B | L | D denotes included breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
Day 1 | Depart gateway city
AHI FlexAir passengers depart for Brussels, Belgium. Please check your luggage from your gateway city to your arrival city. Your claim checks should have the following airport code: BRU.
Day 2 | Brussels, Belgium | Antwerp
Sapphire House Antwerp
D
Arrive at Brussels Airport. Proceed through immigration to the baggage claim area and retrieve your luggage. After completing customs, AHI FlexAir passengers traveling on flights that qualify for the group arrival transfer and Land Program passengers who have purchased seats on the group transfer should exit the baggage claim area and proceed to the designated meeting spot, where an AHI Travel representative will meet you. The meeting location will be provided with your final documents.
Transfer to Sapphire House Antwerp. Please note, if you arrive before check-in time, your room may not be immediately available.
Antwerp. Marvel at Antwerp’s beautiful cityscape during a walking tour of the historic quarter and learn about its history as a commercial powerhouse in the late Middle Ages. During your walk, pass by the medieval castle Het Steen, the city’s oldest building, and Vleeshuis, the former butchers’ guildhall. Stroll through the bustling Grote Markt, the main market square. Surrounded by medieval guildhalls and a Renaissance city hall, the Grote Markt hosted international medieval trading fairs. Continue down the Oude Koornmarkt, the Old Grain Market, a street where grain merchants gathered weekly to sell their goods, to Vlaaikensgang, a picturesque medieval alley lined with restaurants, art galleries and antique shops. The alley was home to the city’s cobblers, who rang the bells of the neighboring Cathedral of Our Lady in times of emergency. See the cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the country. (Moderate)
Gather for a Welcome Reception and Dinner to kick off your Belgian journey.
Day 3 | Antwerp
Sapphire House Antwerp
B | L
Start each morning with a delicious breakfast at your hotel.
Enrichment: Contemporary Belgium. During a presentation by a local expert, learn about the geographical regions of Belgium and corresponding linguistic divisions. Dutch, French and German are the country’s three official languages, though native German speakers account for less than 1 percent of the Belgium’s population.
Red Star Line Museum. Antwerp has a strong link to the immigrant story of the United States. As you explore the Red Star Line Museum, discover the stories of the European emigrants who bid farewell to the continent as they boarded ships destined for North America. Between 1873-1934, 2 million men, women and children came to Antwerp from all over Europe to walk across the gangway of Red Star Line ships, hoping for better opportunities when they next walked across the gangway on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Among the shipping line’s most famous passengers were Irving Berlin and Albert Einstein. Einstein was a frequent passenger, choosing Red Star Line for his journeys to the United States. He also traveled aboard a Red Star ship on his final 1933 journey to the U.S. to escape Nazi Germany. (Moderate)
Take a break for a group lunch at a local restaurant to savor Belgian cuisine.
Antwerp Central Station. Tour Antwerp Central Station, nicknamed the “Railway Cathedral” for its eclectic architecture. Architect Louis Delacenserie drew upon many influences, including the Pantheon in Rome, to create his eclectic design. (Moderate)
Free Time: Enjoy a free evening to explore Antwerp’s dining scene on your own. There is something for everyone: wine bars, brew pubs, fish restaurants, international cuisine and even street food. Your Travel Director will be happy to offer suggestions and assist you with making reservations.
Day 4 | Bruges
Sapphire House Antwerp
B | L
Bruges. Spend a full day in beautiful Bruges and its UNESCO World Heritage old town, which has an impressive collection of Gothic architecture. The city, due to its coastal location, was a prosperous, medieval port town, one of Northern Europe’s most powerful cities as a member of the Hanseatic League. Bruges still hosts an annual fair that began in 1200. During the Middle Ages, the growing wealth of the city led to a flurry of civic and religious construction projects that you’ll see today: the Market Square, Belfry Tower (which is UNESCO listed on its own along with the belfry of Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady), Town Hall and Chapel of the Holy Blood. In the 15th century, Bruges fostered the artistic development of the Flemish Primitive school. Tour the Groeninge Museum to admire a rich collection of paintings created over a span of six centuries, including works from the Flemish Primitive era. At the Museum of the Church of Our Lady, admire Michelangelo’s sculpture, Madonna and Child. (Active)
After working up an appetite on your walking tour through the old town, visit a local brewery for a delicious lunch and a beer tasting.
Canal Cruise. Bruges also is famous for the canals that wind through town. Sit back and enjoy a relaxing cruise through the city as you pass historic landmarks, leafy parks and more. (Active)
Free Time: Spend some time exploring Bruges on your own.
Return to Antwerp for an evening at leisure.
Day 5 | Antwerp
Sapphire House Antwerp
B | D
Take advantage of a morning and early afternoon at leisure to explore Antwerp on your own. Perhaps you’ll visit the Port House, which features a very modern architectural addition atop a historic fire station, or visit some of Antwerp’s interesting neighborhoods. You may wish to return to Vlaaikensgang to browse through the shops and then visit the cathedral to gaze upon its vaunted paintings by Rubens. You may decide to stop by the Middelheim Museum to admire the sculptures on exhibit.
Belgian Chocolate Workshop. At the studio of an artisanal chocolatier in Antwerp, roll up your sleeves and learn how to make your own sweet treats with expert instruction. Your chocolatier explains where chocolate comes from while sharing the secrets of working with this delightful confection. Take away your chocolate creation to enjoy later. (Moderate)
Tonight, gather with the group for dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 6 | La Roche-en-Ardenne | Bastogne
Sapphire House Antwerp
B | L
Battle of the Bulge. Travel to the Ardennes, a region in southeastern Belgium that was the center of World War II’s pivotal Battle of the Ardennes, more famously known as the Battle of the Bulge. In the town of La Roche-en-Ardenne, learn about the conflict as well as the daily life of the soldiers involved in the fighting at the Battle of the Ardennes Museum. Continue to Bastogne, which was valiantly defended by a U.S. Army division surrounded and outnumbered by German forces. See the Mardasson Memorial which honors fallen U.S. soldiers. (Moderate)
Enjoy lunch with the group at a local restaurant during your tour.
Return to Antwerp, where the evening is free to enjoy on your own.
Day 7 | Brussels
Sapphire House Antwerp
B | D
Atomium. Delight in a visit to the Atomium, a futuristic structure built for the 1958 World’s Fair! Shaped like an atom on the outside, the inside passages are straight out of a sci-fi movie. (Moderate)
Continue to Brussels, where you’ll have time for lunch on your own before a walking tour of the historic district.
Brussels. Get to know Brussels’ charming old town, known as the Îlot Sacré. Stroll through Le Grand-Place, the city’s historic market square, and admire the centuries of architecture represented in the surrounding buildings. (Moderate)
Gather for a group dinner in Antwerp.
Day 8 | Ghent
Sapphire House Antwerp
B | D
Ghent. Stroll through Ghent, one of Belgium’s oldest cities, on a walking tour. See the Town Hall, which combines late Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles; Gravensteen, or the Castle of the Counts; Patershol Quarter, one of Ghent’s most popular neighborhoods; and the guildhall-lined Vrijdagmarkt square, where locals gather for weekend markets. Step inside Gothic St. Bavo’s Cathedral to see Jan van Eyck’s “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” (Moderate)
Have lunch on your own before returning to Antwerp.
Tonight, celebrate your journey to Belgium at a Farewell Reception and Dinner.
Day 9 | Depart for gateway city
B
After breakfast, AHI FlexAir passengers traveling on flights that qualify for a group transfer and Land Program passengers who have purchased seats on the group transfer depart for Brussels Airport for your return flights home. Your Travel Director will provide the details.
