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West FlandersCastle & palace tours

Our most recommended West Flanders Castle & palace tours

From Brussels: Bruges and Ghent in a Day Guided Tour

1. From Brussels: Bruges and Ghent in a Day Guided Tour

Meet your guide in the center of Brussels and relax on the 100-kilometer journey to Bruges. Upon arrival, discover the charms of “the Venice of the North” and see why the entire historic center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Marvel at highlights such as the Lake of Love (Minnewater Lake) and the 13th-century Begijnhof complex, founded in 1245 to house lay religious women. Go to Walplein Square, where the shady trees and cafes provide a perfect place to relax. Visit Stoofstraat on the site of the city's former Red Light District, and see medieval monuments such as the 11th-century Old St. John’s Hospital. Look at the world's second tallest brickwork tower at the Church of Our Lady, and see other historic monuments such as Gruuthuse Palace, the Dijver Canal and the tiny piazza of Tanners Square (Huidenvettersplein). Go to one of the city's most photographed spots at Rozenhoedkaai, and admire the Belfry on Castle Square. Admire the facades of the Gothic-style Town Hall and the 12th-century Basilica of the Holy Blood. Visit Market Square (Grote Markt) to see the Bell Tower (Belfort) and Sint-Salvator’s Cathedral. Then enjoy 1-hour's free time for lunch (at your own expense) and the chance to sample some of the city's delicious chocolates.  Next, drive to Ghent, where the inhabitants have been popularly known as "noose-bearers“ since the days of Charles V. Take a guided tour of the city's historic buildings, such as the Castle of Gerald the Devil and Saint Bavo Cathedral, where you can look at the painting “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers. Admire the Belfort (Bell Tower) and peculiar Gothic and Renaissance-style Town Hall. See one of the city's oldest monuments at St. Nicholas’ Church opposite the unusual facade of the Masons’ Guild House. Journey along the embankments of the medieval port of Graslei, and discover other highlights such as the majestic Castle of the Counts of Flanders, the charming Patershol neighborhood, the Great Butchers’ Hall, the Old Fish Market, and Friday Market Square.

Brussels: Full-Day Antwerp and Ghent Guided Tour

2. Brussels: Full-Day Antwerp and Ghent Guided Tour

At 8:30AM you will be picked up from a meeting point in the center of Brussels to head towards the city of Antwerp. On your way to Antwerp you will make a stop for a few minutes at the emblematic Atomium, where you will take a picture and continue your trip. Once there you will explore the Meat Market, Steen Castle, Town Hall Square, the Gothic-style Church of Our Lady, the Church of San Carlos de Borromeo, the Walk of the Cakes, and the beautiful Meir Street. Following this guided tour, you will receive an hour of free time to explore the city at your own leisure. The next destination will be the beautiful and powerful city of Ghent. Throughout this visit you will see the Cathedral of San Bavón (which contains the famous painting of the Van Eyck brothers, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb), the Belfort Bell Tower, the peculiar Gothic and Renaissance Town Hall, the Church of San Nicolás, the Guild House of the Masons, the Wharf of the Herbs and the Grain, the Meat Market, and the majestic Castle of the Counts of Flanders. Following this magical trip you will re-board your bus, upon which you will return back to Brussels.

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What people are saying about West Flanders

Mark was great!! He transported us (literally) back in time on an enthusiastic journey to find his true love, Dori. Mark perfectly intertwined the history of the city of both Brugge and Gent with impressive knowledge and light hearted humour. We would definitely recommend this tour. There was a great balance between guided and free time. Considering we fit in two beautiful city’s in one day we definitely left feeling like we got the best of both. The transportation was easy (one bus the whole time), we could leave our belongings on the bus and the meeting spots were very clear. We even left with some recommendations for great restaurants and places to visit. Thank you Mark for your time and expertise!

This is an excellent tour if you have only a day and want to see two beautiful cities. Our guide Marc was wonderful very knowledgeable and made the tour fun! Wish we had a bit more time to explore Bruges on our own as it is simply a breathtaking city to visit. Maybe the guided tour can get about 15-30 minutes before it did so we get a bit more time to ourselves to explore. I travelled with a teenager and a 8 year old and the walking part was not hard at all and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend this tour if you want to visit and see two cities in one day and let someone else figure out all the logistics!

Excelente experiencia educativa, visual y divertida en un tour completo y con suficiente tiempo para sacar el mayor provecho. Resalto la vasta educación y conocimientos de los guías y la comodidad del bus.

Buen tour, el guía (Carlos) siempre fué informativo durante la visita, los lugares no decepcionaron, se logró apreciar en su mayoría lo que son las ciudades de Brujas y Gante.

We left at 8:30 from the meeting point and went to Bruges and then Ghent. The guide explained the essentials to us and then we had time to wander around the beautiful towns