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Photograph to come · Amsterdam canal at first light, the hero shot

Netherlands & Belgium Pilgrimages

Amsterdam, Ghent, Bruges, Beauraing, Banneux and Cologne

Thirteen days from the canals of Amsterdam to the Alps, taking in the Flemish shrines of Ghent and Bruges, the two approved Belgian apparitions at Beauraing and Banneux, and the great Rhineland cathedrals of Aachen, Cologne and Trier.

Departures

Current Tours to the Netherlands & Belgium

Upcoming departures to the Netherlands & Belgium. Each group has its own host, dates, and itinerary. The route below is our standard.

All current pilgrimages
The Route

Thirteen stops from the North Sea to the Alps

Amsterdam, Utrecht, Ghent, Bruges, Beauraing, Banneux, Aachen, Cologne, Trier, Heidelberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Lucerne and Einsiedeln.

Itinerary · EU_NL-BE-DE-CH-13D-01

Our Standard Netherlands & Belgium Pilgrimage

This is the route we most often run for groups travelling through the Low Countries and the Rhineland. Your group travels on its own dates, and the itinerary can be adjusted to fit the time you have and the places that matter most to your pilgrims.

DAYS 1–4

The Netherlands

Photograph to come · The canals of Amsterdam
The canals of Amsterdam at first light
Day 1

Departure

Our pilgrimage begins with an overnight flight to Amsterdam. Dinner and breakfast are served during the crossing, and there is time to rest before the first morning in the Netherlands.
Day 2

Arrival in Amsterdam

Our tour escort meets us on arrival and accompanies us by motorcoach to the hotel. The evening is given to a welcome dinner, where the group gathers for the first time and the pilgrimage properly begins.Welcome dinner and overnight in Amsterdam.
Day 3

Our Lady of All Nations and a Eucharistic miracle

We visit the Chapel of Our Lady of All Nations, where Ida Peerdeman reported apparitions between 1945 and 1959. The Holy See has found those reported apparitions not to be of supernatural origin, though the Marian title itself remains a permitted devotion. Afterward we visit the site of the Eucharistic miracle of 1345, where a consecrated host was found preserved in a house that had burned.Mass is celebrated at the Chapel of Our Lady of All Nations. Dinner and overnight in Amsterdam.
Day 4

Amsterdam and the Zaanse Schans

A walking tour takes in the seventeenth-century canals and squares, the Royal Palace and the Begijnhof. In the afternoon we continue to the Zaanse Schans, where windmills, wooden houses and working craftsmen keep the eighteenth century close at hand along the river Zaan.Mass is celebrated at a local church. Dinner and overnight in Amsterdam.
DAYS 5–7

Flanders and the Belgian shrines

Photograph to come · The belfry and market square at Bruges
The belfry and market square at Bruges
Day 5

Utrecht, Ghent and Bruges

At Utrecht we visit the Museum Catharijneconvent, housed in a former hospice of the Order of St. John and holding the history of Christianity in the Netherlands. We continue to Ghent for the van Eyck brothers’ Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, painted in 1432, and on to Bruges for the night.Mass is celebrated at St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent. Dinner and overnight in Bruges.
Day 6

Bruges

A full day in one city. We begin at the Church of Our Lady, which holds the marble Madonna and Child carved by Michelangelo, then continue to the Holy Savior’s Cathedral and the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which keeps a venerated relic of the Precious Blood and, modelled on the Holy Sepulchre, a replica of Christ’s tomb.Mass is celebrated at the Church of Our Lady. Dinner and overnight in Bruges.
Day 7

Beauraing, Banneux and Aachen

We travel south through Dinant, set beneath its limestone cliffs, to the Shrine of Our Lady of Beauraing, where the Blessed Mother appeared thirty-three times to a group of children during the Depression and asked them to offer themselves in sacrifice. We continue to Banneux, the Belgian Lourdes, where she came to Mariette Beco as the Virgin of the Poor.Mass is celebrated at the Shrine of Our Lady of Beauraing. Dinner and overnight in Aachen.
DAYS 8–10

