Destination

Check-in date

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Room 1

Adults
(12+) Children
(2-11) Infants
(under 2)

Why you're safe with the holiday experts

DERTOUR is part of the DERTOUR GmbH group of Frankfurt - one of the world's leading tour operators . We also hold our own ATOL and are members of ABTA.

We've been creating perfect tailor-made holidays to the heart of Europe for 50 years. A lot has changed in that time, but one thing that has always remained the same is our total focus on serving you in the very best way that we can. This includes ensuring your satisfaction and security. It's why DERTOUR is fully licenced with our own ATOL and is also adheres to all the rules and principles of ABTA.

ATOL is a financial protection scheme for holidaymakers travelling on an air inclusive holiday, which is managed by the Civil Aviation Authority. This protects you from losing your money or from being stranded overseas in the very unlikely event that DERTOUR should go out of business. Our Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL) number is ATOL 1839.

When you buy an ATOL protected air inclusive holiday* from us, you will receive a confirmation invoice from us (or via our authorised agent through which you booked) confirming your arrangements and your protection under our ATOL.

* The air inclusive holidays we arrange are ATOL protected providing either the person who pays for the booking is present in the UK when the booking is made or the first leg of any flight or flights we arrange for you commences in the UK. For further information, visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk

ABTA was created in 1950 by 22 leading travel companies. It now represents over 5,000 travel agencies and more than 900 tour operators, right across the British Isles. ABTA helps to maintain the highest standards of trading practice for the travel industry and its customers. The ABTA logo is a sign that you can expect choice, value and high levels of service from DERTOUR.

DERTOUR is also fully committed to always try to provide an alternative holiday or route in times of disruption that is out of our control, such as in the event of volcanic ash, disruption to air travel due to heavy snowfall or an airline strike grounding aircraft.

If you have any questions about our ABTA membership or the financial protection provided under our ATOL, please don't hesitate to call us on 020 7290 1104.

Dertour gives you ATOL protection with every flight

Old Barrel Organ player in Antwerp ©Tomás Kubes

Antwerp Travel Guide

Though famed for its diamond and shipping trades above all else, Antwerp has a lot more to offer than just gems and docks. Countless museums, cultural attractions and one of the most vibrant clubbing scenes in Europe are some of its alternative attractions. Perhaps Antwerp's most obvious appeal though lies in the beauty of the historic city centre, its streets are lined with traditional Flemish buildings housing cosy cafés and restaurants.

All Images © Tomás Kubes

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Shopping in Antwerp is paradise on earth if you're after designer garb, with all the big names, as well as numerous smaller local designers who've set up shop in Belgium's fashion capital. For the even-better-heeled, Antwerp is, needless to say, one of the best places in the world to buy diamonds - and you'll find no shortage of places where you can part with large amounts of money if you so desire.

The city also has its fair share of international chain stores as well as some quirky antiques/collectables shop, making it a great place for shoppers of all tastes and budgets.

Before you travel, it's worth bearing in mind public holidays, which may affect shop opening times.

Antwerp is literally jam-packed with restaurants serving Belgian and international cuisine, though the majority of fare on offer is what would best be described as European fusion. Many menus are fairly meat/fish-heavy and though there are vegetarian options available in some restaurants, veggies might struggle in some establishments. Almost without exception, though, cuisine is of a high standard, and service friendly and polite.

Ruben's House

Peter Paul Rubens's home and studio for a large part of his life, this palazzo-style house is a far cry from the bare garret you might expect of an artist's abode. The painter himself oversaw the design of the grandiose building, which consists of 16th and 17th-century sections and is adorned with statues and beautifully decorated interiors as well as a collection of Rubens's own paintings and drawings.

The rooms are meticulously furnished with antiques of the period (though few of the actual items belonging to Rubens remain, with the notable exception of the chair that he used as dean of his guild), including a tiny four-poster bed, designed to conform to the fashion of the period, which was to sleep semi-reclined. The room where Rubens died in 1640 is now furnished as a dining room, affording beautiful views over the formal garden below. Without doubt the most ostentatious room in the house is the painter's personal art gallery with a semi-circular adjunct topped by a cupola based on the Roman Pantheon and adorned with a series of statues.

Grote Market

Overlooked by the cathedral and home to the 16th-century town hall, the Grote Markt is surrounded by pretty Flemish houses and is at the heart of the old town - both physically and spiritually. In summer, the square is packed with people sitting at café tables; in winter, an ice-rink is erected here under an enormous Christmas tree, with festive stalls spilling out from neighbouring Groenplaats selling mulled wine and Christmas knick-knacks.

The streets emanating from Grote Markt are lined with restaurants and bars, which, though touristy, are nonetheless popular with locals too and on the whole very cosy and atmospheric. In the centre of the square is a statue of traditional local hero Brabo holding a severed hand, illustrating the alleged origin of the name Antwerp, meaning "hand throw". According to legend, boatmen entering Antwerp via the river used to have their hands cut off if they didn't pay the port tax. Disgusted at this practice, Brabo cut off the hand of the perpetrator of this misdeed and threw it into the river, hence the name - and his status as Antwerp icon.