*EXPIRED* Journeys Rediscovered - Culinary Journey of Belgium


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Culinary Immersion Tour Unique to Journeys Rediscovered

"Culinary Journey of Belgium" 

(Small Group Tour of no more than 8 people)

Brussels – Antwerp – Bruges – Ghent | 8 days/7 nights

  • 2 nights accommodation in Brussels – Hotel des Galeries
  • 1 night accommodation in Antwerp – Hotel Julien
  • 2 nights accommodation in Bruges – Hotel Heritage
  • 2 nights accommodation in Ghent – 1898 The Post
  • Breakfast daily at hotels
  • Other meals & tastings included as per itinerary at specially selected restaurants and culinary experiences
  • All private transfers 
  • All activities included as per itinerary
  • Entrance fees
  • Sightseeing and touring with a local English speaking guide   

Contact Journeys Rediscovered on 0477002235 for pricing to suit your preferred departure dates as a private itinerary or REGISTER for our 2022 or 2023 Small Group Journeys (no more the 12 passengers).

Boutique 4.5 & 5 star accommodation twin share. Single Supplements available.

More Information

Day 1 - Brussels: Upon arrival at the airport, your private driver will await you at the meeting point, just outside the gate after you’ve picked up your luggage. The driver will be holding a card with your name on it. On the way to the city centre, enjoy a photo opp of Brussels. You will be taken for a drive around the city and pass some of Brussel’s monumental highlights such as the Atomium, the Royal Palace of Laken, Parc du Cinquantenaire, the European district, etc.

Check-in at Hotel des Galeries, a boutique hotel perfectly located near the Grand Place, in the stunning Galeries Royales Saint Hubert, relax & refresh. 

At 4pm, start a guided walking tour through Brussel downtown with emphasis on history: the Old Market, the Manneken Pis, the Gallery Royal Saint Hubert, the Central Station & Gallery, the Bozar, etc. End the tour with a pub crawl to bars regularly voted among the best beer cafés, the ones with a good selection of artisanal beers on tap but also to some hidden ones known as "estaminets"; many date back to the 18th century and have remained unchanged ever since! Return to the hotel by 8pm and the rest of the evening is at leisure. We recommend you enjoy a traditional Belgian brasserie near Place Sainte Catherine and some local beers in one of the bars of the lively Halles Saint Gery. 

Day 2 - Brussels: In the morning, enjoy a walking tour to the Royal district - Royal square, Royal Palace, Royal Park. You will pass by the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula, Mont des Arts and the beautiful art-deco building of the Music Instrumental Museum, the Magritte Museum, dedicated to the work of the surrealist artist René Magritte. Enjoy a typical Belgian lunch at “Pistolet Original” which offers a huge choice of sandwiches filled of typical cold and hot belgian products like home-made steak tartare, salted pork hash with pickles, grey shrimps, cream cheese with radish and onions, gouda cheese with "witlof" and green salad, grey shrimp croquettes, sausage meat balls with mayonaise, etc. 

In the afternoon continue with a visit to the Sablon, especially known for the numerous antique dealers who settled down in the area and also with Belgian chocolate & confectionery stores. Enjoy a 1hr private chocolate workshop with mendiant creation in the atelier of a true Belgian chocolatier followed by a 30min tasting of a variety of chocolate to educate your palate. End the tour with a visit of “Brussels Beer Project”, a collaborative project using co-creation to become more innovative and daring to bring fresh air into a sometimes to conservative Belgian craft brewing scene. This involves explanation of the project, the beer styles you will be drinking and of course a tour of the brewery and brewing processes. The brewery even has a beer called “Chove Chuva”, inspired by the post-bossa nova song written by Jorge Ben Jor. 

For dinner, we recommend “Dinner in the Sky”: discover an unforgettable gastronomic experience in the skies over the capital. You can enjoy an unparalleled view of Brussels and its surrounding while delighting in rare dishes prepared by stared chefs and drink fine wine! 

