rom Brussels’ striking architecture and acclaimed restaurants to Bruges’ storybook canals, Dinant’s dramatic setting and the countryside in between, Belgium offers an appealing mix of culture, history and cuisine. On Oct. 3 and 10 after Saturday Night Live, those qualities become the backdrop for Extra Mile Club, as two Global Travel Collection advisors use their destination knowledge, creativity and connections to design distinctly different luxury journeys through Belgium for Bozoma “Boz” Saint John and Keely Watson.
Mont des Arts, Bruxelles, Belgium
Start In Brussels
Make Corinthia Brussels | Grand Hotel Astoria your base in the capital. The landmark hotel has been restored to its former grandeur, with another compelling reason to stay in for dinner: La Paix by David Martin. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant brings French technique and Japanese precision to one of Brussels’ most anticipated dining experiences.
Elsewhere in the city, sample Belgian favourites at Fernand Obb Delicatessen, stop for a proper Belgian waffle at House of Waffles and discover the chocolate of Pierre Marcolini. For a dose of culture, La Monnaie / De Munt offers a look at Brussels’ renowned opera house, including guided visits that can take you behind the curtain into the workshops where its sets, costumes and props are created.
Make A Day Of Bruges
Less than an hour by train from Brussels, Bruges trades the energy of the capital for medieval streets, stepped-gable buildings and canals winding through its historic centre. It’s a city that rewards exploring at close range, particularly when you experience it from two perspectives.
Set out with City Tours Brugge to discover the architecture, landmarks and stories behind the city, then take to the water with Boats of Bruges. A canal cruise passes beneath old stone bridges and alongside centuries-old façades, offering views you simply don’t get from the street. Give yourself time to wander afterward, too: part of Bruges’ appeal lies in the squares, lanes and waterside scenes encountered between its headline sights.
Rosary Quay, Rozenhoedkaai, Bruges, Belgium
Dinant, Belgium
Follow The Meuse To Dinant
Head south into Wallonia and the scenery changes dramatically. Dinant occupies a striking position along the Meuse River, squeezed between the water and steep limestone cliffs. Its onion-domed Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Dinant sits beneath the imposing Citadel, reached high above the town for sweeping views over the river valley.
Continue along the Meuse to Freÿr Castle, where formal gardens and a grand Renaissance residence meet the riverbank. Then there’s another side of the Belgian countryside at Château de Bioul, a family-owned estate producing Belgian wine. Together, these stops make a strong case for travelling beyond Belgium’s better-known cities and allowing some countryside into the itinerary.
Taste The Countryside
Belgium’s food story doesn’t end with waffles, chocolate and the restaurants of Brussels. At Jos Theys Farm, in the countryside outside the capital, the connection between what’s raised and what reaches the plate is particularly direct. The family farm raises its own beef and veal, which can then be enjoyed at the restaurant on the property.
It offers a distinctly different experience from dining in Brussels: leave the city behind, see more of the surrounding landscape and sit down to a meal with its origins right outside. Paired with Belgium’s celebrated restaurants, local specialties, chocolate and wine, experiences like this reveal just how much of the destination can be discovered through what you eat.
Holsbeek, Belgium
See It On 1st Look Presents: Extra Mile Club
Watch Global Travel Collection advisors turn Belgium into two very different luxury itineraries, then see which one Boz and Keely choose. Extra Mile Club returns this Oct. 3 and 10 on NBC after Saturday Night Live, and streams on Peacock.
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