Suggested Itinerary
Day 1 – Bruges
Board our private executive coach at your designated pick up points – take the cross Channel ferry from your preferred port – continue with our professional guide to the the 4* Academie Hotel in Bruges – dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 2 – Bruges guided tour & canal cruise
Guided tour of Bruges, famous for lace making, chocolate and its picturesque network of canals and whose historic city centre is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List – included 45 minute cruise on the picturesque canals of Bruges to see the city from a different perspective.
Day 3 – Antwerp guided tour, Rockox House & Museum Mayer van den Bergh
Full day in Antwerp – guided city tour of the Great Market Square, Town Hall, Butchers Guild House and the Cathedral of our Lady – Rockox House, the 17th century home of Antwerp mayor, Nicolaas Rockox, a friend of Rubens, contains a fine collection of paintings by artists such as van der Weyden, Memling, van Eyck, Rubens and van Dyck – guided tour of the Museum Mayer van den Bergh, home to a collection of paintings, sculpture, pottery, porcelain, stained glass, manuscripts, coins and tapestries from antiquity until 1800 including the ‘Dulle Griet’ by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Day 4 – Ghent guided tour & Ghent Museum of Fine Arts
Full day in Ghent, once the ancient capital of Flanders and birthplace of Emperor Charles V and boasting more historical buildings than any other Flemish city – guided city tour taking in sights such as the Bridge of St Michael, the Belfry, the Cloth Hall and Van Eyck’s ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ at St Bavo Cathedral – guided tour of the collection of the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts with works ranging from 19th century Realism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Symbolism and Expressionism to 20th century Surrealism including two works by Hieronymus Bosch.
Day 5 – Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille
Travel to Lille for a guided tour of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, considered by many to be one of France’s most important galleries – continue for our Channel crossing back to the UK and then return to our original departure points with comfort stops en route.
Tour Features
4* Bruges hotel
Welcome dinner
All excursions & guided tours included
Professional local guide in Belgium
Executive coach throughout
Return Channel ferry crossings
One free place per 10 paying passengers
Guided tour of Bruges
Bruges canal cruise
Guided tour of Antwerp
Rockox House
Museum Mayer van den Bergh - guided tour
Guided tour of Ghent
Ghent Museum of Fine Arts - guided tour
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille - guided tour
Hotel
Four nights at the centrally located 4* Academie Hotel in Bruges. Located under a fifteen minute walk from the market square, facilities at the hotel include a breakfast room and bar and all rooms are en suite. Dinner is included in a local restaurant on the first evening and the remaining nights are on bed and breakfast basis.
Tailor-make this tour
Your tailor made tour
Here are some more suggested places of interest:
- Arentshuis, Bruges - located on the upper floor of an elegant 18th century city mansion, it features the work of British artist Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956), a leading graphic artist and painter as well as a designer of carpets, furniture, stained glass windows, ceramics and jewellery
- Museum of Industry, Work and Textiles - housed in an impressive former cotton mill on the Minnemeers Canal, it sheds light on Ghent’s vitally important textile industry from the Middle Ages to the 20th century
- Guided tour of Brussels - taking in the Grand Place, the Royal District, the Louise District and the Museum of Ancient Art, housing a vast collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the 15th to the 18th century including an internationally renowned Rubens collection
Tour Reviews
Reviews for Flemish Masters
Date of tour: June 2023
My husband and I joined the holiday 'The History & Heritage of Wallonia'. It was so well organised and didn't have to worry about a thing. We particularly want to mention our tour manager. He was very caring, capable and cheerful and made our holiday.
CP, Tonbridge
Date of tour: September 2015
An excellent trip. We have all come back enthused and refreshed, though many are saying they can’t remember which cathedral goes with which town! It was a very packed visit, but it was a taster of the locations. The journeys both ways were good. The driver was excellent friendly and unfazed and his driving was smooth and efficient. Terence, our tour manager, was his usual excellent self. The hotel was excellent and enjoyed by everyone. It was well situated and the evening meal was good. The staff were very friendly helpful and accommodating. The breakfasts were superb especially with a fresh orange squeezing machine! All in all one of our best trips, and the patience and efficient support of Becca in your office was key.
JB, Bishop’s Cleeve
Date of tour: September 2013
Thank you for wonderfully organised trip last week. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and saw a good deal that I had not seen before. I do hope that you did not feel in any daunted by the presence of someone who had lived in Antwerp for five years. All the credit is due to you but you were backed up by a great team. The coach arrangements were superb. Paul could not have been more obliging. The local guides were excellent too. I thought they all struck the right note in the galleries of talking in some detail about a few paintings, rather than rushing us through at three or four pictures per minute! I liked the hotel very much but found the attitude of the bar staff disappointing. Once again, thank you for all you did to make everything go well.
RK, Leamington Spa
Date of tour: June 2012
We got back from our Flemish Art Tour and Floriade trip on Friday evening and I must say that a wonderful time was had by all! All the arrangements went without a hitch: the Club Class on the ferry was a great success, our coach driver was patient and most caring of our safety and the hotel was lovely too. We enjoyed all we saw – we could have done with more time at Lille but I’m not sure how we could have fitted that in. I wanted to thank you very, very much for all the time and planning you put into our tour - overall it worked a treat and our party had a thoroughly good time.
MF, Bristol
Call us on
020 7064 4970
to tailor this tour
for your group
Tailor make your group tour
Remember this is just our suggestion. Every one of our tours is exclusively for your group and your group alone so each one can be tailor made to suit the interests and profile of your members. You could:
- travel by Eurostar
- stay at a 3* or 5* hotel
- with more (or less) dinners included
- for more (or fewer) days
- include different excursions – see ‘Tailor-make this tour’ tab for suggestions
- bring a specialist lecturer
- include all entrance fees & gratuities
Call us on
020 7064 4970
to tailor make the perfect tour
for your group