Meals included: B L

Day 3 – Brussels/ Antwerp: After breakfast, prepare your bags, check-out of the hotel and transfer to Antwerp(1hr). Upon arrival, meet your private guide and absorb the medieval majesty of Market Square; gaze at the building beauty of the Baroque facades of the Cathedral of Our Lady and marvel at the outstanding architecture of Antwerp railway station. 

For lunch, we recommend “Frites Atelier”. This snack bar, called here “frietkot” is not the same as the others you can find in Belgium. Here, the receipts were invented by Sergio Herman renowned for having multiple restaurants with Michelin stars. In this Frites Atelier, it is possible to eat perfectly fried frites with many different kind of sauces developed by the chef. Another option would be “Mercado”, the first real food market in Belgium. This iconic location became a true foodie heaven, where you taste the latest culinary trends and food from all over Belgium and the world. 

After lunch, continue with your guide visiting the MAS, museum hosting several interesting temporary exhibitions. From the rooftop, you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of Antwerp. Continue to the nearby museum Rubens House, where the famous painter spent most of his lifetime. Despite its modest size, shopping in Antwerp is an experience befitting the city’s status as an international fashion capital. Enjoy some free time shopping. Whatever your personal style, you can choose between the elegant offerings of major fashion houses, cutting-edge boutiques, small independent workshops and outstanding, pace-setting concept stores. 

For dinner, we recommend going to “Het Eilandje (The Island)”, Antwerp’s oldest port area surrounded by water. Today, port activity is more concentrated in the north, but the feeling of a port is still very much present and this area is filled by trendy bars and restaurants. Another option would be “The Jane” a Michelin-starred gem recently voted the world’s most beautiful restaurant. 

Meals included: B

Day 4 – Antwerp/ Bruges: After breakfast, prepare your bags, check-out of the hotel and transfer to Bruges (1.5hr). Arriving in Bruges, you will be directed to the home of a Belgian interior designer where a private chef will teach you how to prepare a typical Flemish dish, the Carbonade Flamande with sweet-sour beef and onion stew made with beer, and seasoned with thyme, bay leaves and mustard. Enjoyed some local beers in the beautiful garden. 

At 2pm, departure from the house on Horse Tram for a 30min ride through the city. It’s going to be your first encounter with the medieval Bruges since the Horse Tram will pass by touristic areas but also non touristic areas. You will be dropped at Hotel Heritage, a classic hotel offering the latest technology in rooms and impeccable service. Check-in, relax and refresh. 

At 4pm, enjoy an unexpected tour on foot of beautiful Bruges. It is the best preserved example of medieval Flanders and similarly to Amsterdam, the heart of Bruges is surrounded by an almost continuous ring of canals. Therefore Bruges is also known as 'the Venice of the North’. En route you walk through small streets, pass nice green parks, past picturesque houses and the city highlights: the Beguinage and Minnewater, the Burg and city hall, the belfry (for the brave one’s: climb the 366 stairs all the way to the top of the Belfry and enjoy the great view over the Market Square.), the Church of our Lady, the old nunnery, St. Saint Saviour’s Cathedral... Return at the hotel by 6:30pm and rest of the evening at leisure.

Meals included: B L

Day 5 – Bruges/ Dammes: After a light breakfast, meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel and start your chocolate tour! Bruges is also known as the chocolate city. Here you will have the chance to visit many chocolate shops. There are over 46 chocolate shops in Bruges, so you will definitely find the chocolate you like. Probably one of the most famous amongst them is the rock ‘roll chocolatier Dominique Persoone , a close friend of the Brazilian chef Alex Atala, who became famous by creating “the snuff machine” for a party organized by Mick Jagger. Thanks to the chocolate shooter, you can get a few mg of his cocoa spice catapulted directly into both nasal cavities! 

At the end of the visit, enjoy a 30min boat tour through the waterways. Lunch at leisure. Bruges is at only 15km from the sea and offers a wide variety of fresh seafood. We recommend having some mussels & fries at “Breydel De Coninc”, probably the most famous restaurant of Bruges. It’s a touristy place but a local must see. 

