Experience Day trips in the best of
Antwerp with Withlocals

"We had an incredible experience with our tour guide Matteo and cannot recommend him highly enough. From the very beginning, his communication was excellent—he took the time to text with us several times prior to our arrival and went above and beyond to research meaningful locations for our trip. We sent him some basis information about our family’s involvement at the Battle of The Bulge in parts of France, Luxemburg, and Belgum. Matteo took the time to research the material and recreated an itinerary that would take us to some traditional WWII historic locations and included key places that our family had been and participated in famous and not so famous events. He picked us up promptly from our hotel in Brussels, and the entire day was thoughtfully planned yet flexible to our interests. We visited the Luxembourg American Cemetery, which was a very moving experience, and then enjoyed a lovely stop at a local bakery in Ettelbruck for lunch. During  the short car rides between locations Matteo  pointed out key facts and trivia about what we were seeing. He was also very engaging with us and spent time getting to learn who we were and embraced our interests. Along the way he vividly described  events and stories that made us feel like a family member gave us a tour of their hometown. What truly made this tour unforgettable was how he helped us personalize it. Thanks to his dedication and knowledge, we were able to locate the exact bridge where my husband’s great uncle fought and was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. This was very surprising to us as we only had a general idea of locations my uncle was at. This was very moving to us  as my husband was able to call the son of this man as we were standing in the spot of the key point in time on Jan 6th, 1945. That moment meant so much to our family, and it would not have been possible without his effort and expertise. We have taken many private and group tours throughout  Europe, and this was by far the best. We also visited Bastogne and the Bastogne War Museum, and he enhanced the experience even further by showing us scenes from Band of Brothers on his tablet that corresponded with the locations we were visiting. His knowledge of history was spot on and brought everything to life in a powerful way. Matteo's enthusiasm,  formal, personnel education and studies, completely complimented this tour. It was refreshing to have  a prepared professional guide rather than a retired tired, canned tour! (PS  Both great uncles who we were researching, that fought at the Battle of the Bulge,  made it back to the USA and lived long lives)   At the end of the day, he ensured we were safely returned to our hotel. This was more than just a tour—it was a meaningful, personalized experience that we will never forget. Highly, highly recommend!"

"We spent the day with Eric and he showed us the Ardennes and many sites in Bastogne. We have a great interest in the Battle of the Bulge and Eric is an absolute expert on the subject! He is super friendly and engaging and is very accommodating of any adjustments that need to be made. We really enjoyed our time together and would highly recommend Eric to anyone! If we ever return to Belgium, we will look Eric up! "

"We had a wonderful time with Eric on a chocolate tour of Brussels! He took us to both the popular, well-known chocolate shops, as well as smaller shops who are doing amazing things with chocolate. Eric provided extensive details of Belgium’s history with chocolate, as well as providing valuable context about Brussels. He even found a gluten-free waffle for my daughter! He was fun, easy to chat with, and incredibly knowledgeable. We highly recommend him!"

"Matteo showed up on time and we drove to Luxembourg to see the military cemetery— then toured sites in and around Bastogne. He offered thoughtful perspective and never rushed any of the stops. It was an incredible way to see the Ardennes campaign. He also had Band of Brothers on his tablet so he connected sites with the show. Amazing!"