In Flanders Fields" was written, Langemark student cemetery, Saint-Julian Canadian Memorial, Tyne cot and Passendale.

Lunch at own arrangements

Afternoon
In the afternoon, we walk from the famous Cloth Hall to the Menin Gate before we continue the tour towards Hill 60, Messines Ridge and Plugstreet where Winston Churchil served in the 1° WW.

Transfer back to Bruges
Dinner at own arrangements
Night in Bruges

Day 8.
Day at leisure in Bruges
Lunch and dinner at own arrangements
Night in Bruges

Day 9.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel
Welcome by the driver at the hotel
Transfer Bruges - Brussels Airport

• 8 Nights in standard room in 5* hotels
  • 3 Nights in Brussels in hotel AMIGO 5*
  • 5 Nights in Bruges in hotel Relasi & Château HERITAGE 5*
• bu?et breakfast
• All transfers and excursions by private car and driver
• Private guides according program
• Entrance fees according program
  • Saint Bavo cathedral
  • Chocolate museum
  • Brewery visit with tasting
  • Groeninge museum
• City taxes and VAT