After lunch, at 2pm, enjoy a 1h30 behind the scene visit of the brewery De Halve Maan. For centuries the Maes family has been brewing beer in Bruges. Learn the history of the brewery and enjoy a tasting of their delicious world famous beers: Brugse Zot or Straffe Hendrik. End the day with your bicycles for an easy ride to the beautiful village of Damme. You will bicycle in the country side along canals and through polders. Return at the hotel and rest of the day at leisure. 

Meals included: B

Day 6 – Bruges/Ghent: After breakfast, enjoy some free time in Bruges on your own. At 11am, prepare your bags, check-out of the hotel and transfer to Ghent (1hr). Upon arrival, check-in at 1898 The Post, a new splendid boutique hotel in a historical building located in the heart of Ghent. 

Lunch at leisure. We recommend “the Great Butchers' Hall”. The medieval building who houses the centre for the promotion of local East Flemish products. You can also enjoy the East Flanders’ cuisine such as ‘Gentse Watezooi’ , the chicken based stew originated from the city and one of the famous Belgian dishes you should definitely try. 

After lunch, meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel and start a walking tour. Ghent is one of the most vibrant city's of Belgium. The guide will show some of the city’s highlights such as: the new library ‘De Krook’ which has a specific contemporary architecture, St Peter Cathedral, the Cityhall, the Patershol, the Castle of the Counts, the Beguinage, the St. Bavo’s Cathedral with the unique altarpiece ‘the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’, etc. 

At 6pm, enjoy the end of the day with a beer walk guided by a beer historian with tasting at original beer cafes, including the bar of the city brewery producing the Gentse Gruut, and ending with diner in the nice brasserie. Dinner at leisure. We recommend one of the eatery of the acclaimed chef Kobe Desramaults. At 25 years olds, he received his first Michelin star which made him one of the youngest star chef in Belgium. He runs now “De Vitrine” in Ghent's former red-light district and a bakery - restaurant “De Superette” where gather all the hipsters of the city. 

Meals included: B

Day 7– Ghent: After breakfast, meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel and enjoy a tour with focus on local delights. The first traditional sweets try is the “Cuberdon”, a typical sweet from East Flanders The Cuberdon or Gentse Neus (Noze from Ghent) has to be eaten fresh, otherwise the shell becomes too crispy. That's why the sweet is only found in Belgium! Continue to the “Etablissement Max” estabilished in 1839 and served the very first Apple beignets and Brussels Waffles in Ghent. The traditional recipes from then are still being used even now! 

After so much food, it’s time to have a drink! In Belgium, the genever was once so massively popular it threatened industrial production. As a consequence, in 1880, the ruling Catholic Party passed a law forbidding its sale in cafés. The law was not repealed until the 1980s, which was perhaps better for the wealth of the nation, but it had a disastrous effect on the Flemish gin industry. Where once Flanders had been home to hundreds of distilleries, by the 1990s only one remained. All that has now changed with many micro-distilleries offering a wide variety of options served in the bars of the city. 

Lunch at leisure. We recommend new Holy Food Market. -  Afternoon and evening at leisure. 

Meals included: B

Day 8– Ghent: - After breakfast, at time previously arranged, meet your driver and transfer to Brussels airport or train station.

Meals included: B

Travel Dates

Valid for travel 01 Oct 2020 - until 31 Dec 2023.

Terms & Conditions

Contact Journeys Rediscovered to register for our 2022 or 2023 Small Group Journey (no more than 8 passengers.) Journeys Rediscovered Small Group - Culinary Journey of Belgium, will run with a minimum of 6 passengers.

Alternatively, contact Journeys Rediscovered for pricing to suit your preferred departure dates as a private itinerary, which is guaranteed with a minimum of one person.

Land-based itinerary is based per person on twin/double share basis (unless otherwise stated), single supplement is available, contact Journey Rediscovered for this surcharge.

International & domestic airfares are additional, please contact Journeys Rediscovered for international flight options and prices.

Travel insurance is strongly recommended and can be arranged for you for an additional cost.

For full pricing, terms and conditions, contact your MTA Travel Expert, Journeys Rediscovered on 0477002235 or journeysrediscovered@mtatravel.com.au

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Product Code: BELGIUM01
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