City Tours Belgium · Historium, Markt
City Tours Belgium's small-group walk through the old centre with an officially licensed local guide, a chocolate tasting and half an hour on the canals with a captain. Individual boat tickets are sold only at the jetties, so this is the simplest way to have the boat sorted before you arrive.
The guide waits in front of the Historium on the Markt, the big square under the Belfry. The first part is on foot: the Burg with the 12th-century Basilica of the Holy Blood, the narrowest street in town, the golden statues on the old courthouse and the Fish Market with its columns. Then you go down to a jetty and board the canal boat with its captain for the standard half hour on the water, between Jan van Eyck Square and the Beguinage. After the boat comes a chocolate tasting at a shop on the Rozenhoedkaai, and the last stretch takes in the Gruuthuse palace, Bonifacius Bridge, the Church of Our Lady and the garden of an almshouse. Two and a half hours in all, and the groups are small: one recent guest counted 13 people.
The boat is in the price, so there is nothing to buy at the jetty and no ticket queue to join on your own. It is the same boat everyone else uses: five companies, one route, open boats that seat 35 to 40, with the captain talking over a microphone in the languages of the people on board. What you add is the guide's walk around it and a fixed slot. The boats themselves sail every day from 15 March to October, at least from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last trip half an hour before closing. From November to 14 March the five companies work a rota: at least one jetty sails every day, and the others decide for themselves whether they open. In those months the tour depends on which jetty is sailing, so read your voucher for the day's plan.
The canal boats are open, with no roof. In a shower the skipper hands out umbrellas; if it rains hard for a long time, the boat companies can stop sailing for a while or stay shut, and that decision is theirs, not the tour's. The listing asks you to bring an umbrella, rain gear and warm clothing, and it does not say what happens to the boat part on a day the companies stop sailing, so ask the operator in the GetYourGuide app if the forecast looks grim. The tour is marked as not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Neither the boats nor the jetties are wheelchair accessible: there are steps down to the water and no lift. There is no room for luggage on the boats; the Historium, where you meet, has left luggage.
The guide meets the group on the Markt. Arrive a few minutes early and look for the guide at the Historium entrance.
The Burg, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, the narrowest street, the golden statues on the old courthouse and the Fish Market.
Board at the quay with your group. The captain sails the city route past the Groenerei, the Rozenhoedkaai and the Dijver, under low bridges, with swans near the Beguinage.
A stop in a chocolate shop to taste artisanal pralines. Guests say it also helps them pick which shops to come back to.
The Gruuthuse palace, Bonifacius Bridge, the Church of Our Lady and the courtyard of an almshouse. The tour ends in the old centre, two and a half hours after the start.
★★★★★Our guide Rick was amazing and Alan the captain on the boat really fun also. Saw lots of places that we would not have seen otherwise, learnt loads about the history of this beautiful city. The tour was well paced and never felt too much. Highly recommend!!
★★★★★Fantastic walking tour. Learnt so much and it was all so very interesting. Felt that we really got to know the city. The boat tour in between was great too. The chocolate taster was delicious and helped us choose which chocolate shops to go in after to make sure they were displaying the chocolatier mark on the outside of their shops.
★★★★★Much better than expected. [...] The pace of both the walking tour and the canal cruise was very pleasant in the small group of 13 people in total, and there was also time to take photos [...] A short stop at a small, private chocolate factory run by a mother and son allowed us to enjoy a chocolate we had chosen ourselves [...]
★★★★★Very good experience. It helps you get a better understanding of the city before exploring it on your own.
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Yes. The boat trip with its captain is in the price, along with the licensed guide and the chocolate tasting. You do not buy anything at the jetty.
In front of the Historium on the Markt, the main square under the Belfry. The guide waits there; the exact details are on your voucher.
About two and a half hours: the walk through the old centre, 30 minutes on the boat, the chocolate stop and the last stretch past the Gruuthuse and the Church of Our Lady.
The boats are open and the skipper hands out umbrellas in a shower. In long, heavy rain the boat companies can stop sailing; ask the operator in the app what they offer that day.
Ready to book
A licensed local guide, a chocolate tasting and the canal boat with its captain, all in the price, in a small group.
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