One of my traditions when going on a trip is to do some sort of food-related activity that revolves…read morearound a country's specialties. For Belgium, everyone knows that its specialties are chocolate and beer. While doing my research I found this company as it came recommended by quite a few bloggers as well as Brussels' tourist bureau site. Length: 4.5 hours Cost: €80/person This is by no means a cheap tour. However, the amount you get for €80 is quite a lot, especially when you factor in that aside from beer and chocolate you also get to know the history behind two of Brussels' most famous landmarks: Grand Place/Grote Markt and Manneken Pis. Personally after the end I couldn't eat another bite of chocolate and I was pretty buzzed, especially if you take into consideration how strong Belgian beers can be. Julie was my guide. She was also training 2 other guides in addition to managing our group. She was the epitome of a good guide - presented the more "boring" parts of the tour in a fun and engaging way, helped guarded the chocolate from being stolen during the Pierre Marcolini portion of the tour (apparently that chocolate's quite popular) and made sure that everyone's needs in the group were taken care of since some people in our group didn't care for beer. Our group also managed to get along very well. Here are my notes of the stops on the tour along with any chocolate and/or beer that was consumed. -Chocopolis- 1. Traditional dark chocolate, coconut base 2. Mexican chocolate with red pepper 3. Speculoos This particular shop is known for their "bean-to-bar" approach; meaning to say that they take control of the entire process as opposed to getting the starting products from distributors. This shop is also good for vegans or people that need dairy-free chocolate as the owner is lactose intolerant. Base milk is from coconut and is used in all the chocolate. I liked the pepper chocolate the most. -Meert- 1. Ginger and yuzu juice 2. Chinese green jasmine tea Located in the Royal Galleries. Apparently they supply chocolate and pastries for the royal family. We were able to choose 2 chocolates from this shop so I went for the more interesting combinations. -Pierre Marcolini- 1. Ecuador single-origin (floral) 2. Earl Grey Tea 3. Câlin "hug" (almond and hazelnut praline, Quimper wafers and Madagascan vanilla caramel) - family favorite. Also located in Royal Galleries. Pierre Marcolini is a master chocolatier and his products are renowned worldwide because he uses high-quality chocolate in his products. Noteworthy is that other people not on the tour tried to get samples thinking that the store was having a tasting. I was aware of Marcolini as the No1DP gifted me chocolate in the past. Later I bought chocolate for gifts (and myself) in another Pierre Marcolini store but bought a few câlins for myself. -Manneken Pis Cafe- Vedett Blond (on tap) This bar is located next to the (in)famous Manneken Pis statue. A good starter beer that's not too strong. -Atelier Sainte Catherine- 1. India single origin (earthy) 2. Cayenne - citronnelle (lemongrass pepper) 3. Sea salt caramel 4. Irish coffee milk ganache An authorized distributor of Frederic Blondeel chocolate, another master chocolatier. His chocolate was recognized as the winner of the Gault & Millau Chocolatier of the Year, the first year the award was inaugurated. I bought chocolate here the next day as gifts. -Dolle Mol- 1. Golden Carolus Tripel 2. Troubadour Magma The first bar also offered a charcuterie board. I liked the provided celery salt as a flavor enhancer to the cheese. Here we were given our first proper introduction to the Belgian dubbel/triple that the region is so well-known for. Troubadour Magma I ended up liking despite being an IPA because nobody overhops their beer in Belgium. -Benelux- 1. Lindeman's Kriek (lambic) 2. Jambe de Bois Here our group was given an introduction to the lambic beers, which Brussels is well-known for. Lambics undergo spontaneous fermentation using wild yeast strains. Kriek (a sour cherry) tasted like Robitussin, which earned mixed reception from the group but I personally liked it. Jambe de Bois is a triple made in Brussels. -Au Bon Vieux Temps- 1. Westmalle Dubbel (on tap) 2. Rochefort 10 The oldest bar in Brussels, this is where I got my proper introduction to trappist beer. I ended up loving trappist beer so much that my family came back here twice to explore their trappist beer offerings. Rochefort 10 is one of my favorite beers and I had a few more glasses of this over the duration of the trip. With the exception of Marcolini the chocolate shops offered a 10% discount if you bought chocolate from them. Not only did I buy chocolate from the vendors listed here, I also bought a few beers sampled on this tour as gifts. This is the best beer tour I've ever done and one of the best tours I've done in Europe. Many thanks to Julie and the Brussels Journey for putting together a great tour.

So glad we did this tour. Not only did we get to sample and learn about chocolate and beer, but we…read morealso learned about the history of Brussels as we walked along. Our guides, Julia and Andrea were amazing - they consistently checked in with all of us and at least one of them was available if there were some slower member of the groups that wanted to stop to buy chocolate or take pictures. They were also extremely informative - you could tell they loved their jobs. We had several pieces of chocolate at each location and also had a 10% discount at 2 of the locations (definitely came in use). We also had 5-6 beers throughout the tour as well. The world cup final ended up being during our tour and they even provided doggy bags of the beer for those who couldn't bear to miss the game. Definitely recommend.

