Day 1 - Arrive Amsterdam

On arrival you are met by your local representative and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Your Guardian Angel assists with check-in and runs through your itinerary.

Overnight: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam

Day 2 - Amsterdam

This morning join your local guide and enjoy a unique perspective of this beautiful city with a private canal cruise. Continuing your tour by foot, you also visit the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the Second World War.

Overnight: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Zaanse Schans

This morning visit the Zaanse Schans Open-Air Museum. With its windmills, workshops and warehouses, Zaanse Schans has something to captivate everyone’s imagination. This open air museum is a stunning preservation of Dutch life in the 18th and 19th centuries. The buildings have been painstakingly moved here from all over the Zaan region. Watch clog-making demonstrations, see how the famous Dutch cheeses are produced and witness pottery being hand-painted using the same techniques as they use in Delft

Returning to Amsterdam, the afternoon is at leisure to explore independently. Amsterdam is certainly a joy for art lovers, with the Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum and the Hermitage Museum Amsterdam all within easy reach.  Alternatively, discover the splendour of the Golden Ages, with a visit to the Museum Van Loon, a traditional townhouse immaculately preserved, or the Amstelkring Museum where, hidden away in the attic of a seemingly normal townhouse, is a clandestine church. For those looking for something more interactive, a visit to the NEMO science center, where the motto is ‘forbidden not to touch’. Take the slanting stairs to the roof for a panoramic view of the city.

Whatever you choose to do, be sure to include a stop at the Pancake House. The Dutch pannekoeken, savoury or sweet are delicious!

Overnight: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - Amsterdam – Antwerp – Bruges

Meet your English-speaking driver this morning and make your way to Bruges. You may wish to stop in the cosmopolitan city of Antwerp for lunch at leisure and a couple of hours to shop - this Belgian city is well known for its chocolates and diamonds!  Arrive into Bruges late afternoon.

Overnight: Hotel Dukes' Palace

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Bruges

Known as the Venice of the North, what better way to discover Bruges than by boat. A public canal cruise will introduce you to the city before a walking tour of the cobbled streets and splendid squares. In the High Middle Ages the city was one of the richest ports in Europe, owing its vast wealth to the maritime cloth trade. However, with the silting of the seas, the city lapsed into a beautiful slumber, with its canals, cobbled streets, merchants’ houses, churches and museums all perfectly preserved as one of the most magical cities in modern times. Your guide takes you for a stroll along the tree-lined canal streets, passing the Markt and its soaring belfry, one of the tallest and most beautiful in the whole of the Flanders region, as well as the medieval city hall. In the same square you find the Historium Bruges and take a trip back in time to the city’s Golden Age. Based in the historic building that once acted as the city’s shipping warehouse, the Historium brings the medieval past to life with a cinematic set, special effects and virtual reality experience to create a magical and interactive visit that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

This afternoon discover why Belgium is so famous for its delicious chocolate today as you explore some of the finest local chocolate shops in the city, before enjoying a private Belgian Chocolate Workshop. Learn how to make your own delicious Belgian chocolates from scratch, handcrafting Pralines and Mendiant chocolates (crispy chocolate base with dry fruits). You are also shown the secret to making real Belgian hot chocolate that really tastes like pure liquid dark chocolate heaven

Overnight: Hotel Dukes’ Palace

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Bruges - Ghent – Brussels

Transfer to Brussels this morning, admiring the view of the three medieval towers of St Nicholas Church, the gilded spires of the Belfry and the honey-coloured sandstone tower of St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent en route. 

Arrive in Brussels and check-in to your hotel. After lunch at leisure, find the Comic Arts Museum, dedicated to all things comic-related, for a fun and interesting visit documenting the history and future of printed cartoons. The museum honours the creators and heroes of comics, including the most famous Belgian contributions, from Herge's Tintin, to Peyo's Smurfs. Youngsters enjoy delving into the realistic smurf village and visitors of all ages can lose themselves in this world of imagination and creativity.

Overnight: Hotel Amigo

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Brussels

Meet your driver and local guide for your final day of sightseeing (8hrs). Enjoy a walking tour of the old town, which starts with a visit to the Grand Place, the magnificent square at the heart of the old quarter, considered to be one of Europe's most ornate market squares. Close to the Grand Place is Brussels' most famous resident, the Manneken Pis, a bronze statue of a small boy watering the fountain. Enjoy an overview tour of the city which will include the Royal Palace, Royal Square and Louise Square.

This afternoon, drive out to the Atomium, from the top of which you enjoy a panoramic view of Brussels. At the foot of the Atomium you find Mini-Europe where you can take a whistle-stop tour of Europe - see how many of its famous landmarks you recognise.

Overnight: Hotel Amigo

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Depart

Transfer to the airport this morning for your onward flight home.

Meal Plan: B