Ballet in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Liège (Belgium)

Ballet in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Liège (Belgium)

Holland in Tulip Time!

16 – 24 March, 2019

9 days, 8 nights

4 ballet performances

Dutch National Ballet

Swan Lake

Les Hivernales de la Danse gala in Liège

Berlin State Ballet

Onegin (Cranko)

La Sylphide (Bournonville)

This trip is for you if: 

1) You prefer story ballets and a bit of virtuosity

2) You have limited vacation time. 

We have scheduled this trip from Saturday to the following Sunday so you need only 5 vacation days. You can of course add on extra days before or after the package if you wish

3) You want to take advantage of lower off-season prices

Ballet Bucket list:

John Cranko's Onegin, a passionate story of unrequited love

August Bournonville's La Sylphide, the quintessential Romantic ballet

Liège-Guillemins train station.

Saturday 16 March

Arrive Liège, an hour by frequent train from Brussels Airport. Your first sight of Liège will be its futuristic train station designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. Check in to 4-star Ramada Plaza Liège Centre.

Sunday 17 March

Morning: Visit Liège's lively Sunday morning market. Be sure to sample the famous and delicious Liège waffles! Stock up on Belgian chocolate and imbibe some classic Belgian cherry beer. Then learn about the historic centre on a guided tour led by an art historian from the University of Liège. Afternoon: watch major international ballet stars taking their daily class, followed by Les Hivernales de la danse gala. Top stars from the world's greatest companies in classical and contemporary repertoire. Evening: transfer to Amsterdam. Check in to 4-star The Manor Amsterdam, 10 minutes by direct tram from the theatre.

Monday 18 March AMSTERDAM

Watch Dutch National Ballet company class and backstage tour of the opera house. Afternoon and evening at leisure. Evening: 3-course dinner.

Tuesday 19 March AMSTERDAM

1030 am: Private guided tour of the highlights of the Rijksmuseum (1 hour). Rest of day at leisure. Suggested activities: explore the Rijksmuseum further if you wish, or visit the nearby Van Gogh Museum. Take a canal boat cruise.

https://youtu.be/oYFKSwMl6Pw

 

Wednesday 20 March AMSTERDAM

Day at leisure. Evening: performance of Dutch National Ballet : Swan Lake.

Photo by krystina rogers on Unsplash

Thursday 21 March

Morning: check out of hotel. Transfer by private coach to the spectacular Keukenhof Garden the world's greatest showcase of spring flowers. 
https://youtu.be/3P3j3WBPhR8 


Transfer to Amsterdam airport. Midday flight to Berlin. Arrive Berlin, check in to 4-star Arcotel John F, 5 minutes walk from the Unter den Linden opera house. Evening: Berlin State Ballet performance of Onegin.

https://youtu.be/sjbefjfkcco

 

Friday 22 March

Day excursion by luxury private coach to Potsdam (1 hour from Berlin). Private guided tour of the magnificent Unesco World Heritage Sanssouci Palace, home of Frederick the Great, and Cecilienhof Palace, the site of the Potsdam conference to end the Second World War.

 

Afternoon: our local guide joins us for a 2-hour guided bus tour of Potsdam and Berlin. Evening: 3-course dinner before performance of La Sylphide.

Museuminsel, Berlin

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

  

Saturday 23 March BERLIN

Day at leisure. Suggested activities: Visit one or more of the museums on Berlin's famous Museum Island, about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Evening: 3-course farewell dinner.

Sunday 24 March BERLIN

Check out of hotel.

Package includes:

8 nights double-share accommodation

3 three-course dinners

Daily hot and cold breakfast buffet

Best category seat for 4 performances, plus “class of the stars” in Liège

Watch Dutch National Ballet company class and backstage tour of the opera house

Day excursions to Potsdam and Keukenhof

Guided tours of Liège and Berlin

Admission and private guided tours of Sanssouci, Cecilienhof, Rijksmuseum

Free wifi in hotel

Ballet Notes

Airfare Amsterdam-Berlin

Transfer from Liège  to Amsterdam

Guaranteed single accommodation available on payment of the single supplement. Tours en l'air's single supplement reflects only the cost of paying for a hotel room for yourself rather than sharing the cost with another person. Those looking for a roommate to share with will be put in touch with one another.

Current ESTIMATED package price:

Double occupancy per person sharing: 
$3700 Canadian, $2900 US, 2200 pounds

Single supplement
$700 Canadian, $550 US, 420 pounds

The package will be charged in Canadian dollars. Equivalents in US$ and pounds are given only as estimates for your convenience. Actual price will depend on the exchange rate at the time the package is charged to your credit card. 

Booking will open in October with a signup deadline in November. If you would like to be added to the priority list to be notified first when booking opens, please email toursenlair@gmail.com
 

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Katherine Barber

Tours en l'air Ballet Holidays

email: toursenlair@gmail.com

www.toursenlair.blogspot.com

201 Hanson St, Toronto, ON Canada M4C 1A7 416.693.4496

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Paris, Amsterdam, great ballet, cute Canadian dancer

I am looking at a spring ballet trip to Paris, but it would have to be over Easter long weekend and I am not sure if that suits people or not, so please let me know.
As you know, I strive to make Tours en l'air trips suit your wishes as much as possible!
It also seemed a shame to be near Holland in tulip season and not to take advantage of it so what I am looking at now is something like this:

April 22 - May 1
6 days Paris, 3 days Amsterdam

Arrive Paris Good Friday, 22nd April, stay till the morning of Thurs 28th

1 Performance of Nureyev's version of Romeo and Juliet (there is another performance of it the same week for the keeners)
1 Performance of Mats Ek's House of Bernarda and A Sort of...
all performances in Paris by Paris Opera Ballet

Mats Ek is a very contemporary choreographer who is a big star on the international ballet scene. Some people LOVE him but he's not everyone's cup of tea so if you'd rather that be made an optional performance, please let me know
Here's a clip of House of Bernarda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ahcKtpp9nA

Thurs 28th take train (3 hrs) to Amsterdam, to see Dutch National Ballet in a fabulous all Hans van Manen program (teaser here):
http://www.youtube.com/user/HetNationaleBallet#p/search/2/bmQJQ4huh3M
Stay in Amsterdam till Sunday May 1st, with a side trip to the amazing Keukenhof garden 40 minutes away to see the spring flowers in bloom

If we're lucky we could see DNB's recently promoted Canadian (from Regina!) Principal Dancer, Matthew Golding, who as you will see in these videos is a beeYOOtiful turner (not to mention cute as a button) whose somewhat meteoric career path is no surprise:
http://www.youtube.com/user/HetNationaleBallet#p/u/3/ZU_Yc4TZ99Y
http://www.youtube.com/user/HetNationaleBallet#p/search/9/Ra1GA7EZ35M

I think this could be a great trip, but it all depends on whether enough people are available at that time of year so please do get in touch if you're tempted. Remember, you can join a Tours en l'air trip from anywhere, just meet us in Paris.