Blog

As the daily reporting from the health authorities shows, the health indicators are encouraging. The experts have therefore given the green light to end the confinement. From now on, freedom is the rule and what is not allowed is the exception. This new approach must be understood at two levels. Firstly, the individual behavior (how should I behave in light of...

Located close to the well-visited Amsterdam, we strongly believe that the city of Rotterdam and the city of The Hague deserve more than just a few hours visit.  Rotterdam is a bustling mix of innovative architecture, lively festivals, challenging art and culture. You are constantly surprised by new initiatives: from a city garden on a rooftop or a floating farm to...

There is one battle that changed the fate of Europe in 1815 ... and you find it in little Belgium. Even the swedish music quartet ABBA wrote a song about Waterloo. The lion on the hill is the symbol that reflects the victory over a feared and formidable enemy with exceptional prestige. Beside the famous hill with a beautiful panorama you will...

Why not go up north in the Benelux and discover the beautiful region of Friesland? Sailing in Friesland is in fact very popular due to the beautiful surroundings (that is why this called the watersports province of the Netherlands) and offers many possibilities for boat and nature lovers. You can hire a luxurious private yacht with lunch or diner and enjoy the...

Many racing enthusiasts will not have missed it: from 2020 onwards the Zandvoort F1 Race Circuit Zandvoort will be back on the Formula 1 calendar! In order to meet all requirements, the circuit is subjected to a thorough metamorphosis. In this way you can enjoy Formula 1 sport in the Netherlands after an absence of 35 years. Brilliant Ideas is happy to...

The sky is the limit, but not in the Netherlands! You have always dreamed to be an astronaut and receive your first pair of Astrowings? We have for you the closest simulation that exists of a real space flight! Astronauts that fly up into space and marvel down at the earth say that they are never the same person again. They experience...

Visit Dali Meets Magritte, the large exhibition at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels. It charts the relationship between two iconic artists, the extravagant Catalan Salvador Dalí and the equally striking Belgian René Magritte. For the first time ever, the connection and influences between these two greatest icons of the surrealist movement are highlighted.The exhibition reveals the personal, philosophical and aesthetic...

The city boasts one of the world's oldest academies and one of the most renowned fashion colleges. Many alumni from the Antwerp Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts belong to the top of the international fashion scene. The academy came to fame with the Big Six - with for example Dries Van Noten and Drik Bikkembergs - but has evolved...

With support from the city of Genk and others, Limburg artist Koen Vanmechelen is creating a fascinating ‘mix of life’ in a bid to establish a new and more sustainable balance between man and nature, a place where biological and cultural diversity can flourish. Known as LABIOMISTA Vanmechelen created a garden of order and chaos, an arena of culture and nature....

The Besloten Hofjes are the absolute highlights ofthe Collection of Heritage in Mechelen. These 16th-century altarpieces made by the nuns have been registered as Flemish Masterpieces since 2011. The sisters meticulously created their so-called 'courtyards' with representations of an ideal, spiritual and paradise-like world. The Besloten Hofjes are stored in the beautiful Renaissance City Palace in Mechelen 'Hof van Busleyden', Mechelen is...

Eating out at Vuurtoreneiland ('Lighthouse Island' in Dutch) is not an ordinary evening out in Amsterdam! The island features Amsterdam's only lighthouse and is a unique piece of nature with a rugged landscape. It can only be reached by ship! So your evening starts sailing the historic 'IJveer XIII' boat over the IJ River. Once on the island, the table d'hôte menu is...

The Belgian ceramist, industrial designer and artist Pieter Stockmans is fascinated by the medium of porcelain. In his studio located on the spectacular C-Mine mine site in Genk, he creates handcrafted crockery that is brought to the table as a gift and is passed on for generations. Over the years, he developed this exceptional blue to combine with the pure white to...

Yes, Amsterdam has several great 5* and some gorgeous boutique hotels, but what about something special for your next stay in town?! Why don’t you sleep up high in a crane, or with a view on the canals from a bridge house or in a 1744 hidden chapel in complete Rococo style? ...

Find out everything there is to know about Peter Paul Rubens and his baroque, cultural legacy during "Antwerp Baroque 2018. Rubens inspires". You can discover and experience first-hand why Rubens was and is still regarded one of the most influential artists ever and is called Antwerp's most famous inhabitant!  Program Antwerp Baroque 2018   ...

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this small one-family house, with its flexible interior spatial arrangement, and visual and formal qualities, was a manifesto of the ideals of the De Stijl group of artists and architects in the Netherlands in the 1920s, and has since been considered one of the icons of the Modern Movement in architecture. A visit will impress...

What does Belgium sounds like? And can you make music with it? 12/12 sets out for a full year of musical adventure. Every month, Bruno Vansina, Cyrille Obermüller, Kobe Proesmans and Teun Verbruggen - 4 Belgian jazz musicians - take their instruments to a special and unexpected place. The challenge: playing together with the location, reflecting on its vibe, the...

