Belgium for 4 nights by train
Mar 30th, 2015, 01:56 PM
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Belgium for 4 nights by train
We are planning a 50th birthday trip to Europe this summer and need help with the Belgium portion. We are going to Amsterdam for 3 nights then taking the train to Belgium and can't decide whether to stay all 4 nights in one city before heading to Paris for a few nights. I was thinking of Ghent since it is between Bruge and Brussels but not sure if Ghent is worth that length of time. Never been to Belgium before and won't be renting a car. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Mar 30th, 2015, 02:26 PM
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Though can't hold a candle IMO to Bruges for old-world charm Gent does have Bruges-like parts and overall is an interesting city in its own right - base here for day trips to Antwerp - don't overlook Antwerp, especially if into museums, and even Saint-Niklaas with one of the very largest town square in Europe - in between Antwerp and Gent.
But really Belgium is so small even basing in Bruges - infinitely more romantic for the average foreign traveler - to me the most quain old-world looking city north of the Alps - especially at night after all the day tripping bus tours have gone it takes on an exquisite serene feeling and look as its old canals and ancient Flemish facades lining them and hump-backed wooden bridges are wondrously floodlit.
Day trip to Brussels too or even Lille, France - the rail route to Paris from Bruges take about exactly the same time either via Lille Flandres then TGVs to Paris-Nord or via Brussels then Thalys to Paris-Nord.
I took over 1,000 people through Belgian and everyone it seemed thought Bruges so exceptional - some couples came back there on their own after the trip it was so romantic to them.
Gent is nice but much more a modern thriving busy city - some may like that better than Bruges which can seem like a museum town, at least in the daytime.
For lots of great info on Benelux trains check out these IMO superb sites: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com. check day passes for train travel in Belgium - at Belgian railways official site. From Amsterdam you can take either IC trains with no reservations possible and a flat fare system I believe - walk up tickets no more than advanced ones or you can take the Thalys, about an hour shorter all told to Bruges - but you can take the Thalys only to Antwerp Central then IC trains to Gent and Bruges (on same rail line from Antwerp) - if doing Thalys and you can get a deep discounted ticket by booking WAY in advance it could be cheaper too - the ABS All Belgian Station fare for about 5 euros more gives you the right to take any train within 24 or maybe 48 hours of your Thalys train arrival in Antwerp (or Brussels) to all and any Belgian train station.
ditto if going Thalys Brussels to Paris - ABS fare allows you to take any Belgian train from any place in Belgim to Brussels within 24 or 48 hours of the Thalys train to Paris - www.thalys.com is the official site and has all the info.
But really Belgium is so small even basing in Bruges - infinitely more romantic for the average foreign traveler - to me the most quain old-world looking city north of the Alps - especially at night after all the day tripping bus tours have gone it takes on an exquisite serene feeling and look as its old canals and ancient Flemish facades lining them and hump-backed wooden bridges are wondrously floodlit.
Day trip to Brussels too or even Lille, France - the rail route to Paris from Bruges take about exactly the same time either via Lille Flandres then TGVs to Paris-Nord or via Brussels then Thalys to Paris-Nord.
I took over 1,000 people through Belgian and everyone it seemed thought Bruges so exceptional - some couples came back there on their own after the trip it was so romantic to them.
Gent is nice but much more a modern thriving busy city - some may like that better than Bruges which can seem like a museum town, at least in the daytime.
For lots of great info on Benelux trains check out these IMO superb sites: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com. check day passes for train travel in Belgium - at Belgian railways official site. From Amsterdam you can take either IC trains with no reservations possible and a flat fare system I believe - walk up tickets no more than advanced ones or you can take the Thalys, about an hour shorter all told to Bruges - but you can take the Thalys only to Antwerp Central then IC trains to Gent and Bruges (on same rail line from Antwerp) - if doing Thalys and you can get a deep discounted ticket by booking WAY in advance it could be cheaper too - the ABS All Belgian Station fare for about 5 euros more gives you the right to take any train within 24 or maybe 48 hours of your Thalys train arrival in Antwerp (or Brussels) to all and any Belgian train station.
ditto if going Thalys Brussels to Paris - ABS fare allows you to take any Belgian train from any place in Belgim to Brussels within 24 or 48 hours of the Thalys train to Paris - www.thalys.com is the official site and has all the info.
