Belgium & Netherlands

Suggested Visits

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AMSTERDAM: Gractengordel and Golden Bend

City of canals and bridges. Explore the Gractengordel, or Canal Ring which was set out in the early 1600’s. Traditionally set out for workers who industries were prohibited in the town centre. It began as a poor area, but as the canals were extended, the merchant based oligarchy began to build houses and mansions along the most important canals, and in the 1660’s the richest built houses on a stretch known as the Golden Bend. In 2010 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

ANN FRANK’S HOUSE

Amsterdam has always been a religiously tolerant city so it is here that many Jewish people sought refuge in the Second World War, including Ann Frank, whose diary has been telling the stories of those families to generation after generation. Visit the house where Ann Frank’s family hid during Nazi persecution. The house has an exhibit on Ann Frank and her story, but also tells the stories of other forms of prosecution and discrimination.

RIJK MUSEUM

This top class museum displays paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and is famous for owning the best collection of Dutch art in the world. From Rembrandt’s expansive Night Watch to Jan Vermeer’s The Kitchen Maid, the museum houses not just paintings from the 17th century, but spans the history of Dutch art. So vast is the collection, that you may need to span your visit over a couple of days! (Please note, due to renovations, only a selection of its art may be viewed until 2013.)

VAN GOGH MUSEUM

Van Gogh’s Sunflower is one of the most reprinted paintings in the world and its painter much loved around the world, always fetch record sums at auction. The Van Gogh Museum gives visitors the chance to see much of his collection in one place, so that admirers can appreciate the whole scope of this talents. Van Gogh’s younger brother Theo amassed a collection of 200 paintings and 500 drawings. This plus 850 letters to Theo from Van Gogh, as well as selected works by his friends and contemporaries, tell the story of the man and his art.

THE HAGUE

Dutch often say that Amsterdam is their capital, but the The Hague is where their government sits. Not only is the Hague the seat of the government, but it is also home to many prestigious institutions, including the International Court of Justice. Museums include the Mauritshuis, home of many old masters and their masterpieces. Others enjoy the Gemeentemuseum which contains the largest collection of paintings by Mondrian in the world as many works by painters in the Haag School.

BRUSSELS

Brussels is Belgium’s capital and most visited city. An economic and political centre, the majority of its visitors are there on business and a visit will explain how this city has become such an important European capital. The Hotel de Ville, with its Gothic, crooked spire sits centre stage in the Grand Place which is Brussels commercial centre and many visitors first port of call. Contrast this historical centre with the modern European Parliament that lies at the centre of the European Union. This postmodern building nicknamed “Caprice Des Dieux” serves more than 700 politicians. Brussels is also the Belgium’s capital of art nouveau and art abounds from museums to underground stations decorated with murals!

ANTWERP

Today Antwerp is one of Europe’s busiest ports, but in medieval times it was the hub of the European cloth industry. Antwerp’s history is a combination of a thriving mercantilism and culture and art. In the 16th century it was the home of Pieter Paul Rubens. His studio in Wapper Square, where he spent the last 29 years of his life, is now an artistic pilgrimage. Today, Antwerp is the site of regeneration and renovation, and more recently is building a reputation for cutting edge fashion design.

BRUGES

This unspoilt picture perfect city is a Belgium gem. Having escaped damage of both world wars it remains a well preserved city of canals, winding streets and fine buildings. Bruges has been known as a centre for the making of priceless tapestries and extremely delicate lace. In the 14th-16th centuries it was one of Europe’s most sophisticated cities and the Bruges merchants spent their fortunes on fine mansions, churches and civic buildings that were and remain a spectacle in Northern Europe.

FLANDERS AND YPRES

During the First World War, Belgium was invaded by the Germans in 1914 and most of the country was occupied by Germany throughout World War I. As the Western Front, it was the scene of some of the bloodiest battles of World War I and trench warfare. In Belgium, lies the Ypres Salient, the name given to a bulge in the line of the trenches that both German and British armies felt was a good place to break through each other’s lines. In one battle in 1917, Passchendale, more than 500,00 men died and the landscape is littered with cemeteries and monuments to remember the cataclysmic loss of this conflict.