You are new to Brussels, or live already for some time, possibly even for many years. But surely you have seen the highlights of the city, and probably already many of the lesser known places. But when you feel like leaving town, you probably take a train to Leuven, Ghent, or Antwerp. Or you go on an Expat Club trip farther away, or even take a flight to a different part of the continent.
So you have seen Brussels, and several places at leasts 20-40km away from the city. But what about everything in between? Places that are located directly outside the Brussel Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, the Brussels Capital Region, just outside the R0 ring road? Today we are going to explore the Green Belt surrounding the city in a clock-wise direction and visit Meise, Grimbergen, Brussels Airport, Tervuren, Waterloo and Gaasbeek. We we will round it off with a visit to the best pub in Belgium (see article Lonely Planet), opened exclusively for Expat Club! This trip is all-inclusive, with all entrance fees, guided tours, lunch and drinks included.
What's included?
Trip by 4* luxury coach with reclining seats
Bottled water during the outbound journey
Full day guide from Vlaams Brabant province
Entrance ticket to Meise Botanical Gardens
Guided tour Meise Botanical Gardens
Short visit to Grimbergen
Drive around Brussels Airport
Visit to Park of Tervuren, Africa Museum, Colonies Palace (no entry)
2-COURSE IN BRASSERIE IN TERVUREN (with 1 drink + coffee/tea)
Entrance ticket to Gaasbeek Castle
Guided tour Gaasbeek Castle
Private visit to “In the Insurance against the Great Thirst” pub
Great group of international people
A lifetime expat memory
Coach pick-up point
Place Schuman (bus stop next to KBC Bank on roundabout)
Metro Yser (long bus stop next to metro exit and next to Leopold II tunnel towards Koekelberg)
As with all Expat Club trip, our clockwise-tour around Brussels has been carefully designed. We should have enough time to visit all places today, have lunch, take pictures and explore Brussels’ surroundings a bit on our own. Still, changes may occur as a result of traffic jams, road closures or other unforeseen reasons. Needless to say we do our very best to give you the most optimal program, although for most of our trips the schedules are spot-on.
08h30 – Departure Schuman roundabout
09h30 – Meise: Guided tour in botanical gardens
11h15 – Grimbergen: church & Grimbergen Castle
12h00 – Brussels International Airport: drive around the Airport
12h00 – Tervuren & 2-course lunch (included)
14h15 – Brussels South to Southwest
15h30 – Guided tour in Gaasbeek Castle
17h30 – Lennik: final drink at “In the Insurance against Great Thirst”, voted best pub in the world
18h30 – Return to Brussels
19h00 – Arrival Place Schuman
Our tour around Brussels takes us literally around the town, where there is so much to see.
Destinations
During this trip we literally drive around Brussels, not only to visit some of the best destinations, but also to give you an idea of the landscape, the infrastructure, the architecture and of course the history. Because during this trip we will take an official guide from the Province of Vlaams Brabant (Flemish Brabant) with us who can explain us everything about what is outside and around Brussels. We will also explore the language borders around the city.
Meise is located in the Northwest corner of Brussels, on the A12 highway towards Antwerp. It is most famous for its beautiful Botanic Garden and the Bouchout Castle, which we of course are going to visit with a guide during a 1,5 hours guided tour.
Grimbergen is most famous for its beer. In the town you will find a beautiful old majestic church called Grimbergen Abbey and the Sint Servaas Basilic. In Grimbergen you will find 4 different castles which adds authenticity to this unique town.
Zaventem is located North-East of Brussels and is the home of the largest international airport in Belgium. It resides in a Flemish speaking area with a population of almost 30.000. Today we actually discover “the other side” of the airport by driving around it, along the military side of the airport, and along some of the spotter areas.
Tervuren is one of the richest municipalities in Belgium and is located in Flanders, just a few kilometres from the edge of Brussels. The official language in this area in Dutch, but it has a highly international population, which becomes clear because of the various international schools here. The town is home to the Royal Museum of Central Africa. It is surrounded by beautiful nature with parks and lakes. We will have lunch here in a local restaurant and make a short walk. Also Tervuren has a rich history and is closely connect to Brussels, so we cannot skip this little town on our trip.
Waterloo is a town South of Brussels. It is most famous for the great battle of Waterloo where Emperor Napoleon I was defeated in 1815. In 1820, King William I of the Netherlands ordered the construction of the Lion’s Mound which commemorates the location of the Battlefield of Waterloo where the prince William II was knocked off his horse during battle. Depending on the time we have available, we will stop here for a quick look and picture (we cannot enter the museum or climb the hill).
Gaasbeek is a village situated in the Belgian municipality of Lennik in Flemish Brabant. It is most known for the Gaasbeek Castle, which is now a national museum. In 2007 it was chosen as one of the 15 most beautiful villages in Flanders. We will enjoy a 1,5 hours tour by a local expert.
In the Insurance against the Great Thirst in the small village of Eizeringen West of Brussels has the reputation of the best beer destination in the world and the best beer bar in Belgium. It has a huge selection of Gueuze (Lambic) and Kriek (cherry beer). It opens normally only on Sunday, but by special request the bar decided to open it up for Expat Club exclusively for a nice drink.
Brasserie Le Chalet Vert in Tervuren
Lunch
We will be having lunch in a local restaurant in Tervuren, at just a stone’s throw from the Africa Museum and the Tervuren Park. There will be a 2-course menu (included in trip price). You can choose between 3 main courses, which you can indicate during the reservation process:
Carbonades Flamand Salmon with finely-chopped vegetables Vegetarian lasagna
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Pie of the House
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one drink + coffee/tea
Transportation
We will be travelling with a comfortable 4* luxury coach from Lauwers Reizen. The seats are configured in Princess Class, which means you will have extra leg space and can recline your seat. This way you can get some extra rest. All seats have footrests as well. There is a (small) toilet on-board and a DVD system with three flat screens, so we can show you a nice documentary/ film about Beethoven during our outbound trip and a lovely movie on the inbound.
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