The Rhineland

Photograph to come · Kölner Dom above the Rhine
Kölner Dom above the Rhine
Day 8

Aachen and Cologne

Aachen Cathedral is the oldest in Germany and keeps the swaddling clothes of the Christ Child and the cloak of the Blessed Virgin among its relics. We continue to Cologne, a pilgrimage city since 1164, when the relics of the Three Magi were brought here, and tour the Kölner Dom that was raised to hold them.Mass is celebrated at Aachen Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in Aachen.
Day 9

Trier and Heidelberg

Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded before 16 B.C. We see the Porta Nigra and the Roman baths, and at the cathedral venerate the Holy Robe, held by tradition to be the seamless garment worn by Christ at the Crucifixion and shown publicly only at intervals of years or decades.Mass is celebrated at Trier Cathedral. Dinner and overnight in Heidelberg.
Day 10

Heidelberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The morning belongs to Heidelberg’s old town beneath its ruined castle, with the view from the Old Bridge across the Neckar. In the afternoon we walk the intact medieval wall at Rothenburg ob der Tauber, above a town of half-timbered houses nearly a thousand years old.Mass is celebrated at a local church. Dinner and overnight in Heidelberg.
DAYS 11–13

Into the Alps

Photograph to come · Einsiedeln Abbey in the Swiss foothills
Einsiedeln Abbey in the Swiss foothills
Day 11

The Rhine Falls, Muri and Lucerne

We cross into Switzerland for a boat ride beneath the Rhine Falls, then continue to the Benedictine monastery of Muri, founded in 1027 by Ita of Lorraine and Count Radbot of Habsburg, whose Romanesque crypt, Gothic choir and Baroque octagon record nine centuries of rebuilding.Mass is celebrated at Muri Monastery. Dinner and overnight in Lucerne.
Day 12

Lucerne and Einsiedeln

A guided tour of Lucerne takes in the fourteenth-century Chapel Bridge beneath Pilatus and Rigi. We then drive along the lakes to Einsiedeln Abbey, dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, which traces its origin to about 850 and the hermit monk St. Meinrad.Mass is celebrated at Einsiedeln Abbey. Farewell dinner and overnight in Lucerne.
Day 13

Return home

We transfer to the airport for the flight home, carrying the intercession of Our Lady of the Hermits and the memory of four countries joined by one river and one faith.

Why leaders choose Canterbury

“Canterbury treats you like family! They handle everything, from creating exciting itineraries to managing calls, registrations, and payments.”

Patrick MadridPatrick Madrid
Catholic Speaker, Author & Host of The Patrick Madrid Show on Relevant Radio®
BrugesWhere the Middle Ages still feel close at hand.
Photograph to come
Dates

Your group travels on its own dates.

Tell us the window you have in mind and we will build the itinerary around it: the time you have, and the places that matter most to your pilgrims.

Your pilgrimage includes

Tour Package Includes

These inclusions can be easily tailored to the individual needs of your group

  • Daily Mass at the churches we visit
  • Round-trip group airfare
  • Airport transfers on arrival & departure
  • 4-Star hotel accommodations
  • Private motorcoach transportation
  • Breakfast & dinner served daily
  • Wine served with some dinners
  • Dedicated tour manager
  • Licensed guiding & admission fees
  • Porterage service at hotels
  • Whisper headsets when touring
  • Tips for hotel & restaurant staff
  • 9 – 5 PM (EST) reservation support
  • 24/7 travel emergency support
  • Canterbury Mobile App
For the group leader

What you get as the group leader

You travel free.

Every group earns complimentary places. The more pilgrims you bring, the more you earn. How complimentary places work

No financial risk.

If the group does not fill, deposits are returned. You owe nothing and neither do your pilgrims. What happens if a group does not fill

We produce the promotional materials.

Flyers, a registration page, and what you need to invite your people. Our guide to promoting a pilgrimage

We handle your pilgrims.

Registrations, rooming lists, payment plans and the phone calls. How leading a pilgrimage works

In your pocket

The Canterbury Mobile App

Every pilgrim in your group gets the app. Their itinerary, hotels and flights, the prayers of the day and a way to reach one another, all in one place and kept current as the pilgrimage unfolds.

  • Group chat

    Your whole group in one thread, so a change of plan reaches everyone at once.

  • Their itinerary

    The full day-by-day schedule, always current, in every pilgrim’s pocket.

