Group tour Operator for holidays to Ostend, Belgium

Travel to Ostend

Travel to Belgium via the short sea ferry crossing from Dover to Calais and on to Ostend for 4 nights.  Dinner will be in the hotel this evening.

Ostend at leisure

Explore cosmopolitan Ostend.  Apart from its beach there is plenty to see and do.  Museums include Mu.ZEE which is the only place in the world that focuses on modern and contemporary art in Belgium and the James Ensor House dedicated to this famous Belgian artist.  Discover the ‘Crystal Ship’ where renowned and world-famous artists make enormous painting on walls.  Also worth visiting are the museum ships Mercator and Amandine, both with fascinating stories to tell, located in the Maritime Quarter

Of course there is always the promenade and 7 kilometre white sandy beach to stroll along, browse the many shops or visit the remains of the German ‘Atlantikwall’ with more than 60 WW1 bunkers, observations posts and artillery positions.

Sample the famous Ostend Shrimp Croquettes washed down with a glass of Krevet, local beer brewed in Ostend.

Bruges

The fairytale city of Bruges is only a short drive from Ostend and often dubbed ‘the Venice of the North’ due to its many canals.  Meet up with a local guide for a walking tour of the old city, wander the maze of cobbled streets and see remarkable architecture.  Grote Markt is the main square bounded by colourful, ornate and historical buildings.   Worthy of a visit is the Historium, a virtual reality experience delving into the history of the city.  Explore the city at leisure, walk around the Benguinage, maybe visit a brewery, watch a chocolate making demonstration or see the city from a different perspective on a canal cruise or horse and carriage ride.  Or, if you are feeling energetic climb the 366 stairs of the Belfry for a birds eye view.  There are plenty of shops to browse around as well as cafes, bars and restaurants.

Belgian Coast and Holland

Nearby Blankenberge is a picturesque seaside resort with a promenade, marina and Belgium’s one and only pier many.  There are many Art Nouveau buildings and museums. In the Belle Epoque Centre museum, you get to know the idyllic period of the 19th and early 20th century: the belle époque.  Or visit  Majuttes’ House – once a typical late 18th-century fisherman’s dwelling, the cottage is now a fun museum-café. Like fisherman Pé Majutte in his day, enjoy a cup of coffee with some delicious ‘sluffer’ cake. Meanwhile, feast your eyes on the oldest and much loved, award winning fisherman’s cottage on the Belgian coast.  Or visit the Dairy Museum – over 350 years of cheese and butter making and culture; presented in a thoroughly modern context. Unique to Belgium!

After some free time, drive to Sluis, a small but majestic fortified town just over the Dutch border, which is peppered with quirky shops, cafes and restaurants. From small fashion shops to larger chains, the options are many. Everywhere there are reminders of the past, such as the old ramparts, town gates and a statue of lexicographer Johan Hendrik van Dale.

Sluis has the only town hall in the Netherlands with a belfort, a Flemish clock-tower.  The town hall, which dates back to the 14th century, now houses an interactive museum.   The working windmill, Molen de Brak, is well worth a visit.  Home-milled flour is available in the gift shop and the building also accommodates a brasserie and tea room.

For the more energetic, climb almost 100 steps up the the belfry, Holland’s only bell tower, offering great views.

Return to the UK

Drive to Calais for the short sea ferry crossing to the UK.