With the rising costs of flying to Europe and the proposed rise in fuel surcharges, travelling by coach and ferry is a more affordable way of going on tour. Sports Tour Manager Sean Bishop reviews a few of our more popular destinations in Europe accessible by coach and ferry, including Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris, Lille, and Cologne.
Our privately booked executive coaches collect you from your club/school and will take you over to Europe for a 3 or 4 day tour. Here's a brief list of the advantages of using coach travel with Tours 4 for your next tour:
- Very economical.
- Travel in comfort- all coaches we use are smooth and comfortable. Arrive fresh and ready to go.
- Onboard toilet and refreshments available - plus regular comfort stops to stretch your legs or eat.
- Door to door transport. No complicated airport transfers.
- No airport style queues, confusion and delays.
- No airline baggage restrictions.
- No lost or misrouted baggage.
- Coach and driver available for all fixtures and activities (within legal limits)
- Possibility of sightseeing en route
- Importantly, coach travel also makes the group organiser's job easier, not only when planning the trip but also during the tour itself. Group supervision is much easier and also allows flexibility when at your destination for activities and sightseeing.
Antwerp Sports Tours
Antwerp is an excellent base for a tour of Europe’s lowlands. Quicker to reach than Amsterdam, the city still offers a great city base for youth and adult groups alike. The sport, the city and the excursions in your itinerary make Antwerp a superb touring venue.
Antwerp is an old port town with a great nightlife, ideal for a lively senior or university sports teams. The city centre is fairly small with the Grote Markt packed full of pubs including a great Irish bar 'The Irish Times'. This was particularly popular with Guinness Rugby Club who toured with us to Antwerp in 2010.
The city is approximately 35 miles north of the historic city of Brussels and also close to the Dutch border, meaning you can play your pre-arranged fixtures in either country. Antwerp boasts over 2,000 pubs, cafés, jazz bars and a whole host of night-clubs. The Belgians are also famous for their relaxed culture and hospitality. There is so much sightseeing to do, you will never be bored throughout your stay.
Why not explore some of the many squares and mazed streets of the Old Quarter or maybe check out the dozens of diamond shops which are what the city is most famous for.
Belgium is also home to an impressive number of tournaments over April and May every year, all offered by us here at Tours4. This includes:
- Colts Rugby - Gent Easter Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
- Senior Rugby Mens - Gent Easter Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
- Senior Rugby Womens - Gent Easter Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
- Senior Rugby Mens (10s) - Wakke Memorial Rugby Tournament - May 2011
- Senior Rugby Womens (10s) - Wakke Memorial Rugby Tournament - May 2011
- Senior Rugby Mens - Flanders Open Tens Rugby Tournament - May 2011
- Senior Rugby Womens - Flanders Open Tens Rugby Tournament - May 2011
- Junior Football - Hageland Cup Youth Football Tournament, Aarschot - May 2011
2 hours from Calais, or a little over an hour from Rotterdam, it’s quick, cheap and simple to get to Antwerp from the North or South of the UK by coach. This means that you can travel around during your stay to get the most out of your trip. This is another advantage of tours to the lowlands – everything is so close together. From your Antwerp base you can reach Brussels, Gent and Bruges in comfortably under an hour, and Lille and Amsterdam in well under two.
We have a variety of accommodation options, from holiday park accommodation within driving distance of the city to our popular city centre 3* Hotel, absolutely ideal for youth and adult tour groups. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the en-suite rooms will ensure you enjoy a comfortable stay during your time in Belgium.
Prices for 4 day, 3 night packages including travel, accommodation and 2 fixtures start from as low as £199 per person.
Amsterdam Sports Tours
The Netherlands is one of our more popular touring cities due to its proximity to the UK and because English is widely spoken throughout. A sports mad country, with excellent facilities and high participation levels at all ages, you can expect a warm welcome from your hosts. The small size of the country means it is easy to travel to other cities to play games, which allows you to see different parts of the country as well. The city of Amsterdam itself is magnificent. A range of impressive architecture leans over a criss-cross of canals spanned by foot bridges, surrounded at ground level by cafés and restaurants. The grand Dam Square is the focal point of the city, and further South West there is the Museum quarter.
So, plenty to keep you occupied when you’re not playing your fixtures then. However, if you want to venture out of the city, you won’t be disappointed. Holland has a beautiful coastline- Bloemendaal is a lively beach resort with numerous bars overlooking the sandy beach. Nordwijk is a little further south, and the sandy beach again makes it popular with Vollendam for the day.
Back into the capital, and the nightlife here is legendary. Pubs, bars, cafés, coffee shops and nightclubs open until breakfast. The biggest challenge for our adult groups is getting back to the hotel in time for breakfast!
Coach travel to Amsterdam takes between 4 and 5 hours from Calais after the ferry. If you're travelling from the North then travel overnight, during the day or stop off en route to break the journey up. There are also ferry options from Hull to Rotterdam, this is an overnight ferry.
Like Belgium, Holland offers plenty of tournaments over the Spring period, all accessible from the Amsterdam area.
- Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - Easter 2011
- Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - May 2011
- Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - May 2011
- Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - June 2011
- Veterans Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - May 2011
- Junior Football - Holland Easter Classic Youth Football Tournament - Easter 2011
- Junior Football - Amsterdam Cup Football Tournament - May 2011
- Adult Rugby - Leiden Diok Mens and Womens Rugby Tournament, Leiden - Easter 2011
- Adult Rugby - Dukes Rugby Club Tens Rugby Tournament - May 2011
- Adult Rugby - Octopus Uden Adult Rugby Tournament - August 2011
- Veterans Rugby - Hilversum Vets Rugby Tournament, Hilversum - Easter 2011
- Veterans Rugby - Westlands Old Boys Veterans Rugby Tournament, Hague - May 2011
- Junior Rugby - Hilversum Youth Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
- Adult Mixed Hockey - Heerhugowaard Mixed Hockey Tournament - Easter 2011
We can offer a great range of accommodation options to suit all groups including hostels, hotels and a range of accommodation close to the beaches. For youth groups, Noordwijk offers easy access to the Hague and Amsterdam so why not combine your tour with a day trip to 'the Dam'.
Many of our groups stay at Stayokay Hostels, a trusted and excellent chain of youth hostels in The Netherlands. The hostels have been built in a range of beautiful buildings and offer a wide variety of room types including bunk or double beds in two, four or six bedded dormitories with all residents receiving bed linen on arrival and breakfast included. Every Stayokay hostel has a warm friendly bar, terrace and on-site restaurant to accommodate your touring team’s needs and requirements. .
Over Easter weekend 2011 we are offering the following packages in Holland, suitable for U13 through to U19 teams.
Paris Sports Tours
Over Easter weekend 2011 we are offering the following packages in Holland, suitable for U13 through to U19 teams.
- 4 days' executive coach hire.
- Return Dover - Calais - Dover ferry crossings.
- 3 nights' half board accommodation in Noordwijk, Haarlem or Amsterdam.
- Optional friendly fixture on Easter Saturday.
- Entry into Easter Sunday rugby tournament, including food at tournament.
- Itinerary planning service.
With prices starting from just £230 per person, this offers outstanding value for money.
Paris Sports Tours
Because of it's proximity to the UK, Northern France is a popular choice for a sports tour, minimising travel time but with the opportunity for your group to experience a different culture and play sport in a different environment. At Tours 4 we have excellent links throughout France, with Paris and Lille being our most popular destinations.
In Paris there are numerous options for sports tours, including football, rugby, hockey and basketball. Why not travel over a Six Nations weekend in February or March and watch France play at the Stade de France. At Tours4, we have access to international tickets so can include this as part of your tour package. Accommodation options include 2 and 3* hotels in the centre of Paris. All our hotels are group friendly and are chosen with sports groups in mind.
Paris can be reached from Calais in three hours.
You will be accommodated in a 2 or 3* Hotel in the centre of Paris. The hotels we use have been specifically chosen as a group friendly venue and are within easy access of the main sights.
Prices per person start from £210 per person.
Lille Sports Tours
Lille is the third largest city in France and is often ignored by sports teams. It has a strong Belgian influence, excellent museums, a big student population, a great mix of bars, restaurants, clubs and the world renowned Grande Braderie (Europe's biggest flea market).
Our strong links with French clubs allows us to offer you some unique and great friendly fixtures, for all ages and levels. All fixtures will be within 45 minutes drive of Lille.
There are a host of activities you can undertake in your ‘off-time’ while on tour in Lille.
educational and cultural of groups, why not head to the World War 2 museum that pays
tribute to the French Resistance.
Other points of interest:
Prices for a 4 day, 3 night tour to Lille start from £199 per person.
- Star shaped Citadel - Louis IXV, the Sun King, having just conquered the town of Lille, wished to fortify it with a citadel. It remains the largest and the best preserved citadel in France. Certainly worth a visit, only open to the public on Sundays.
- Palais des Beaux-Arts (free for groups)
Situated within 1 hour 30 minutes from Calais, your team could be staying in the wonderful City of Lille in next to no time.
Prices for a 4 day, 3 night tour to Lille start from £199 per person.
Cologne Sports Tours
Germany is growing in popularity as a sports tour destination, for both youth and adult groups.
It is also an up and coming rugby nation and there is an abundance of clubs who are of a good standard and keen to welcome touring sides for a competitive game of rugby. The Cologne area has one of the largest concentrations of rugby teams in the country, whilst hockey and football are also popular sports within the area.
Cologne (Köln), Germany's oldest city, is full of history and architecture. Just walking around this city you will stumble across an ancient Roman wall, medieval churches galore, postwar buildings and avant-garde museums and concert halls. It is Germany's fourth-largest city, founded by the Romans in 38 BC, has a long list of sightseeing attractions. For our adult groups, The Altstadt is also the best place to sample Kölsch, the refreshing local brew, in beer halls rivalling those in Bavaria. The city also has the highest concentration of pubs and clubs per capita in Germany, with a vibrant club scene.
There are numerous activities to keep you occupied, whether it is go-karting at the Michael Schumacher Kart and Event Centre (a must do!) or a day’s cruise on the river Rhine while enjoying the stunning landscape of the Rhine Valley. For adult groups, party cruises are also available.
Cologne is located near the Belgian border and is between 4 and 5 hours from Calais so it is ideal for groups travelling from the South of England.
Prices for 4 day tours to Cologne start from as low as £195 per person - this is based on B and B accommodation.
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Our typical four-day European tours include coach travel throughout, hotel or hostel accommodation on B&B or half board basis for 3 nights, matches on day 2 and/or day 3 against local opposition, and our assistance throughout. We try and match suitable opposition within an hour of your accommodation and following the games your team will enjoy post-match hospitality with your hosts. We will also book activities/excursions that you may wish to do during any free time.
Travelling by coach enables you to keep the costs down and allows more people to share the fixed cost of transport.
For more information or to book one of these popular European destinations, please contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com
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