THE BRUSSELS FLOWER CARPET; BRUGES & GENT
 WHAT’S INCLUDED
Flower carpet dates to be decided
From 3 days duration
Return executive coach travel
Return Eurotunnel or ferry
From 2 nights bed & buffet breakfast at a 3 star hotel
All rooms with private en-suite facilities
FREE INSURANCE on selected dates SAMPLE ITINERARY Day 1 Departing from your chosen pick up points you will travel to take the short channel crossing to Calais and on to Brussells.
Day 2 We start today with an a guided walking tour of the city centre as you take in many of the places of interest. You will then have the afternoon free and can visit the stunning Flower Carpet. A huge area, at the centre of the celebrated Grand Place, becomes a floral work of art every other year as a giant carpet is laid out to a pre-determined theme. It’s an incredible sight as each year a huge team of artists and helpers set to work creating this famous display from turf and fresh begonias. About 300 blooms go into the making of each square metre, and they are so tightly packed they create their own microclimate and resist wind damage. In all, about 700,000 flowers go into the magnificent display. The margins of the square are freely accessible throughout, but to gain a panoramic view, we include a ticket for entry to the Town Hall where you can go out onto the balcony, from where the views are sensational. Dinner tonight is at your leisure and there are a multitude of restaurants to choose from within easy reach of either hotel.
Day 3 Today we suggest an optional visit to Belgium's National Botanical Garden in the small village of Meise about 12km north of the city centre . The first Brussels Botanical Garden was established a long time ago, and it has moved sites twice to make way for city redevelopments. The previous botanical garden built in 1829 is a neoclassical building in central Brussels near Rue Royale. The new site for the collection was provided in 1938 by the Royal Family and is at Miese. Building was delayed by the war years and the main Plant Palace was not started until 1947 and completed in 1959.It was officially opened in 1958 in the year of the word fair, when it was renamed to the National Botanical Garden of Belgium. The collection contains around 18000 species of which 8000 are in the ornamental park grounds and the rest inside the greenhouse. It is a very impressive and wide ranging collection split into reference, geographical and utility species. There is a significant research facility in the grounds and the organisation which is similar to Kew. Public transport would need to be taken to reach here for which costs and the entrance fee are payable locally.
Alternatively you might like to enjoy a self guided themed tour of the city for which we can provide you with details. These could include, Fashion Art Nouveau, the European District, Gastronomy including breweries & chocolate houses or from the Sablon to the Marolles where you can take in a few museums whilst checking out the city's Antique and Flea Markets.
An example of what you might also choose to do on Sunday - A morning concert in the Bois de La Cambre or the Sablon's Eglise des Minimes. Stroll along the Flea Market (Place du Jeu de Balle in the Marolles). Lunch at: Trente Rue de La Paille (up-scale) or at the Stekerlapatte Or walk up Rue Royale for late lunch at De Ultieme Hallucinatie (Art Nouveau brasserie).Sunday Afternoon... Stop by the Royal Palace. Sample ice cream at Chez Manneken, Rue au Beurre (nearby the Grand'Place). Free afternoon jazz concert at L'Archiduc. Catch what you missed on Friday and Saturday. Sunday Evening... Eat at the Armes de Bruxelles, 't Kelderke, Vincent; try their mussels or our famous "frites" (fries) sold on the street. These suggestions are subject to availability on the dates in question.
Day 4 This morning you are free to join others in your group or explore individually, some more of the city with free time before you return to the UK and your original departure points
EXCURSION OPTIONS A guided tour of Bruges
Canal cruise
A tour of Gent
A city tour of Brussels including Mini-Europe
A visit to the ‘Flower Carpet’ in Brussels (August only)
A visit to historic Antwerp or Leuven
A visit & guided tour of Ypres
A visit to Sluis PRICE & SUPPLEMENTSPrice on application
Single room supplement & minimum numbers apply HOW TO BOOKChoose your departure date
For your instant quote / more information:
Call Simply Groups on 01943 605999 or
click here to use our online enquiry form. WE WILL DO THE REST
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