From 1914 to 1918, Flanders Fields was a major battle theatre on the Western Front during the First World War. With due reason. The lands surrounding Ypres and the town itself became infamous as one of three major battlegrounds. These days the Ypres Salient is dotted with silent graveyards, commemorative museums and monuments. The fallen heroes are honored every evening with...

TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) Maastricht is widely regarded as the world's leading fair for art, antiques and design. This fine arts fair is a yearly feast for thousands of curious and art lovers. TEFAF Maastricht showcases some of the best works of art currently on the market for 10 days in March each year. In addition to the traditional areas...

Few cities blend history with modern urban flair like Amsterdam. And one thing you definitely need to do when visiting the city is to take a private canal cruise and see Amsterdam from the water to discover this floating city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The history of Amsterdam is intimately connected with water. During your private boat cruise, you will...

Founded about 60 years ago, the “Association des Sentiers de Grande Randonnée” (long distance footpath) offers hikers a network of over 5,000 routes in Wallonia and Brussels. The association recently launched a 300km itinerary in the South of Belgium to link through beautiful forests and valleys three abbeys famous amongst the beer lovers for their “Trappist” beer – Chimay, Rochefort &...

The new stunning boutique hotel 1898 The Post in Ghent offers 37 rooms and suites decorated in a warm and elegant style, with high ceilings or sloped roofs and antique furniture. Our preferred room? The Tower Suite offering a 360 degree view over the rooftops of historic Ghent. Just like in a fairy tail! Contact us to know our contract...

In the Middle Ages, it was common practice to establish a guild for every professional group, the cheese carriers established theirs in 1593! Every Friday morning in spring & summer, the Alkmaar cheesemarket is held on the Waagplein. It’s a particular spectacle which includes a market filled with cheese and men of tradition, the hauling cheese carriers. It’s one of...

At the pinnacle of artistic invention from the middle ages onwards, The Netherlands and Flanders were the inspiration behind the famous art movements of the time: primitive, renaissance and baroque. For a period of some 250 years, it was the place to meet and experience some of the most admired artists in Western Europe. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Eyck, Bruegel, Rubens...

The Carnival of Binche is a living and exceptional heritage, a popular, human and social event, recognized as a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO. During a few months, the inhabitants and the City prepare their Carnival, in a real communion, with the strong commitment from the family and carnival societies. The next Carnival will...

From 2018 through to 2020, the Flanders’ region will celebrate the Flemish Masters and its baroque heritage with an abundance of activities and events! You want to know more about the enigmatic Bruegel, the baroque Rubens, the mystic van Eyck brothers and the Flemish Masters off the beaten track? Visit Flanders, the tourism board of the Northern region of Belgium, has...

The picturesque Negen Straatjes (Nine Street) intersect the city center’s main canals are doted with great restaurants, cafés, art galleries, jewelers and boutiques. With an exceptional array of styles, trends and prices, this area is truly a shopper’s paradise.  If you are into vintage or designer shops, grab a bicycle and take the ferry to cross the Amstel and get to...

For all who are passionate about Chocolate, Belgium is the perfect destination. Through generations of chocolatier; the Belgian Chocolate Art stand out from the rest because of its exquisite and authentic handmade style, and also because of the use of only natural products and surprising ingredients like spices, cereals, fruits, truffles and more. It is no wonder chocolate has become...

Summer is just around the corner! Not only The Netherlands but also Belgium is a paradise for cyclists. You cycle on comfortable and secured bicycle paths along romantic rivers winding between quaint towns, charming castles, outdoor cafés and incredible restaurants. Besides guided bicycle tours through cities such as for example Ghent, Antwerp or Brussels you can choose for a thematic cycling...

The Mustang is probably the most recognized fighter-plane of World War II. Its speed and range made it the ideal bomber escort. “SCAT VII” was the personal plane of Major Robin Olds, a triple ace who scored his 4 last kills in this particular machine. Its now very well maintained and taken care of, flying in the same color scheme...

Every year in June, discover Brussels’ high cuisine in the most extraordinary manner possible: from a crane 150ft in the sky! Instead of a sitting round a cosy kitchen table, you will be dangling from a crane 150ft in the sky, complete with dining chairs, table, crockery, etc. A local ‘starred’ chef will prepare an unforgettable gastronomic experience for you...

During some time in the year, from mid-September to mid-October, the tranquility of the majestuous Ardennes forests, situated in the south-east of Belgium, is disturbed by frequent, irregular calls of rutting red deer stags. Enjoy a walk in the forest with a naturalist tracking the savage sound and other local fauna in a nature's unspoilt areas with vast forests of broadleaf...