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Belgium Music Tour

Overview

With a wide variety of venues and an ideal location not too far from the UK, Belgium is perfect for school groups on their first trip or those with a tight budget.

The major centres of Brussels, Ghent, Ypres and Bruges are all within easy driving distance of each other, so your musical groups can experience the variety that this diverse country has to offer!

The itinerary below is based on venues suitable for choir performances. Please enquire if you would like to bring instrumentalists and we can adjust our itinerary to suit your requirements.

Our Suggested Itinerary

  1. Day 1

    Depart school in the morning.

    Drive to Ghent. Check into your accommodation and get your bearings in the lovely medieval town centre.

    Spend the evening warming up your vocal chords, ready for your concert tomorrow!

  2. Day 2

    Spend the day in Belgium’s diverse capital, Brussels!

    Begin your daytrip with a visit to the Musical Instruments Museum, where students can watch a craftsman building string instruments live in the museum!

    After lunch, visit the excellent Choco-Story, where you will be able to see how Belgium’s favourite treat is made.

    Round off your day with a performance at Talbot House. Entertain passers-by from the garden of this preserved WW1 soldiers' club. 

  3. Day 3

    Head over to Ypres to explore Belgium’s rich WW1 history. Ypres had a strategic position during the first world war as it stood between Germany's planned sweep across the rest of Belgium to France. It is one of only two municipalities to have been awarded the Military Cross by King George V. 

    Begin your day with a visit to the excellent In Flanders Fields Museum, where students will learn about the stories of four real people.

    Then, it is time for another performance! Head to Cloth Hall to perform once again to those in the local area. 

    After dinner in Ypres, the choir will have the opportunity to visit the nightly Last Post Ceremony.

  4. Day 4

    Spend your last full day in the fairytale city of Bruges. 

    Begin your day with a visit to the Sound Factory, an interactive celebration of sound and music!

    Then, find your way around this colourful, magical place with a self-guided tour. 

    Finish your day with a cruise around Bruges’ famous canals.

  5. Day 5

    Squeeze in one more visit to Ghent. 

    Have some free time exploring these medieval streets. There are plenty of things to do in this charming area; climb the UNESCO World Heritage recognised Ghent Belfry for the best views of the city! 

    Return to school.

Sleepwell Youth Hostel Brussels

Accommodation

For our Belgium trips, most of our schools tend to stay at the Sleep Well Youth Hostel or the Auberge de Jeunesse Jacques Brel.  All the accommodation we use is safe and secure and especially suited to schools. We also audit our accommodation and our auditing regime is verified by independent experts.