This was our 2nd walking tour with Sandemans, and it did not disappoint. Tom, the guide, was…read moreknowledgeable, easy to hear and understand, and very entertaining. We plan to do this again when available in other cities.

A very positive experience today with my free walking tour. Sandemans does a very good job with…read moretheir tour guides and having done this in several cities (Edinburgh, Prague, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona), this is one of the best. My tour guide today was Maggie. Maggie is a Brussels native and very cheery. Clearly excited to show people her city, she was positive and outgoing. The tour lasted 2.5 hours, taking us past the highlights of the old city including the famous Mannekin Pis, the Galleries de la Reine, up the Mont des Arts and more. Only one downer in the tour, Maggie spent a good ten minutes addressing the atrocities of the Belgian Congo, a topic that she is clearly passionate about. And yes, the tour is free with the tour guide paid in tips. The solicitation was modest and not too much. Maggie also invited us to the beer tour that night which she would be running. A good time with Sandemans. I'll continue to use their tours in other European cities.

Booked a boat tour in Bruges online for 6 people - then got an email saying it was cancelled. And…read morethen, got an email thanking me for completing the activity when I obviously didn't go. Since then, zero response on any platform. No sign of a refund. SCAM.

Simon was our English speaking guide. He works off tips so be a good tipper because this guy is…read moreawesome!! He's very knowledgeable and very funny!! The groups meet up at the Grand Place. There will be multiple companies so make sure you find Bravo and Simon!! Make sure to bring an umbrella and wear walking shoes!!!

My mother and I visited this museum while we were in Brussels a few months ago and it was another…read moregreat museum in Brussels. They have a TON of paintings and sculptures. They have some great stuff here and I really liked the space in between each piece of art, as odd as that sounds, it let you spread out a bit when looking at a painting. There are many, huge rooms on two floors and there was something around every corner. This place was really cool and I would definitely visit here again.

This is one of Belgium's most famous fine arts museum. The buying tickets process is a bit…read morecomplicated as there are options to buy one exhibit or multiple exhibits. Either way, the ticket prices aren't hugely expensive and each exhibit is quite good so even if you buy the wrong exhibit, you'll have a good time. The museum itself is huge and I really appreciate them having electronic kiosks here and there to tell the stories of the paintings. There was one kiosk explaining how a painting of a family portrait got chopped off into three bits and the process of then identifying these pieces as a singular unit. I thought the story was quite incredibly as you not only learn about the art but also the way the museum conducts its business. While I was walking, I noticed that there was an English led tour going on and decided to join in. Not sure if this is for additional moneys, but honestly I would highly HIGHLY recommend. This is the only reason why the museum would get a 5-stars. The explainer was absolutely amazing, I definitely think that this was the best art museum tour I have ever been on. The guide didn't talk about many paintings, maybe 10-15 during the 1 hour tour, but every single painting she did talk about had such an interesting backstory and you're not learning just about the history but also about how the museum curates its work. You will definitely be able to get a deeper sense of appreciation for this place. Overall, highly recommend visiting, especially if you're deciding on going on a tour. The surrounding areas are also very nice too and would highly recommend checking out the surrounding architectures after the gallery visit.

Loved loved loved the Chocolate Walking Tour with Beni! Beni was so down to earth and casual, she…read moremade the tour fun with her own personal witty comments and insights. You start at the Grand Place and end on the other side. During our tour, we went to a handful of local chocolatiers and learned what makes each shop unique. We then had the opportunity to select 2 chocolates per store. The tour also consisted of a chocolate making workshop, but nothing special here as you can replicate this at home. PRO TIP: Wear comfy shoes and bring a water bottle!

This is a review of the Brussels Lunch Walking Food Tour…read more When visiting London, we decided to take a day-trip to Brussels for the sole purpose of enjoying this well-rated walking food tour experience. We found the amazing reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor which made our decision a no-brainer. TLDR: - If you think you're going to have a lovely time tasting food at local places, you will be disappointed. - For the first hour 90 minutes we literally walked in a circle around the meet-up point and finally had two chocolate store tastes. - You'll be told "This is a great place for beer!" "This is a great place for fries!" but will not stop to try the beer or fries. - The "Brussels Lunch" is served in a small tour-owned room (far away from everything), not a restaurant. - At 90 minutes we had to ask if there was a restroom, which there was in the tour-owned room (needs some cleaning). - Lack of checking in on guests during the tour to see who may need a restroom, or a break, or a seat or anything for that matter. - Our guide talked so fast we missed half of the valuable things he was sharing. More Details: Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable of the area and had many stories to share with us, but it was not audience centric. It became more about spewing information, dates, facts, details, regardless of anyone being engaged or interested or not. There were several examples where we would come across a business and he would tell us, "This is THE BEST PLACE to get a (beer, fries, etc.) you must come here for the best experience!" and then we'd keep walking, wondering why we weren't stopping to try these special items. Instead of being taken to a local restaurant to try the mussels, we were taken far off the beaten path to their own kitchen where there were 3 tables, tightly packed in a small room. While being told "these mussels do not smell, they're different than anything you've ever tried," we were overwhelmed by how warm the room was, and the overwhelming shellfish smell had us leave the tour immediately. We've been on many food tours across the world, and we just felt completely let down. We decided to leave before receiving their kitchen-prepared food. We are down for lots of walking, taking in sights, learning new things, however this tour was not fun, not pleasant, and just not for us.

