Pre & Post Conference Tours

Please find below an overview of the tours which were organized both before and after the Conference.

PRE CONFERENCE TOURS

Wednesday 20 October 2010 afternoon OR Thursday 21 October 2010 afternoon

Remark: This tour was held twice (same tour on both days).

• Duration of the tour: 4h00
  
• Rate per participant: €45,00

Our guide led you around the Luxembourg and Schuman area. He/she recalled the main stages of the construction of the European Quarter and the development of its institutions and its establishment in the heart of Brussels. But, "Europe in Brussels" means more than institutions and offices, it also involves Europeans!

This tour also told you about these expats who are living and working in Brussels for their ideals and/or their careers.

How do they relate to the native Bruxellois? What do they think of Brussels? Where do they live? How do they organize their family lives? Where do they do to enjoy themselves? What impact do they have on life in Brussels? Are they "Brusseuropeans" or "Euroxellois"? Their double identity has enriched the local culture. It was nice to meet them!

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Thursday 21 October 2010 afternoon

• Duration of the tour: 4h00
  
• Rate per participant: €45,00

We visited the delicious Mary Chocolatier (holder of a Belgian Royal Warrant since 1942) and tasted their exclusive, handmade Belgian chocolates.

We continued our visit with the famous Delvaux House, which is the oldest fine leather luxury goods company in the world. There, we discovered a passion for leather, excellent materials, the inspiration of its designers, the quality of its service and the expertise and know-how of its craftsmen. We finished the visit with a glass of champagne offered by Delvaux House.

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POST CONFERENCE TOURS

Saturday 23 October 2010 afternoon

• Duration of the tour: 4h00
  
• Rate per participant: €50,00

Visit on foot of the Market Square "La Grand Place", Brussels and surroundings.

This multi-thematic "Made in Brussels" tour revealed the many attractions of the city: an amazing variety of architectural styles, including the internationally renowned Grand Place and Art Nouveau masterpieces, historic pubs ("cafés") where we sampled famous Belgian beers and chocolates and other specialities, such as waffles, and admired the unchecked creativity in the field of comic strips for instance!

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Saturday 23 October 2010 afternoon

• Duration of the tour: 4h00
• Rate per participant: €45,00

From the ancient harbour area to the beguines' church, from the "boulevards" to the Grand Place and the St Hubert galleries we met many women from Brussels' past...

Artists and craftswomen, beguines and nuns, queens and governess, servants or mistresses, they recounted their circumstances, their roles, their history and that of their city. They also told us about the evolution of women's image through the ages.

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Saturday 23 October 2010 afternoon

• Duration of the tour: 4h00
• Rate per participant: €45,00

Discovery on foot of the famous Belgian architects: Victor Horta and Paul Hankar!

In the spotlight were the architects who so boldly revolutionized the art of building at the end of the 19th century. Their buildings are striking manifestoes of Art Nouveau, an art which spread with such felicity in this country, and evidence of an extraordinary creativity and talent, both in the mansions themselves and in their decoration.

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Saturday 23 October 2010 afternoon

• Duration of the tour: 4h00
• Rate per participant: €45,00

No need to be a rich tourist, a businessman or a rock-star to discover Brussels' most interesting hotels and palaces: we just follow our Chatterguide.

He led us through youth hotels, ex-brothels and high class international hotels, where the often sumptuous lobbies, restaurants or bars brought us back to the 17th century, the colonial times or the thirties.

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Sunday 24 October 2010 whole day

• Duration of the tour: 8h00
• Rate per participant (lunch included): €180,00

Walking city tour of historical and romantic Bruges accompanied by a professional guide. On this walk we saw numerous curiosities such as the Bequinage, the Lake of Love, Church of Our Lady, Burg Square with its Basilica of the Holy Blood, St. Saviour's Cathedral, Town Hall (outside), Market Square with its Cloth Halls and Belfry, etc.

We enjoyed a cruise on the romantic canals and visited the chocolate museum Chocostory with a tasting of typical pralines.

We ended our morning with a visit to the De Halve Maan (Half Moon) brewery, established in 1564 in Bruges. There, experienced guides taught us everything about malt and hops, including tasting the Brugse Zot beer.

We had lunch in a typical restaurant in the centre of Bruges.

In the afternoon, we visted the lace museum where we saw lace-workers demonstrating how to make bobbin lace. We also admired exquisite lace from the 18th and 19th centuries.

We ended our day with a visit to the Memling Museum in Bruges, which is a must for any art-lover as it takes you on a wonderful journey through the history of Belgian art, comprising some magnificent masterpieces by painters from the 15th century through to the present day. The contemporary art section displays works by Delvaux, Magritte, Permek and Van de Woestyne.

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