Day 1: Arrival in Ghent — Van Eyck & Medieval Splendour
Welcome to Belgium! Upon arrival at Brussels Airport, your STM Tours guide will meet you and transfer approximately 45 minutes to Ghent, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities and a thriving university town. After checking into your hotel in the historic centre, begin your journey into Flemish art history at St. Bavo’s Cathedral. Here, in a specially climate-controlled chapel, you will encounter one of the most important artworks in European history: “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” (1432) by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, also known as the Ghent Altarpiece. This 24-panel polyptych is the most stolen artwork in history — having survived fire, theft by Napoleon, seizure by Nazis, and a partially unsolved theft of one panel in 1934. After absorbing this masterpiece, embark on a guided walking tour of Ghent’s medieval core. Walk along the Graslei and Korenlei, the city’s stunning medieval port lined with guild houses reflecting in the River Leie. Visit Gravensteen Castle, the imposing 12th-century “Castle of the Counts” with its moat, ramparts, and torture museum. The castle offers magnificent views over the city’s three iconic towers. Welcome dinner at a restaurant in the Patershol district, Ghent’s medieval quarter of narrow cobblestone streets and candle-lit eateries.
Overnight: Ghent (4-star hotel, historic centre)
Meals: Welcome Dinner
Day 2: Ghent — Design, Street Art & Botanical Beauty
Begin your second day at the Ghent City Museum (STAM), housed in the 14th-century Bijloke Abbey. The museum tells Ghent’s 1,400-year story through innovative multimedia exhibits, including a spectacular aerial photo of the entire city covering the floor. Continue to the Design Museum Gent, showcasing Belgian design from Art Nouveau to contemporary — including works by Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde. Afterwards, explore the SMAK (Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art) or MSK (Museum of Fine Arts), home to masterpieces by Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Paul Rubens, and James Ensor. After lunch, visit the University Botanical Garden with 10,000 plant species, then walk through the Citadelpark to the STAM’s 14th-century monastery complex. In the afternoon, explore Ghent’s vibrant street art scene — the Graffiti Street (Werregarenstraat) is a legal canvas where artists constantly create new works. End your day at the Groot Vleeshuis (Great Butchers’ Hall), a medieval covered market now showcasing regional food products. Free evening to enjoy Ghent’s lively student atmosphere, perhaps sampling local specialties like Gentse waterzooi (creamy chicken or fish stew) or cuberdon (cone-shaped raspberry candy).
Overnight: Ghent (4-star hotel, historic centre)
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3: Antwerp — Rubens, Diamonds & Avant-Garde Architecture
After breakfast, travel approximately 50 minutes to Antwerp, Belgium’s second-largest city and one of Europe’s greatest art and fashion capitals. Your tour begins at the breathtaking Antwerp Central Station, regularly voted one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world — a magnificent blend of Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture with a massive iron and glass train shed. Walk to the Cathedral of Our Lady, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest Gothic church in the Low Countries, whose 123-metre spire dominates the city skyline. Inside, view four monumental altarpieces by Peter Paul Rubens: “The Raising of the Cross,” “The Descent from the Cross,” “The Assumption of the Virgin,” and “The Resurrection of Christ.” Continue to the Rubenshuis, the magnificent Italianate palazzo and studio where Rubens lived and worked for the last 30 years of his life. The house has been meticulously restored and houses an outstanding collection of his works alongside those of his contemporaries. After lunch in the trendy Zuid district, visit the Plantin-Moretus Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only surviving Renaissance-era printing workshop in the world — here you can see two of the oldest printing presses (c.1600) and a library of 30,000 books. End the day with a visit to the MAS (Museum aan de Stroom), a striking red sandstone tower in the harbour district, offering panoramic rooftop views. Return to Ghent for overnight.
Overnight: Ghent (4-star hotel, historic centre)
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4: Leuven — University Heritage & Beguinage
Depart for Leuven, the historic university city just 30 minutes east of Brussels. Home to the oldest Catholic university in the world (founded 1425), Leuven is a city defined by learning, beer, and stunning Gothic architecture. Begin at the monumental University Library on Ladeuzeplein, rebuilt with American donations after its destruction in World War I. The library’s carillon tower, with 63 bells, plays daily concerts. Walk to the Town Hall, widely considered one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in the world — a confection of 236 statues, delicate pinnacles, and intricate stonework completed in 1469. Cross to St. Peter’s Church, directly opposite, which houses Dirk Bouts’ masterpiece “The Last Supper” (1464-1468), one of the earliest Flemish paintings to use linear perspective. Visit the Groot Begijnhof (Great Beguinage), a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a beautiful walled village of brick houses, cobbled lanes, and gardens, founded in the 13th century and now part of the university. In the afternoon, tour the Stella Artois Brewery, established in Leuven in 1366. The guided tour traces centuries of brewing tradition and concludes with a tasting of the world-famous lager. In the early evening, transfer to Mechelen for overnight.
Overnight: Mechelen (4-star hotel)
Meals: Breakfast, Beer Tasting
Day 5: Mechelen & Departure
Spend your final morning exploring Mechelen, a beautifully preserved Flemish city that was briefly the capital of the Burgundian Netherlands in the early 16th century. The city’s undisputed highlight is St. Rumbold’s Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose massive tower — originally planned to reach 167 metres — rises 97 metres above the city. Climb the 514 steps to the top for one of Flanders’ finest panoramic views, encompassing Antwerp’s cathedral spire and, on clear days, the Atomium in Brussels. Inside the cathedral, admire the magnificent baroque pulpit and the painting “Christ on the Cross” by Anthony van Dyck. Walk through the charming Dyle riverfront, past elegant patrician houses and the former palace of Margaret of Austria. Visit the charming Small and Large Beguinages, both UNESCO-listed. End your tour at the Royal Carillon School, the world’s first and most famous carillon institute, founded in Mechelen in 1922. After a farewell lunch, transfer to Brussels Airport for your departure flight. Carry with you the memory of Van Eyck’s luminous altarpiece, Rubens’s monumental canvases, Gothic towers reaching for heaven, and the clinking of Stella glasses in Leuven — a journey through the soul of Flemish art and culture.
Meals: Breakfast
