Group Tour Operator & DMC for holidays to Belgium

Depart the UK

Drive to Dover and take the short sea crossing to Calais and continue on to the Belgian Coast for the next 4 nights.  Dinner will be at the hotel this evening.

Ostend, Belgian Coast and Blankenberge

After breakfast drive to “Cosmopolitan” Ostend, with its 9km of wide sandy beach and a spacious promenade. Perhaps call in at the former home of impressionist painter James Ensor.  Now a museum, the ground floor is presented as a 19th-century souvenir shop.  Other museums include Mu.ZEE which is the only place in the world that focuses on modern and contemporary art in Belgium.  Discover ‘The Crystal Ship’ where renowned artists make enormous paintings on walls.  Also worth visiting are the museum ships Mercator and Amandine, both with fascinating stories to tell. For lunch,  you may want to sample the famous Ostend Shrimp Croquettes and a glass of Krevet, local beer brewed in Ostend.  There are also many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants of offer.

Before heading back up to Blankenberge, a short drive south of Ostend are the remains of the German ‘Atlantikwall Raversyde’ Open-air museum where  there are more than 60 World War 1 bunkers, observation posts and artillery positions.  (Group visits possible – ask for details).

Return to Blankenberge for an afternoon at leisure.  There are many museums to explore including the Belle Epoque Centre or Majuttes’ House – once a typical late 18th-century fisherman’s dwelling, the cottage is now a fun museum-café where you can enjoy a cup of coffee with some delicious ‘sluffer’ cake. Or visit the Dairy Museum – over 350 years of cheese and butter making and culture presented in a thoroughly modern context. Unique to Belgium!

Alternatively, take a stroll along the promenade that runs alongside the vast sandy beach, and explore the marina and Belgium’s only pier or there are many shops to wander around and plenty of cafes and bars.

Dinner is at the hotel this evening.

Ypres and WWI Flanders Battlefields

Travel to Ypres to visit the  ‘In Flanders Fields’ Museum.   Located in the imposing Cloth Hall, this interactive museum looks at the story of WWI through the eyes of those who were involved.

Following this, embark on a guided coach tour of the ‘14-18 Route’ with visits to sites and memorials including Tyne Cot and Langemark cemeteries amongst other famous sites.   Back in Ypres there will some free time and then enjoy dinner together in a local restaurant before witnessing the Last Port ceremony at the **Menin Gate which takes place at 8pm each evening.  Then its back to the coach to return to the hotel.

**The Menin Gate is currently under renovation which expects to be complete by May 2025 so the ceremony will take place close by.

Bruges Sightseeing

No visit to Belgium can be made without visiting Bruges, the ‘Venice of the North’, a medieval city boasting many canals, a maze of winding cobbled streets, remarkable architecture and more than a few specialised chocalatiers and breweries!  Meet up with a local guide for a walking tour before spending the rest of the day at leisure.  Maybe take a leisurely canal trip to see the city from a different perspective or visit the Historium, a virtual reality experience delving into the history of the city.  There are plenty of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants to browse around.  If you are feeling energetic, climb the steps to the top of the Belfry for a birds eye view of the city or take a horse and carriage ride around the city.

Return to the hotel for our final evening and dinner.

Return to the UK

Depart after breakfast and drive to Calais for the short sea ferry crossing to the UK.