Three Belgian cities. Three completely different days.
Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp sit within an hour of each other by train, and each one photographs like a different country. We’ll shoot all three in three days, with hands-on tuition from first light to the last frame.
26–30 September 2027 · Based in Brussels · Small group, very few places
This is not just another photography trip.
It’s a fully immersive, expertly led experience built to help you grow as a photographer in real time, with hands-on guidance and creative support at every stop. Belgium is unusually generous to a photographer who wants variety in a short trip. In three days you’ll photograph a grand baroque square, a medieval canal city that mirrors itself at dawn, and a bold port city where a cathedral spire and a modern rooftop share the same skyline — and you’ll do it all on flat ground, in a country small enough to cross before lunch.
The aim is simple: photographs that could only have been taken in Belgium — not generic travel shots you could have taken anywhere.
One hotel, one group, three very different cities.
We stay put in Brussels for all four nights and travel out by train each day, so you unpack once and never live out of a suitcase. The pace is calm, the walking is flat, and there are proper breaks built into every day.
Hellos, and a drink before we begin
Make your own way to the hotel during the day, then we gather in the evening for a welcome drinks reception. It’s a relaxed hour or two to meet Stephen and the rest of your small group, put faces to names, and talk through what the next three days look like.
The hour the Grand-Place turns to gold
A full day in the capital, on foot. The Grand-Place is the anchor — a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998, and at its best once the lights come on and the stone turns gold. Around it we’ll work the glass-roofed Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, open since 1847, and the elevated view across the city from Mont des Arts. Because we’re based here, we can break in the middle of the day and come back out for the good light.
A city that photographs itself
An hour by direct train and we’re in the postcard. Bruges is the reflection day — the canal view at Rozenhoedkaai, the bridges, the quiet water at Minnewater Park, and the Markt with the Belfry standing over it. The little tour boats come and go all day and make a fine moving subject from the bank. Everything we shoot here is at street level, so there are no towers to climb and no steps to worry about.
Cathedrals of stone, iron and glass
Around fifty minutes by direct train, and the most varied day of the trip starts the moment you step off it. Antwerpen-Centraal is a vast hall of iron, glass and stone, and very few photographers walk through it without stopping. From there we work our way through the old city — the Cathedral of Our Lady, whose spire is the tallest of any church in the Low Countries and whose Rubens paintings have made the place a pilgrimage for four hundred years; the guild houses and the Brabo fountain on the Grote Markt; Het Steen and the wide River Scheldt; and the docks, where the modern city meets the water. Then it’s back to Brussels for a farewell meal together.
The itinerary may shift slightly depending on weather, light and opening times.
Photograph Belgium with Stephen and Christina.
Stephen Walton
Stephen is iPhotography’s Head Tutor and the friendly face behind countless photo walks across the UK and workshops further afield, including the USA. An award-winning portrait, street and landscape photographer who’s been behind the camera for two decades, he’s spent years leading photographers on location, and it’s where he’s happiest. He brings the same warmth, patience and structure that runs through every iPhotography course to each trip he leads, specialising in outdoor photography and post-processing (and he’s been featured by Adobe and Skylum along the way). Expect plenty of encouragement, and that lightbulb moment when it all clicks.
Christina Noordberger
Christina is joining us again after Leiden, and she is quietly one of the best things about an F/65 trip abroad. Born and raised in the Netherlands, she lives on the cusp of the tulip fields with her partner and four wonderfully quirky cats. Dutch is the official language of Flanders, so in Bruges and Antwerp she’ll smooth the way with everyone from café owners to the people who know exactly where the good light falls. She’s as comfortable in front of the camera as behind it, and she’ll happily be your model whenever you’d rather have a real person in the frame than an empty street.
From photographers who’ve shot with Stephen.
Everything on the ground, taken care of.
Travel to & from Brussels · lunches · photography supplies · drinks & snacks beyond the welcome reception · travel insurance · tips, gratuities & luggage handling · personal expenses.
Novotel Brussels City Centre, five minutes from the Grand-Place
We stay together at the Novotel Brussels City Centre for all four nights, on Rue de la Vierge Noire in the historic heart of the city. The Grand-Place is about five minutes away on foot, so you can step out of a session and back to your room without a journey either way. Every guest has their own private en-suite room with a double bed — nobody is asked to share — with the breakfast buffet included each morning, a welcome reception on the first evening, and a farewell meal together on the last night.
- · About 5 minutes’ walk from the Grand-Place
- · Private en-suite room with a double bed
- · Daily breakfast buffet + farewell meal
- · Free high-speed Wi-Fi throughout
- · Indoor swimming pool & fitness centre
- · Restaurant and bar on site
- · Air conditioning & 24-hour room service
- · Rooms adapted for reduced mobility available
How do I get there?
By train
Eurostar runs from London St Pancras to Brussels in just under two hours, city centre to city centre, which makes this an easy trip to do without flying at all.
By air
Fly into Brussels Airport (BRU), which is well served from across the UK, Europe and beyond. Trains run from inside the airport to the city centre in around twenty minutes, several times an hour.
Once you’re here
You won’t need a car. Everything on this trip runs on foot and by train, and your travel to Bruges and Antwerp is booked and paid for as part of the workshop.
Accessibility & what to expect underfoot.
We’re the world’s friendliest photography club, and we want this trip to work for you. Belgium is flat, which helps enormously, but all three cities are heavily cobbled and cobbles are hard work on wheels and on tired ankles. Each day’s workshop runs around 5–6 hours and involves a few miles of city walking, with proper breaks built in. There are no tower climbs on this trip. Here’s an honest look at each day so you can judge what suits — and please talk to us about any needs before you book.
Brussels
Flat and compact, and our hotel is five minutes from the Grand-Place, so you can step out of a session and back to your room easily. Expect cobbles around the square and a gentle rise up to Mont des Arts. The hotel has rooms adapted for reduced mobility — ask us and we will hold one for you.
Bruges
Flat but relentlessly cobbled, with humpbacked bridges between the canal views. There are no towers to climb, so everything is at street level, but the surfaces underfoot are the most uneven of the three cities.
Antwerp
The most ground covered of the three, from the station through the old city to the riverside and the docks. The route is level throughout, but it’s a full day on your feet.
The train days
You’re sitting down for the journeys — about an hour to Bruges, around fifty minutes to Antwerp — and we travel together as a group, so nobody is working out platforms on their own.
If you have mobility, health or dietary needs, just get in touch before booking. We’ll talk it through honestly and help you get the most out of every day.
Join us in Belgium.
One payment
Spread the cost
The companion rate covers the 4-night hotel, daily breakfast, the farewell meal and the welcome reception drinks. Rooms have a double bed, so the companion rate suits a partner. Please book your companion upfront on your selected trip. Places are very limited.
By booking you agree to our Workshop & Photo Walk Terms & Conditions.
Your questions, answered.
I’m a beginner — is this trip for me?+
What do I need to bring with me?+
Will we be shooting on location?+
Why Brussels as the base, rather than moving hotels?+
How much walking is involved — and is it accessible?+
Do I need a visa or any particular travel documents?+
What’s the difference between this and a photo walk?+
Can I just book on for a single day?+
Can I attend without booking the hotel?+
Will I have to share a room?+
Can I bring a partner?+
Can I extend my stay or upgrade my room?+
What is your cancellation policy?+
Anything else I should consider?+
Who do I contact with questions about the trip?+
Three cities. One very good week.
Build a varied set of images, meet people who love photography as much as you do, and come home more confident than you left. Places are very limited — secure yours below.
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