Pre and Post Conference Tours

Private City Tour in Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and, as headquarters of most European Union institutions, it is considered to be the de facto capital of Europe. This panoramic tour lasts about 3 hours and includes a walking visit of the Grand Place and its Corporation Houses. The Grand’Place is Brussels’ top tourist attraction, with the Gothic magnificence of its Town Hall and the Baroque exuberance of its late seventeenth-century guild houses surrounding the square. The panoramic tour by bus invites you to discover the Royal Square, the Sablon area, the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace of Brussels where the King works, the European Union Buildings, the Atomium (one of the symbols of Belgium, a remnant of the 1958 World exposition in Brussels), the Chinese Pavilion, the Japanese Tower, the Royal Palace of Laeken, the Saint Michael and Gudule’s Cathedral, the Jubilee Arch and more.
This 3 hour tour will give you the best chance to discover what Brussels has to offer!

Practical Information
Date: Saturday 26 May 2012
Schedule: 09.00 am – 12.00 am
Meeting point: Lobby of the Conference Centre MCE
Additional detail: Return transportation from the Conference Centre

Price per person: 40 EUR

 

Combined visit of Ghent and Bruges

The city of Ghent is the first stop of this panoramic walking tour.
In the Middle Ages, Ghent became the second largest city of Europe after Paris, thanks to the wool industry. The city is protected by the UNESCO and its medieval cultural heritage is very important. Ghent is at the same time a historic city and a contemporary one, it is a place where people live a modern life in a magnificent historic background.

In the afternoon, let’s visit Bruges!

The city has been listed in the UNESCO World Patrimony in 2000. To visit the city, we prepared a tailor-made panoramic walking tour of the historical city centre. The name of Bruges dates back to the ninth century and comes from the Scandinavian ’bryggja’ which means quay. It is here that the first stock-exchange was born!
During the walking panoramic visit, you will have the chance to see the Grand’Place, the Burg, the Our Lady’s Church (with its 122m high brick tower, it is the second tallest brickwork tower in the world ), the beautiful views over the canals, the charming bridges etc.

Practical Information
Date: Saturday 26 May 2012
Schedule: 09.00 am – 05.00 pm
Meeting point: Lobby of the Conference Centre MCE
Additional detail: Return transportation from the Conference Centre

Price per person: 130 EUR

 

Visit of Antwerp

Leave Brussels in the morning and after aone hour ride you will reach Antwerp, city hosting Europe’s second biggest harbour. The harbour is also part of the 10 biggest harbours worldwide.
The city of Antwerp is a centre of commerce in Belgium and the capital of Antwerp province, in Flanders. The diamonds are, after the harbour, the second main activity of the city with about 1500 companies working in that field. Since 1990, Antwerp became a fashion “place to be” with so many fashion designers that since 2002 the city has a Fashion Museum.
Let us not forget Rubens, the famous painter who lived in Antwerp in the first part of the 17th century and who nowadays has a dedicated statue in the city. In order for you to visit Antwerp, we propose a combined panoramic, bus and walking tour, which will give you the chance to discover the Market Square and its ancient houses, as well as Our Lady’s Gothic style Cathedral. Listed as one of the World Heritage Sites, the cathedral hosts three works by Rubens and paintings by artists such as Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos.

Practical Information
Date: Saturday 26 May 2012
Schedule: 09.00 am – 05.00 pm
Meeting point: Lobby of the Conference Centre MCE
Additional detail: Return transportation from the Conference Centre

Price per person: 125 EUR

 

Terms and Conditions

• All the tours will be given in English.
• We regret to announce that the following tours: “Combined visit of Ghent and Bruges” and the “Visit of Antwerp” are not accessible for people with reduced mobility. The nature and the state of the streets of these cities make them difficult for access.
• The minimum number of participants per tour is 20. If the minimum number of participants is not reached prior to the tour we reserve the right to cancel the tour. Full refunds will be provided in this case.
• Registrations for the tours organised on Wednesday 23 will be open until 20 April at 12.00 am CET, and for the tours organised on Saturday 26, registrations will be open until 25 April at 12.00 am CET; after these dates registrations will be possible upon availability only.