43201BEL
Bruges
City Sightseeing & Waterloo Excursion
Bruges Sightseeing with TM – no entrances. See ACIS TM notes.
Waterloo Visit of the battle site
- You need a considerable amount of cash for entrances at Waterloo:
- Combined ticket for the battle sites
- You are also authorised to pay entrances to the Wellington Museum if the group is interested in a visit but this is only possible if you visit the site in the morning – if you are not a fan of Napoleon, Wellesley, Sergeant Bourgogne or Richard Sharpe, check if the group want a guide; one can be booked in advance
TIMES
Ideally, time and group allowing, you should do your walking tour after dinner on the day that you arrive, however, if this is not feasible…
09.00 Leave your hotel for the walking tour of Bruges.
Bruges sightseeing
Bruges has a municipal law, which means all Tour Manager who are taking their groups on a walking tour of Bruges need to be registered with their Tourist Office. Registration is free but is compulsory. Either ask Giacomo for details or contact walkingtours@brugge.be
For your walking tour, please consult the ACIS Belgium TM notes and see map.
After the sightseeing tour, give free time for free visits, shopping and lunch.
Bruges Information – See accompanying Bruges Useful Information Sheet.
Waterloo Excursion
09.00 or 13.30 Depart by bus for Waterloo. Take the A10 towards Ghent and Brussels. Join the Brussels ring road south and continue on the N5 towards Charleroi and Waterloo.
10.30 or 15.00 Arrive in Waterloo. The Centre is several km to the South of the town.
Visit
Take the group first to the Visitors’ Centre and buy combined tickets for the Centre, the Panorama and the Butte du Lion. Start in the Centre, which has an audio-visual presentation of the battle. The Panorama is next door to the Visitors’ Centre. Up some stairs, is a vast 360 degree circular painting, and a model of the battle and different army deployments, completed in 1912. Point your group towards the panorama entrance and also to the stairs the top of the Butte (226 steps – exit through the other door to the visitors centre), where they will have a panoramic view of the battlefield.
If you are visiting in the morning and are returning to Brussels or Bruges, the Wellington museum in the town centre, housed in the former inn used by the General as his HQ, gives a rather more academic view of the events of 17th – 18th June 1815. It takes around 20 minutes to drive there. The group can then get a snack lunch in the centre.
14.00 or 17.00 Depart from Waterloo. Return to Bruges via the same route.
15.30 or 18.30 Back in Bruges.
See Yellow Pages for Waterloo Opening Times, etc.