DESTINATION INFORMATION
Belgium is a small country with a population of 10 million, and has been a constitutional monarchy since 1830.
The country is divided into three communities: Flemish (Dutch), French and German, and into three regions: Flemish, Walloon and Brussels Capital region. There are three official languages, French, Dutch and German, however English is so widely spoken, it's the fourth unofficial language!
Bordered by France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands, the Belgian landscape is varied, with the rivers and gorges of the Ardennes contrasting sharply with the rolling plains which make up much of the countryside. Notable features are the great forest of Ardennes near the frontier with Germany and Luxembourg, and the wide, sandy beaches of the northern coast, which run for over 60km (37 miles). The countryside is rich in historic cities, castles and churches.
Belgium sits at the crossroads of Western Europe. With the majority of West European capitals within 1,000 kms of Brussels, it is not surprising it is the seat of both the European Union and NATO.
The images of ‘boring Belgium’ have been well and truly banished over the last decade as the country promotes its key destinations, along with a string of new attractions. Belgium has a string of engaging cities in Bruges, Ghent, Liège - and Brussels itself - that offer impressive architecture, lively nightlife, first-rate cuisine and numerous other attractions for visitors.
Then there is reinvented Antwerp, now a hotbed of fashion and modern design, and the more bucolic charms of the chocolate box beauty of the mountainous Ardennes region to the east, as well as the sweeping sand of the coastline resorts of the western seaboard.
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BEST TIMES FOR TOURING |
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Lacrosse [May - Aug] |
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Hockey |
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Netball [Sept - Apr] |
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Cricket [Apr - Aug] |
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Rugby [Aug - May] |
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Football [Aug - May] |
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Basketball [All year] |
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TRAVEL
Traditionally, Belgium has been a ‘coach and ferry’ destination as the easiest way to travel to that country was to jump in a bus at your departure point and head for the ferryport. These options included:
Day time crossings from:
- Dover to Calais
- Harwich to the Hook of Holland.
Overnight crossings from:
- Harwich to Hook
- Hull to Zeebrugge
- Rosyth to Zeebrugge.
Flights to Brussels are as follows:
- British Airways ~ From London Heathrow; and with BA Connect from Manchester.
- SN Brussels ~ From London Gatwick, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham and Bristol.
- Ryanair ~ From Glasgow, Dublin and Shannon.
- VLM ~ From London City, offering several flights on weekdays.
- Bmibaby ~ From London Heathrow, Nottingham, Leeds Bradford and Edinburgh.
With the rise of the low cost carriers, several provincial cities are offering flights to Brussels.
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FIXTURES
We’ve been operating tours to Belgium for more than 30 years. And, as you would expect, we have very significant experience in each of the major sports that we have sent tours to this country to play. These sports are Hockey, Football and Rugby.
 For the vast majority of our history operating tours to Belgium, we have had one personal fixture contact. Dany Roelands has worked with us for over 25 years, and as well as running two travel agencies, he has been very much involved in a number of sports having been heavily involved with Standard Liege Rugby Club. Whilst being Belgium’s most famous international rugby referee and a basketball referee, he is now the President of the Belgian Rugby Union.
Belgium has a number of excellent sporting centres dotted around its country. You don’t have to just go to Brussels. Remember Antwerp, Bruges and Liege.
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FIXTURE SUITABILITY |
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Clubs |
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Schools [Prep and Senior] |
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Universities |
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ACCOMMODATION
Our accommodation philosophy has not changed since we started our business. We want to give quality accommodation at the best prices. On the rare occasion it happens where our customers are more attracted by budget than by quality, we offer cost effective multi-bedded accommodation in hostels. We prefer to offer good quality hotel accommodation normally at 3* level. The rationale behind this philosophy is a simple one ~ the better accommodation you use for your tourists, the better they’ll behave.
Apart from Bruges and Zeebrugge which are more tourist destinations, Belgium’s cities are more business orientated which means that at weekends, especially in Brussels, top quality hotels offer extremely attractive prices particularly for group business. Consequently, we are able to offer a higher standard of hotel at tremendous value for money prices.
In the past, we have successfully used the 3* Ibis Hotel Bruges Centrum, which is located in a 15th century convent in the historical area of Bruges near the Beguinage and Our Lady's Church. The hotel has 128 modern rooms, all offering the following amenities:
- Colour TV
- Radio
- Telephone
- Private bathroom
In addition to the above, the hotel has the following facilities:
- A la carte restaurant
- A cosy bar, open round the clock
- Buffet breakfast.
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WHAT TO DO
Top 10 Things to Do:
- Grand Place, Brussels
- The King's House, now the City Museum, Brussels
- Mannekin-Pis, Brussels
- Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée, Brussels
- Battle of Waterloo site
- Rubens' House, Antwerp
- Onze Lieve Vrouwkathedral, Antwerp
- Belfort, Bruges
- Walloon Art Museum, Liege
- Flanders' Fields
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