atlaggie

Hello,

I'm looking for Belgium itinerary opinions from folks who have been to Belgium before. I'll be there for 6 nights in August and am trying to figure out the best way to allocate my time there.

My first three nights I'm already committed to staying in Brugge, with a day trip to Ghent somewhere in there. My initial plan was to spend the fourth night in Antwerp, and then the 5th and 6th nights in Brussels. However, doing some research and reading other posts, I'm wondering if it might be better to spend 2 nights in Antwerp and the final night in Brussels?

I guess my real question is which city is worth more attention--Brussels or Antwerp? I will be there when the biennial flower carpet is constructed in Brussels, so I definitely want time to see that.

If it makes a difference, my main interest in visiting Belgium is the beer (but I'm more interested in tasting it than seeing how it is made, so I'm not planning a lot of brewery tours).

Thanks!

analogue

What about the coastal cities like Ostende? Have you considered them at all? Of course there is nothing historic about them since they were bombed into rubble during the war, but they have a certain 1950's-1960's charm. I like De Panne, and there is a tramway that runs along the coast from the French border to the Dutch border.

zeppole

Antwerp, hands down.

francophile03

I've visited Brussels but not Antwerp. Personally I did not like Brussels and Antwerp looks more interesting so I'd select Antwerp.

global_guy

There are plenty of things I like about Brussels, but I really prefer Antwerp. It's fashionable, hip and classic all at the same time, and I enjoy the laid back Flemish feel. There's plenty of art, architecture and food to keep you busy for two nights.

atlaggie

Thanks for all of the responses so far! The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards staying the extra night in Antwerp....

MyriamC

Antwerpen! Especially since you're interested in beer.

Here are some addresses that are 'Must Visit' for beer lovers:
Quinten Matsys, Moriaanstraat 17: the oldest café in Antwerpen.
De Kulminator, Vleminckveld 32: they have 550 (yes, five hundred and fifty) different bottled beers. It's not a cosy place, people who come here only come for the beer.
Paters Vaetje, Blauwmoezelstraat 1: located next to Our Lady's Cathedral, 100 different beers.
Den Engel, Grote Markt 1: a typical brown café. Everyone in Antwerpen knows Café Den Engel. It's next to the City Hall.

If you happen to be in Antwerpen on August 15th, there is the annual traditional Rubens Market on Grote Markt and neighboring streets, from 8am till 10pm.
From August 22nd till 24th, you can join the "Bollekesfeesten". A bolleke being a typical Antwerpian beer served in a spherical (bol in Dutch) glass, hence the name.

atlaggie

Many thanks for all of the "beer lover" suggestions. I'll be sure to check them out! I'm definitely looking forward to spending some time in Antwerpen.