Between Culture, History & Tradition (Belgium - Germany)

Day 1 - BRUSSELS

Arrival in Belgium, a country rich in museums and art cities and the birthplace of the great surrealist painter René Magritte (1898-1967) and inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax (1814-1894). Meeting with the guide and departure to Brussels, famous for the chocolate capital of European Union and considered as a venue for important European political bodies like the European Union, the European Commission and the Council. The city also hosts the headquarters of NATO. Arrival at the hotel. Accommodation in the reserved rooms. Overnight.

Day 2 - BRUSSELS

Breakfast. Meeting with guide and panoramic tour of Brussels, is an architectural and cultural heritage, where the lower town is built around the Grand Place which is its heart: the palaces of the corporations and several dazzling facades, the home of King and the surrounding Town Hall giving power to the square the most beautiful square in Europe. Behind the town hall, in the rue de l'Etuve, we meet the most famous citizen of Brussels. And here that has always peed since 1691, the Manneken Pis. In addition to collegiate Royal Borough of Saint Michael and Gudula meet the courthouse and the park connecting Warande told the Parliament Palace with the Real Palace. We must reach the district of Laken, where the great annual fairs are held in the Exhibition Park to see the Atomium Built in 1958, represents an iron crystal molecule magnified 165 billion times, a symbol of the city. Specialties include the famous Belgian chocolates, lace, chocolate, crystal and diamonds. Overnight.

Day 3 - BRUSSELS / BRUGES / GENT / BRUSSELS

Breakfast. Meeting with the guide and departure to Bruges. Bruges, the capital of West Flanders. The medieval city center was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The downtown is still the original, never having been destroyed by war or major fires. Without a doubt, remains one of the most picturesque and attractive in Europe. The past is palpable on the canals and streets, in churches and palaces, in many facades restored and museums full of art. But it is also a living city, modern and romantic at the same time. Visit the old town and the beautiful Plaza Place. Proceeding to Gent was the capital of Flanders, often rival, Bruges, and the birthplace of Charles V. No other Flemish city can boast a greater number of historic buildings as Gent palaces built between the twelfth and seventeenth century flank and overlook the river Leie reflected the beautiful silhouettes hours Gothic Renaissance hours. In the cathedral of St. Bavo, where he was baptized in 1500 the Emperor Charles V, has exposed the famous painting of the brothers Van Eyck, The Adoration of the Lamb Monk, with as many as 284 figures. Tour of the old town and the Cathedral of Saint Bavo. Return to the hotel in Brussels. Overnight

Distances:
Brussels - Bruges = 102 Km
Bruges - Gent = 55 Km
Gent - Brussels = 59km

Day 4 - BRUSSEL / ANTWERPEN / COLOGNE

Breakfast. Departure to Antwerpen, one of the most beautiful cities in Belgium, and where he spent most of his life, until his death, the great painter Rubens (1577-1640). Meeting with the guide and panoramic tour of the city. Embedding it inside one of the most beautiful historical centers of the world as the Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady. Proceeding to Germany: home of the great poet JW Goethe (1745-1832), physicist A. Einstein (1879-1955), philosopher I. Kant (1724-1804), composer L.van Beethoven (1770-1827), writer T. Mann (1875-1955), and the inventor of printing with movable J. Gutenberg (1390-1468). Arrival in Cologne. The city with its 2000 years of history and its unique personality, it attracts millions of visitors each year. Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany. Whether it be the triennial music, "Cologne Pride", the fireworks and lights of the "Kölner Lichter" or Christmas markets, it offers in every season, an extensive program of events of all kinds and even invents A fifth season of world-famous: the famous Cologne Carnival. It is also nicknamed the "Cathedral City": it is long 144 meters wide, 86 m. high and 157 m. During the course of the excavations were found relics of Roman and among other things, the remains of an early Christian church, enlarged probably in the sixth century and later replaced by "Old Cathedral" in the ninth century under Archbishop Hildebold. Accommodation in hotels reserved rooms. Overnight.

Distances:
Brussels - Antwerpen = 55 Km
Antwerpen - Cologne = 210 Km

Day 5 - COLOGNE

Breakfast. Meeting with the guide and panoramic tour of the city that will conclude with a visit to the famous Cathedral (St. Peter and St. Mary), one of the largest in Europe, already the site of a Roman temple dedicated to Mercury. With the transfer from Milan relics of the Magi by Archbishop Reinald von Dassel, it was decided to build a cathedral more solemn. The first stone was laid on August 15, 1248. Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, however, work was suspended and resumed in 1842. 15 October 1880 Emperor Wilhelm I began the cathedral completed. Time available. Return to the hotel. Overnight.

 

Day 6 - COLOGNE / DUSSELDORF / COLOGNE

Breakfast. Departure to Düsseldorf: regional capital of NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia), once a region of coal and steel is a industrial heartland today, modern technology center, a region rich in culture and head office for the new tecnology media. City of the great poet Heinrich Heine (1799-1856).
Historical residence of electors princes, is characterized by wide streets lined with elegant shops and a belt of parks and gardens that meander through the perimeter of the center. Its location on the riverside of the Rhine it is also a major river port.The Gothic church of S. Lambertus century. XIII-XIV, stone and red brick with a tower of 72 m on the front and the Theater of Opera, the Königsallee (central artery) of walking and shopping street with art galleries and boutiques of the most famous names in fashion. The old city with the Burgplatz, which is the square of the ancient castle and the old city center, the Schlossturm (castle tower) only remnant of the grand ducal castle (XIII-XVI), which was destroyed in 1872, the Altes Rathaus (the old town hall) at the center of the square with the monument of the Prince Elector Johann Wilhelm, etc;. Time available. Return to the hotel in Cologne. Overnight.

Distances: Cologne - Düsseldorf = 38 Km

Day 7 - COLOGNE / AACHEN / BRUSSELS

Breakfast. Departure to Aachen, a city on the border with Belgium, famous for its old town and the oldest cathedral in northern Europe, is a conglomeration of architecture of various periods, including the chapel Byzantine / Carolingian of Charlemagne (Kaiserkapelle), which is the oldest part of the cathedral. Charlemagne began the construction of the chapel in 786. His death in 814, was buried in his cathedral, where his remains are still preserved in a casket. The Aachen Cathedral was the first German monument to be included in 1978 in the UNESCO list of World Heritage, and was one of the first three objects of historic Europe. It is also proposed as one of seven modern wonders. The cathedral took its present form over more than a millennium. The heart of the Cathedral of Aachen is the Palatine Chapel, although now surprisingly small compared to the later additions, at the time of its construction was the largest dome north of the Alps . Its fascinating architecture with classical, Byzantine and Franco-German is the essence of a monumental building of primary importance for 600 years, from 936 to 1531, the cathedral at Aachen was the church of coronation for 30 kings of the Holy Roman Empire. Departure for Brussels. Arrive late afternoon at the hotel. Accommodation in the reserved rooms. Overnight.

Distances:
Cologne - Aachen = 71 Km
Aachen - Brussels = 144 Km

Day 8 - DEPARTURE

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport in Brussels. End of our services.