Arrival in Bruges – Upon arrival in Lille, we travel by coach to your hotel in the heart of Bruges. This evening we will gather with our tour manager for the short walk to our restaurant for a lovely welcome dinner, where you will get a chance to meet other travellers joining the tour on their own.

Bruges – We will enjoy continental breakfast in our hotel this morning before joining our tour manager on a walking tour of charming Bruges. Although compact, the town is packed with sights, sounds, smells and an ambience all its own.

The 13th century belfry dominates the town, and those who wish to take the 366 steps to the top will be amply rewarded with remarkable views of the maze of streets and canals below. We will also take in the popular sights, including the City Hall, the old Law Courts and the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which is so-called because it houses a vial claimed to contain the blood of Jesus, brought back from the Holy Land.

We’ll also see the Notre Dame Church, where Michelangelo’s masterpiece, Madonna and Child, is housed. Bruges is, of course, synonymous with fine Belgian beers, and many bars dedicate entire menus to the vast array of options available. Those who would like to know more about Bruges’ brewing heritage may choose to take a short stroll to the Halve Maan Brewery Museum, where there is also a chance to unwind with a beer tasting.
The remainder of the day is free for you to explore. The Groeningemuseum and Sint-Janshospitaal are home to sublime works of art and you can find museums dedicated to Belgium’s holy trinity of beer, chocolate and frites. You can take a boat tour of the canals so you can see the city from a waterside perspective, or find a café and enjoy watching the world go by.

Ypres & Tyne Cot Cemetery – This morning, you can choose to explore Bruges at leisure, or take an optional included excursion that visits the locations made famous during World War I. The battlefield tour centres on Ypres, which was almost flattened during the First World War as Allied and German forces fought for control of this strategically important town. The countless lives lost are remembered with a moving ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial each evening at 8pm. You can also visit the Passchendaele Memorial Museum, which shines a light on some of the darkest days of the Great War. During the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, over 500,000 troops died in just three months as the Allies attempted to take the village of Passchendaele. We visit the bunkers, craters and trench sites of this monumentally bloody battle.
Our day concludes with a poignant visit to the world’s largest Commonwealth cemetery at Tyne Cot, its sea of 11,961 graves reflecting the First World War’s staggering loss of life.

We will return to Bruges, where there will be an opportunity to gather with our travelling companions for a final evening sampling some of the wonderful Flemish food. Returning to Bruges in the late afternoon, you cannot fail to be touched by the sights and sounds of this unforgettable trip back in time.

Belgian chocolatier & return home – No visit to Bruges would be complete without a chance to enjoy the art of the chocolatier. We will visit one of the few establishments using traditional methods for a demonstration, as well as a chance to sample the sweet delights for yourself.

Afterwards, we will take a coach back to Lille, where we board our Eurostar train home to London St Pancras.