St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Michel et Ste-Gudule)

Dedicated to St. Michael and St. Gudula (the patron saints of Brussels) this Gothic church was first founded in 1225 but only completed in the 15th century. The facade is impressive, rising majestically above a broad flight of steps and crowned with twin 69-meter-high towers designed by Jan van Ruysbroeck. The beautifully proportioned interior (108 meters by 50 meters) is lavishly furnished and is home to some outstanding stained glass windows created by Bernard van Orley. Head to the transepts to see the finest examples depicting Charles V and Isabella of Portugal (south transept) and the Hungarian royal pair Louis II and Mary (north transept), and then into the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, to the left of the choir, where the window illustrates the story of the Miracle of the Host.

Grand Place

In the afternoon we discover the city on foot : from the fish market over the Halles Saint-Géry to the most beautiful market square of Europe, the "Grand Place". We close of with a Brussels speciality : Geueze beer, which is beer of spontaneous fermentation, only brewn in the Brussels region, but 60% of what is brewn is exported to USA, Canada, Japan, etc. Your driver / guide will stick to still water though, and will bring you safely back to your cruise port.