7 days – 6 nights
Bruges – Ypres – Ghent – Antwerp – Mechelen
DAY 1 | Brussels – Bruges
Arrival at Brussels Airport and transfer to Bruges. Time permitting your guide will take you on a stroll through the historic city centre of Bruges, showing you the Grand Place, the Burg, the Gruuthuuse Museum and the Notre Dame church and some of the most picturesque (selfie) spots of the town. Bruges by night also provides fairytale sights around every corner.
Overnight in Bruges.
DAY 2 | Bruges
A full day to explore Bruges, strolling over the cobblestones of the medieval city centre and visiting the Notre Dame church to see the mausoleums of the Burgundian dukes and Michelangelo’s pieta. You can travel back into time to the Golden Age of Bruges with Jan Van Eyck at Historium Bruges and indulge in the delicious chocolate at one of many chocolate shops. For lunch you’ll visit the Half Moon Brewery, which you will visit as well to discover the wonderful story of beer brewing in Flanders. In the afternoon you’ll embark on a boat tour of the canals to see the medieval buildings from a total different view. Your last stop will be the basilica of the Holy Blood, a unique double church.
Overnight in Bruges.
DAY 3 | Ypres & Flanders Fields battlefields
From Bruges you’ll drive to Ypres to visit some of the most remarkable remains of the infamous Battle of Passchendaele. This 1917 battle was one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War, resulting in over half a million casualties. You’ll start your visit in the In Flanders Fields Museum to get the perfect introduction on the Great War in Flanders. From Ypres you’ll drive to Boezinge to see Essex Farm Cemetery and the John McCrae Memorial. The remains of the advanced dressing station show you the conditions in which medical support had to be organised and the grave of Valentine Joe Strudwich proves that youngsters of only 15 served in the army during the war. You’ll also visit the German military cemetery at Langemark – the so-called Students Cemetery – and Tyne Cot, the largest WW1 CWGC cemetery in the world. At Hill 60 you can see how the terrain was effected by the countless shells that were dropped on the battlefield and how deep mines really changed the landscape. You’ll attend the humbling Last Post Ceremony under the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing at Ypres before returning to Bruges.
Overnight in Bruges.
DAY 4 | Ghent
Transfer from Bruges to Ghent, the iconic inland port at the confluence of the Scheldt and Leie Rivers. Throughout history Ghent has played an important role in the story of Flanders, being the largest and wealthiest town of the area. As a university town Ghent is a cultural hub with lots of museums and splendid heritage. Your guide will take you on a bike tour, exploring the most interesting parts of the city with stops at the St Bavo’s Cathedral (to see the painting of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb), St Bavo’s Abbey (a mystic ruin and one of the most poetic sites of Ghent) and the Old Fish Market (now accommodating the Ghent tourist information centre). After lunch you’ll visit the medieval Castle of the Counts, where you can not only marvel at the largely intact defence system of this medieval stronghold, but also see a unique collection of torture equipment. Transfer to Antwerp.
Overnight in Antwerp.
DAY 5 | Antwerp
Antwerp is the largest port in Belgium and boasts a rich history as the most significant city in 16th and 17th century Flanders. Your guide will take you on a guided walking tour of the Grand Place (with the impressive Renaissance town hall), the Cathedral of Our Lady (first constructed in 1352) and the remarkable story of Nello & Patrasch, and the breath-taking baroque style of the Carolus Borromeus church. You’ll also visit the Rubens House, once the working and living place of painter Pieter Paul Rubens, and now home to the Rubens Experience, in which immersive images and sounds bring the story of the baroque period alive. After lunch you’ll visit the Plantin-Moretus Museum, the printing museum that has been listed as UNESCO World Heritage. Next onwards to MAS, the newest landmark along the Scheldt riverfront. The Panorama, the rooftop terrace of the museum, offers splendid views of the city.
Overnight in Antwerp.
DAY 6 | Mechelen – Brussels
After breakfast transfer from Antwerp to Mechelen, the city where the archbishop of Belgium resides. Although Mechelen is not really well-known as art city, it certainly can compete with Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. You’ll start your exploration of Mechelen with a guided walk through the historic heart of the city, seeing beautiful Renaissance and baroque architecture. We’ll end the morning with a laughter at the Mad Art Collection. In a historical building a museum of 16th century paintings was created, focusing on the satirical and moralizing reference to ‘madness’. There are paintings in the style of Hieronymus Bosch, Brueghel and Brouwer illustrating reprehensible behaviour and the appropriate punishment. Fun guaranteed while figuring out the meaning of all the symbols. After lunch you’ll visit the Royal Manufacturers De Wit, world-famous for restoring valuable tapestries by hand. End your visit of Mechelen at Het Anker, a unique beer brewery that also produces whisky. As one of the oldest beer breweries in Belgium, even emperor Charles V was a fan of the “Mechelse Bruynen’. Continue to Brussels.
Overnight in Brussels.
DAY 7 | Brussels Airport
After breakfast transfer to Brussels Airport for your return flight home.
