Hasselt - Diest - Mechelen - Fort Breendonk

Route: Antwerp - Hasselt - Diest - Mechelen - Fort Breendonk - Antwerp
Duration: 9 h
Our first stop will be at the Hasselt which was founded in the 7th century under the name of Helbeek. The name of Hasselt first appears in 1165, when the borough receives its first town charter. Pedestrian friendly, the historic center of Hasselt is a pleasure to stroll around and has some fantastic antique buildings, restaurants and bars. Also you can visit to National Genever Museum where you discover the history of genever (gin) in an authentic 19th-century Hasselt distillery, the  Bokrijk Open-air Museum where is the reconstruction of a 19th-century countryside village. It has over 100 houses, a church, a windmill, and artisans wearing historical garments and working with the same tools as they would have 150 years ago,  Hasselt's Japanese Garden which is the largest Japanese Garden in Europe. Based on a 17th-century model and possesses no less than 250 Japanese cherry trees, Hasselt's 18th-century Beguinage. This convent for women was founded in 1245 and was used until the death of the last nun in 1886. It is located next to the Nationaal Jenevermuseum Hasselt. During the tour you also discover Herkenrode Abbey a former monastery of Cistercian nuns located in Kuringen. It was founded circa 1182 and secularised in 1799. Its Refugehuis was built in 1542-44 and is the oldest building in Hasselt. Oude Stadhuis -Hasselt's old town hall. Fashion Museum- , Stellingwerff-Waerdenhof Museum (folk and local history), St. Quentin's Cathedral and Virga Jesse Basilica. The next stop of our tour will be at  Diest where you enjoy some quality time in this lovely market town, as it has so much to offer. It has an interesting museum, and one of the largest and best conserved Beguinages in Europe, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also has a cosy market square and a pleasant walk through the town and along the Demer River.  In the Town Centre you will see the house "Hof van Nassau" ,  Gothic church of Our Lady (built 1253-1288) which has an award-winning pulpit. In the Sint Jan Berchmansstraat you can visit the "Gulden Maan" , the house where St. John Berchmans was born or  Beguinage Church.The next place of our tour  will be the beautiful city Mechelen. Back in the first half of the 1500’s, Mechelen was the official capital of what was then called the ‘Low Countries’  (Netherlands, Belgium and our little cousins of Luxembourg) under the queen Margaret of Austria. It didn’t last very long as later in the 16th century, after Margaret perished, the capital was moved to Brussels and the Netherlands went its own way with Amsterdam. But still, pretty buildings galore in Mechelen, it has a capital aura to it and you can tell. The central square is lovely, with the domineering St. Rumboldt’s Cathedral towering over the beautiful facades and peaceful cafes below. Canals cut through the city – while they lack the beauty of those in Bruge, they still add charm to the place, as do the fantastic old churches which are  intermingled with slightly less flattering post-war buildings. Mechelen’s lively streets have some good shopping and dining options on offer. During the visit you will see  Grote Markt, Vismarkt, Palace of Margaret of York, Het Anker, Busleyden Museum, Golden Boy, Church of San Juan, Sinte Mette Tuin, Church of Santa Catalina and Begijnhoof.During the way to Antwerp we will visit to Fort Breendonk .This prison-fort was built in 1906. However, its use as a notorious Nazi internment camp in WWII is the main focus of the visit, where you will see torture rooms, cells and dark, dank corridors. After we will return to Antwerp.
Price: per person