  • Hotels

    Where the group is staying each night, with addresses and dates.

  • Flights

    Flight details kept alongside everything else, not in a separate email.

  • Daily prayers

    The prayers of the day, including the Liturgy of the Hours.

  • Shrine passport

    A keepsake record of the shrines your group visits along the way.

  • Live updates

    Times and meeting points pushed to everyone the moment they change.

Photographs
Photograph to come · The Chapel of Our Lady of All Nations, Amsterdam
The Chapel of Our Lady of All Nations, Amsterdam
Photograph to come · St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent
St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent
Photograph to come · The Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges
The Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges
Photograph to come · The Shrine of Our Lady of Beauraing
The Shrine of Our Lady of Beauraing
Photograph to come · Aachen Cathedral
Aachen Cathedral, the oldest in Germany
Photograph to come · Trier Cathedral and the Holy Robe shrine
The Holy Robe shrine at Trier Cathedral

What group leaders say

“They’re big enough to handle any problem that arises, and small enough to craft truly unique experiences.”

Chris StefanickChris Stefanick
Founder & President of Real Life Catholic
Before you ask

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to travel to the Netherlands and Belgium?

Groups travel from April through October. May, June and September bring the mildest weather and the longest days, while July and August are the warmest and the busiest. The Rhineland and the Swiss stretch of this route are at their best from late spring onward, once the mountain passes and lake steamers are fully in season.

How physically demanding is this pilgrimage?

Moderate. Most days involve two to four hours on your feet, with walking on uneven ground, ancient stone, and steps at archaeological sites. Pilgrims who can manage a full day of sightseeing at their own pace do well. If anyone in your group has mobility limitations, tell us early and we will adapt the days around them. What activity level means.

What is generally not included?

Travel insurance, lunches, drinks beyond those served with included meals, personal expenses, and gratuities for your tour manager and driver. Any of these can be built into your package on request, so tell us what you would like covered and we will arrange it. Passports and visa fees are the one exception and remain the responsibility of each pilgrim.

Are Beauraing and Banneux approved apparitions?

Yes. Both were approved by their local bishops in 1949: Beauraing, where Our Lady appeared thirty-three times to a group of children in 1932 and 1933, and Banneux, where she appeared to eleven-year-old Mariette Beco in 1933 as the Virgin of the Poor. The Amsterdam chapel on Day 3 is a different case, and we are careful to say so: the Holy See has found the reported apparitions there not to be of supernatural origin, though the Marian title of Our Lady of All Nations remains a permitted devotion.

Can our priest celebrate Mass at the churches?

Yes. Daily Mass is built into the itinerary, and we arrange times and locations in advance with each church. Your priest should travel with a celebret or letter of good standing from his bishop or superior. We handle the scheduling.

How many pilgrims do you need for a group?

Most of our groups are between 20 and 50 pilgrims, and we can arrange smaller tours as well. We have also organized pilgrimages for groups as large as 2,500, so whatever size your group turns out to be, we can build for it. Minimum group size for a group flight.

Enquire

Interested in Leading a Pilgrimage to the Netherlands & Belgium?

A pilgrimage consultant replies within one business day. No deposit or commitment.

    Your Information

    Your Group

    First time? You are in good company. Many of our group leaders start right here, and we guide you through every step.

    Where You Would Like to Go

    Destinations of interest (check all that apply)

    These are some of our most popular destinations, but we build CUSTOM ITINERARIES anywhere in the world. If you do not see your destination, tell us below.

    Italy, Rome and AssisiFrance, Lourdes and ParisPortugal and FátimaSpain and the Camino de SantiagoPortugal, Spain and France togetherGreece and TurkeyThe Holy LandEgypt and Mount SinaiPoland, Prague and Central EuropeMedjugorje and the BalkansIreland and the United KingdomMexico and Our Lady of GuadalupeArgentinaPeruJapan, Nagasaki and AkitaUnited States and Canada shrinesA pilgrimage cruiseSomewhere else, or not sure yet

    When

    Group Size and Budget

    Complimentary places are arranged based on the size of your group. Let us know how many you expect so we can request them from our suppliers from the start.

    A Few Last Details

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