Description
Enjoy this colourful weekend and marvel at the incredible floral displays at the annual Zundert Flower Parade which has been taking place for over 80 years. Using half a million locally grown dahlias, twenty nearby villages compete to craft giant, elaborate floats covered in the pom-pom like blooms. The spectacular creations are kept top secret until parade day when they wind their way through the town and the judges make their decision. You will enjoy the dazzling action with a seated ticket for the parade and there is plenty of fun to be had with all kinds of street entertainment, music and stalls to enjoy
Itinerary
Your Itinerary
DAY 1 - From your chosen joining point your feeder vehicle will take you to the designated interchange point where your holiday begins. After joining your holiday coach, you travel to Dover for the short sea crossing to Calais, then continue to Holland via the auto-routes of France and Belgium and check into your hotel near Eindhoven for your 3-night stay. Dinner, bed & breakfast
DAY 2 - 3 - At leisure with one included excursion and one optional excursion. DBB
Your hotel is located in the little village of Winterle. On your free day, you may like to join the optional excursion or alternatively, there is a public bus which takes you into Eindhoven centre from Winterle (approx. 50 mins). Eindhoven is the design capital of Holland bustling with creativity and innovation where design and technology merge. It is an exciting, modern metropolis, great for shopping and eating out but never losing its typical Brabantse ambiance. Attractions include the Philips Museum (entrance approx. €11 pp in 2022) which chronicles Philips’ history, inventions and significance for the city of Eindhoven which is where the lightbulb and electronics giant was founded in 1891. You may also like to visit the Van Abbemuseum, one of the most important European museums of modern and contemporary art. The collection includes works by Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, El Lissitzky, Theo van Doesburg, Mondriaan, and Appel (entrance approx. €13 pp in 2022).
INCLUDED EXCURSION
Zundert Flower Parade
Enjoy the highlight of the weekend - the 'Corso Zundert', the biggest flower parade in the world. After a short transfer to the quaint Dutch village of Zundert, birthplace of Vincent Van Gogh, you will marvel at this annual, vibrant spectacle and the riot of colour as the towering floats pass by. You will have a ticket for a numbered seat in area B where the parade passes twice.
OPTIONAL EXCURSION
Fortress Town of Heusden & s'Hertogenbosch
First stop of the day takes you back to a bygone era and picture-postcard little Brabant town of Heusden. You can expect picturesque old streets, narrow alleyways, countless centuries-old, beautifully preserved buildings and facades with magnificent stonework as well as antique tile-roofed houses and a lovely yacht harbour - all wrapped in a fortified river-moat which still retains its triangular ravelins (island-bastions). You may like to stroll atop the fortifications for a view of the marina and the Meuse river or take it easy in one of the pleasant terraces that look out onto the main town square. The Visitor Centre, centrally located in the former town hall, houses a model of the amazing fortifications. Continue to the capital of Noord Brabant, 's-Hertogenbosch (Duke's Forest), known as Den Bosch (the Forest). It's best known as the birthplace of 15th-century painter Jheronimus van Aken, who later took his surname from the town and is remembered worldwide under the name Hieronymous (or Jeroen) Bosch. Den Bosch is an ancient city, full of history and friendly people with a real joie de vivre lifestyle. There are many attractive old streets, a great cafe scene, magnificent fortifications and a fascinating century-old system of canals and waterways all within the city walls. Known as De Binnendieze, the restored waterways have been designated a conservation area since 1972. Make sure you try a local Bossche Bol (a kind of large profiterole) before you leave!
DAY 4 - Drive back to Calais today and the return ferry crossing to Dover, arriving home during the evening.
Venue Information
Hotel 46 Brabant Eindhoven
4* Hotel 46 is a contemporary, low-rise hotel situated in Winterle, situated approx. 13km from the centre of Eindhoven.
It offers comfortable, spacious accommodation and a friendly restaurant / bar / terrace in a relaxed and quiet village setting opposite the church. Guestrooms feature air conditioning, a seating area, a flat-screen TV, a safety deposit box and hairdryer. Most rooms have a walk-in shower, some have a balcony and all are equipped with a kettle.
There is a lift and a small fitness studio. NB Porterage is not available at this hotel.