BELGIUM |
Day 01: Arrival in Brussels
Arrive in Brussels and proceed to your allotted hotel and proceed for Check in. Rest of the day is free for you to explore the city on your own. A city full of oxymoron, Brussels is best defined as a concoction of French versus Flemish, historic versus hip, bizarre versus boring. Full of contrasts, contradictions and intrigue, this is a multicultural equation that goes much deeper. And in an age where so much is already discovered, Belgium's capital seduces as one of Western Europe's unknowns. Brussels is an unbeatable city of everything chic ranging from fine food, café culture, Art Nouveau architecture and the surreal. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02: Brussels City Tour with
Europarlamentarium Breakfast will be served at the hotel restaurant. Thereafter, proceed for city tour of Brussels with Europarlamentarium .
We start our visit with a stroll to Brussels beautiful Grand Place. Our guide tells us the history of the unique city hall and the splendid guild houses. Then we board our luxury coach and drive along the magnificent St. Michaels cathedral towards the world-famous Atomium, the Chinese Pavilion and the Japanese tower. Via the Royal residence of Laeken and the Royal St Marys church, we drive back to the city center and visit the Sablon district with its elegant stores selling beautiful antiques. Next you see the impressive Court of Justice and we drive to the stately Place Royale and the Royal Palace. The next part of tour takes you to the European district with the European Parliament. Here we will visit the Visitors Center of the European Parliament, with its history of the EU(duration of the visit 50 min). Passing the European Commission and Council of Ministers we drive to the Park of the Jubilee with its monumental Triumphal Arch. Passing the Royal Parc and the Belgian Parliament we drive back to the city center where our tour ends. The visit of the Europarlamentarium takes 45 min. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 03: Brussels Beer Tasting Tour
Breakfast will be served at the hotel restaurant. Thereafter, proceed for the beer tasting tour, enjoying various popular Belgian beers. Belgium may be tiny, but its beers are big and bold. No country in the world boasts a brewing tradition as rich and diverse. And nowhere will you find the quantity of quality beers as is offered by this little nation. Brussels in particular offers many varieties of artisan brews; each with a different but slightly tart and refreshing flavor. Brussels' grand and popular cafes serve as a window to the evolution of culture and social habits of the local people. Your beer tasting experience features visiting some of Brussels most typical drinking venues. Your guide will help you to unravel some of Belgium's beer mysteries on this tour, giving great details of the different varieties of beer, their tastes and unique attributes. The tour also includes a visit to the Royal Puppet Theater Toone and a guided walking tour past the Manneken Pis Statue, Ilot Sacre, Art Deco buildings, the Brussel's fish market and the island of Saint Gery, the oldest part of Brussels. If children are accompanying this tour, they will be served Chocolate Milk with Cookies. Overnight stay will be at hotel in Brussels.
Day 04: Brussels- Antwerp
Breakfast will be served at the hotel restaurant. Thereafter, check out from the hotel and proceed for Antwerp. Upon arrival you have a day free at leisure to explore the city on your own. Antwerp is a pocket-sized metropolis: compact and easy to navigate, even on foot if you feel like it. Approximately 1/5 of the historic city centre is a pedestrian zone and pedestrians have priority during many of the city's summer events. If you need to move at a faster pace, jump on a tram or bus operated by the Flemish public transport company, De Lijn. Fast, flexible and convenient, its got Antwerp covered! Overnight stay at hotel in Antwerp.
Day 05: Antwerp
Enjoy the major sites of Antwerp with its old Market Square and Cathedral containing two Rubens masterpieces by your own. Antwerp, Belgium's second largest city is also home to Europe's second largest harbour and has kept many memories of its rich past. Above all, it is the city of P.P. Rubens, world famous master painter of the seventeenth century. We drive to the Market Square with its ancient houses and the Cathedral of Our Lady. This Cathedral contains, amongst other treasures, two of Rubens' masterpieces: 'The Elevation of the Cross' and 'The Descent from the Cross'. Antwerp is also the world's diamond centre and we will have time to visit a diamond workshop. You can drive through the harbour.
Day 06: Antwerp- Bruges
Breakfast will be served at the hotel restaurant. Thereafter, you proceed to board your train to the beautiful city of Bruges. Upon arrival, proceed for check in. Rest of the day free to explore the city on your own. Popularly known as the Venice of North, Bruges historic city centre was added to the Unesco's World Heritage List. The current city boundaries still coincide exactly with those of the medieval city centre, and the spaces and structures that were so typical of Bruges in the past have been preserved. This, however, does not mean that there is no room for modern architecture and modern work and living spaces. Take your time to walk through busy squares, refreshing parks and quiet, intimate cobbled streets, and do not forget to visit the modest almshouses as well as the imposing patrician's homes!
Today visit Bruges on a city tour. Discover the 'Venice of the North' comfortably seated in a mini-coach and enjoying comments in the language of your choice. You will be charmed by the artistic wealth of the innumerable monuments, historical buildings and churches. You will pass by the Belfort, the Straffe Hendrik Brewery, the Church of Our Lady, the Gruuthuse museum, the fish market, the Jan Van Eyck statue, the Botanical gardens, the Guido Museum, the Jerusalem Church, and beautiful windmills such as 'St Janshuismolen' dating from the 1770s. You will also admire, on your journey, the numerous canals and the typical God houses, late medieval-looking houses bearing a name and a year on the outside wall, which can be seen everywhere in the city. Overnight at hotel.
Day 07: Bruges
Breakfast will be served at the hotel restaurant. Historium is an experience attraction. You will step through lifelike sets in which film, music and special effects combine to create a magical experience. In this way you will live out an engrossing love story played out in the golden age of Bruges. It is more than seeing and hearing. You can smell and feel how life was in those times. Thanks to the audio guide, you will experience everything in your own language. The story that you experience in Historium takes you back to the 15th century, or 1435 to be precise. You will witness the day when Jacob met the love of his life... The young Jacob works for Jan Van Eyck, the famous painter, and in the early morning has to pick up model Anna and parakeet Frederico from the Bruges quays. But not everything goes as planned... Historium is more than seeing and hearing. You step back into the past... and smell and feel how life was back then. Special effects make the experience even more intense. Prepare to be amazed by the smell of sage soap in the baths and feel the wind when you fly over the old city. Enjoy the music by Nicholas Lens specially written for Historium, performed by the Brussels Philharmonic and the Flemish Radio Choir Overnight at hotel.
Day 8: Return to Brussels- Homebound
Breakfast will be served at the hotel restaurant. Thereafter, you proceed to board your train to Brussels airport to board your onward flight back home.