THIS TRIP IS CONFIRMED. AS WE TRAVEL WITH A SMALL GROUP WE HAVE CHANGED THE BUS TYPE TO A VIP-BUS WITH ROUND SITTING CORNER.
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The Province of Zeeland lies in the Southwest of the Netherlands. Compared to the rest of the country it is not densely populated. It is rather flat and green, and there are not many big cities either, with the largest ones being Middelburg (40.000) and Vlissingen (32.000). Still, the province is a major tourist destination due to its beautiful coastline with many long white sandy beaches and lovely towns, the endless water sports facilities (surfing, sailing, swimming, fishing, diving), as well as attractive old cities like Middelburg and Veere. Today we are going to visit both of them, one in the morning and one in the later afternoon. In the middle of the day we will discover something very special, namely the most important part of one of the world’s all-time largest water engineering project: the DELTA WORKS!
We depart at 8h00 from Place Schuman, as usual with a very comfortable 4* luxury coach. It has a lot of leg space, reclining comfort seats, air-conditioning, flat screen TVs and an on-board toilet. Along the way we provide you with some drinks and snacks so you can optimally enjoy the ride!
Our first destination is Middelburg. The town’s origins go back a very long way, namely to the end of the first millennium (around 850). Although the city never reached the size of other Dutch cities (e.g. Rotterdam or Amsterdam) it did play an important role in history. For instance, during Holland’s Golden Age (17th century) the East Indian Company and the West Indian Company both had representations here. The town is a true gem in this part of the country, and you’ll find many beautiful buildings. Nice details is that the Roosevelt Presidents (of the United States) have their origins here. But enough said, lets follow an official guide for a 1,5 hours historic tour so we discover it all. This tour is included in the ticket. After the tour you can explore the town a bit more and have a quick lunch.
Our next destination is the heart of the amazing Deltaworks. You may not have heard of this engineering marvel, but after this visit you will understand why the Dutch are famous for their water engineering and are asked for the most complex projects around in the world, such as ship wreckage removal, dredging, reclaiming new lands, building protective dikes etcetera.
To fully grasp why this project is so enormous, we have to go back to one of the worst moments in Dutch history. On 31 January 1953 a dramatic flood swept over the Southwestern part of the Netherlands. A combination of very strong spring tide with a very strong Southwestern storm pushed massive amounts of water into the various inlets (see map above). As a result several key dikes broke and the hinterland was inundated. Over 2000 people died.
As a result the Dutch government started an enormous program that took until 2012 to be finished. “The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees and storm surge barriers. The aim of the dams, sluices, and storm surge barriers was to shorten the Dutch coastline, thus reducing the number of dikes that had to be raised.” (Source: Wikipedia).
During an exclusive visit to “Neeltje Jans”, the former work island from where major sections of Deltaworks were coordinated and built an expert will give us a 30 minute lecture about the Deltaworks, followed by a 30 minutes movie. Afterwards we’ll follow the guide for a 1-hour tour into to the actual storm surge barrier and visite the inside of this mega structure. A unique opportunity! Entrance fees, lecture and guided tour are all included.
The last part of our visit to Neeltje Jans is a nice 1-hour boat ride over the Oosterschelde. Although not guaranteed oftentimes seals and porpoises are spotted on the water! This is optional (surcharge €4) and you’re welcome to explore the surroundings a bit more on your own, e.g taking a stroll along the beach.
The final part of the day we’ll spend in Veere, another very old and lovely town in Zeeland. You will have some free time to walk around, take a drink and have a nice dinner before the bus will take us back to Brussels where we will arrive around 21h00.
THIS TRIP IS CONFIRMED. AS WE TRAVEL WITH A SMALL GROUP WE HAVE CHANGED THE BUS TYPE TO A VIP-BUS WITH ROUND SITTING CORNER.
The map ID you have entered does not exist. Please enter a map ID that exists.
The Province of Zeeland lies in the Southwest of the Netherlands. Compared to the rest of the country it is not densely populated. It is rather flat and green, and there are not many big cities either, with the largest ones being Middelburg (40.000) and Vlissingen (32.000). Still, the province is a major tourist destination due to its beautiful coastline with many long white sandy beaches and lovely towns, the endless water sports facilities (surfing, sailing, swimming, fishing, diving), as well as attractive old cities like Middelburg and Veere. Today we are going to visit both of them, one in the morning and one in the later afternoon. In the middle of the day we will discover something very special, namely the most important part of one of the world’s all-time largest water engineering project: the DELTA WORKS!
We depart at 8h00 from Place Schuman, as usual with a very comfortable 4* luxury coach. It has a lot of leg space, reclining comfort seats, air-conditioning, flat screen TVs and an on-board toilet. Along the way we provide you with some drinks and snacks so you can optimally enjoy the ride!
Our first destination is Middelburg. The town’s origins go back a very long way, namely to the end of the first millennium (around 850). Although the city never reached the size of other Dutch cities (e.g. Rotterdam or Amsterdam) it did play an important role in history. For instance, during Holland’s Golden Age (17th century) the East Indian Company and the West Indian Company both had representations here. The town is a true gem in this part of the country, and you’ll find many beautiful buildings. Nice details is that the Roosevelt Presidents (of the United States) have their origins here. But enough said, lets follow an official guide for a 1,5 hours historic tour so we discover it all. This tour is included in the ticket. After the tour you can explore the town a bit more and have a quick lunch.
Our next destination is the heart of the amazing Deltaworks. You may not have heard of this engineering marvel, but after this visit you will understand why the Dutch are famous for their water engineering and are asked for the most complex projects around in the world, such as ship wreckage removal, dredging, reclaiming new lands, building protective dikes etcetera.
To fully grasp why this project is so enormous, we have to go back to one of the worst moments in Dutch history. On 31 January 1953 a dramatic flood swept over the Southwestern part of the Netherlands. A combination of very strong spring tide with a very strong Southwestern storm pushed massive amounts of water into the various inlets (see map above). As a result several key dikes broke and the hinterland was inundated. Over 2000 people died.
As a result the Dutch government started an enormous program that took until 2012 to be finished. “The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees and storm surge barriers. The aim of the dams, sluices, and storm surge barriers was to shorten the Dutch coastline, thus reducing the number of dikes that had to be raised.” (Source: Wikipedia).
During an exclusive visit to “Neeltje Jans”, the former work island from where major sections of Deltaworks were coordinated and built an expert will give us a 30 minute lecture about the Deltaworks, followed by a 30 minutes movie. Afterwards we’ll follow the guide for a 1-hour tour into to the actual storm surge barrier and visite the inside of this mega structure. A unique opportunity! Entrance fees, lecture and guided tour are all included.
The last part of our visit to Neeltje Jans is a nice 1-hour boat ride over the Oosterschelde. Although not guaranteed oftentimes seals and porpoises are spotted on the water! This is optional (surcharge €4) and you’re welcome to explore the surroundings a bit more on your own, e.g taking a stroll along the beach.
The final part of the day we’ll spend in Veere, another very old and lovely town in Zeeland. You will have some free time to walk around, take a drink and have a nice dinner before the bus will take us back to Brussels where we will arrive around 21h00.