Thank you, other cultures and empires for pillaging great artworks and keeping them for your own…read moremuseum! The Empire of Light is the capstone to this museum, but unfortunately, a lot of his other notable works are elsewhere. There seem to be a dozen exits and entrances, but you can only use the most inconvenient one. There are three floors and you start from top to bottom. An elevator exists, but it seems to be used primarily for the timed groups coming into the museum. You can buy your tickets from kiosks, and FINALLY they have a ticket option for disabled. If I'm gonna be crippled, I hope I can at least get a discount.

An amazing experience. The timeline was well laid out and informative. Such beautiful artwork to…read moretake in.

We were starting our list of "must do" things around Brussels when we arrived at the Coudenberg…read more Now, I absolutely love history so the idea of going into the remains of what's now underground ruins was very very exciting to me. You buy a ticket for this in the same lobby as the museum so you can kinda kill two birds with one stone, and I believe you get a little bit of a discount if you do both as well. When you first start going underground you immediately feel the temperature drop and the walls around you turn to old brick and stone. Now don't get me wrong, there's not actually a ton down here other than brick and concrete, but knowing how old it all is, is what makes this place truly mesmerizing. As you descend deeper into the tunnels you are given a ton of information as to what everything is, how and when it was built, and the map you have will give you even more info as well. Overall, the Coudenberg is such a cool experience and something I will remember for years to come. Seeing underneath the palace was so cool and I very much recommend checking this out if you are reading this, my only complaint, get some magnets in the gift shop that say the name of the exhibit on it.

Coudenberg was a small hill in uptown Brussels from the 11th to the late 18th century until it…read morebecame home to one of the greatest palaces in Europe. This was Charles V's main residence, burned down in 1731 and its ruins were built over in the 1770s, only to be uncovered over the past 30 years. The archaeological site immerses you in history from floor to ceiling. Holes along the walls of the cellars under the main building, which were once at ground level, give you an idea of how deep the palace has been buried. The basements show the scale of the grand ceremonial room, which no longer remains. Even more impressive is Rue Isabelle, an entire street that was vaulted over in the 18th century and converted into cellars. It's hard to imagine what's buried here when you're outside, passing through today's Place Royale, but it's worth finding out. The Coudenberg hosts exhibitions and family activities in English. Admission was €12 per adult reduced for children and seniors. They were restrooms underground. We spent two hours exploring, and I should've worn sneakers, it was tough in sandals.

My daughter and I recently took a trip to Amsterdam for our birthday celebrations. I cannot say…read moreenough about Tom's Travel Tours. Our guide, Joyce, took us to the Keukenhof where she filled our tulip tour with much interesting and fun information. She took us to an organic farm, several roadside tulip fields, and lunch in Bergen. Excellent guide. Our guide, Jacky, was so accommodating and fun taking us on our walking tour and food tour. She kept us moving but at a comfortable speed. We had a private canal cruise with Wim, who, also, was so knowledgeable and shared so much information along the way. It is so worth it to book a tour company and I highly, highly recommend Tom's Travel Tours. Thank you for the most enjoyable visit to Amsterdam!

We booked three tours from Amsterdam: 3 hour walking tour Jordaan/Amsterdam, Guided visit to the…read moreVan Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum, Royal tour Delft and Hague; one tour from Gent: Elegant Ghent Tour; and one tour from Bruges: Charming Bruges. All were excellent. In particular, our Amsterdam guide, Joyce, had excellent in-depth knowledge that was particularly useful in the museums we visited with her: the Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum, and the Mauritshuis; and in the Royal Delft museum in the Royal Delft factory. She was able to go beyond what was written on the displays and give further context and meaning, as well as identifying optimum ways of navigating throught these sometimes crowded museums. Mieke in Gent was obviously well-known there: people kept on stopping and talking with her. And Hendrickx was very useful in Bruges.

Amazing beautiful and clean hotel very centrally located. Excellent value for the accommodations…read more Safe lock off car Parking is available for 15 a day. The staff bends over backwards to help you. You would think this is a 5 star hotel for the way you are treated! Everyone on the staff is wonderful. Sometimes they do step away from the desk but that's just accommodate another guests needs. I can't recommend this place enough. There are many options but this is a solid choice!

I don't understand reviews stating this is part of Best Western. This place is nothing like a Best…read moreWestern. Super clean and tastefully decorated. The staff was incredible ! They really treat you well. Thye have a very nice breakfast spread for a reasonable price. The bar is central and next to a courtyard to enjoy during the nicer weather. The location is about a block from the Belfort in the central market. So many different places to eat and shop within a few blocks! I cannot recommend this place enough. I can't wait to go back and stay here again.