Mar 30th, 2015, 03:57 PM
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I loved Bruges, but it is super touristy and busy. Ghent may be less so (I stayed two nights in Bruges and day tripped to Ghent - an easy 30 min train ride). I visited in May and Ghent was rainy when I visited and pretty slow, but in the summer I'll bet it is much busier.
Whether or not you would want to spend all four nights in one town vs. splitting nights between towns depends on your travel style. I tend to prefer to split it up.
I also stayed over in Antwerp and didn't really care for it, though if you are interested in the museums there are a few worthy ones. It would be possible I think to stop over for a few hours off the train between Amsterdam and Bruges (you might stop in Antwerp anyway) stow your bags in a locker at the train station, and see some museums in Antwerp, then head on later to Bruges or Ghent.
Brussels has a beautiful, huge main square - very worth seeing at night when all lit up, very beautiful. Otherwise, Brussels lacks the along-the-canal charm of Bruges but it still very toursity.
I also enjoyed Leuven, a town near Brussels that I visited as a day trip by train from Antwerp.
You can find my 2013 Belgium trip report - along with a lot of pictures - by clicking on my name.
Whether or not you would want to spend all four nights in one town vs. splitting nights between towns depends on your travel style. I tend to prefer to split it up.
I also stayed over in Antwerp and didn't really care for it, though if you are interested in the museums there are a few worthy ones. It would be possible I think to stop over for a few hours off the train between Amsterdam and Bruges (you might stop in Antwerp anyway) stow your bags in a locker at the train station, and see some museums in Antwerp, then head on later to Bruges or Ghent.
Brussels has a beautiful, huge main square - very worth seeing at night when all lit up, very beautiful. Otherwise, Brussels lacks the along-the-canal charm of Bruges but it still very toursity.
I also enjoyed Leuven, a town near Brussels that I visited as a day trip by train from Antwerp.
You can find my 2013 Belgium trip report - along with a lot of pictures - by clicking on my name.
Mar 30th, 2015, 06:04 PM
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greetings. we spent a night each in antwerp, bruges, and ghent in between paris and amsterdam. with a 4th night, i would spend it in bruges.
like andrew, click on name to find paris-belgium-amsterdam trip report. have fun.
like andrew, click on name to find paris-belgium-amsterdam trip report. have fun.
Mar 31st, 2015, 05:09 AM
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Bruges is a great base for day trips to the sweet seaside resort towns like suave Knokke-Heist, Blakkenberge and the Queen of the Coast Oostende.
Plus WW 1 buffs will find Ypres not too far - trains go everywhere - Belgium has one of the world's densest rail systems if not the dnesest with twice hourly or more departures on many lines.
Andrew's idea of visiting Antwerp as a stop-off en route to Amsterdam is a good one for the traveler in a hurry - Antwerp's neat parts are not all in the center - Middleheim in the southern burbs is one of Europe's primo outdoor statue parks and Cogels Osy (sp?) is a great street near Antwerp Berchem train station known for its many art-nouveau facades - I really like Antwerp but you need time to ferret out all its varied sights - a few-hour stop will show you the center of town but not all its delights.
Plus WW 1 buffs will find Ypres not too far - trains go everywhere - Belgium has one of the world's densest rail systems if not the dnesest with twice hourly or more departures on many lines.
Andrew's idea of visiting Antwerp as a stop-off en route to Amsterdam is a good one for the traveler in a hurry - Antwerp's neat parts are not all in the center - Middleheim in the southern burbs is one of Europe's primo outdoor statue parks and Cogels Osy (sp?) is a great street near Antwerp Berchem train station known for its many art-nouveau facades - I really like Antwerp but you need time to ferret out all its varied sights - a few-hour stop will show you the center of town but not all its delights.
Mar 31st, 2015, 07:47 AM
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If it's 17-26 July you may not want to be in Gent, as it's the Gentse Feesten. On the other hand, you may want to be there.
But it will be busy.
http://www.gentsefeesten.be/
But it will be busy.
http://www.gentsefeesten.be/
Apr 1st, 2015, 02:18 AM
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I agree with visiting Leuven. Interesting old town (and a superb vet clinic in case anyone ever travels that way with a pet needing medical attention)
As for Bruges, if you want to get away from the tourists, simply stay (or at least spend time) on the other side of 'tZand. The lace and souvenir shops quickly give way to the kind of stores, restaurants, and services locals use rather than tourists. Try the small restaurants along Smedenstrat. You'll hear patrons speaking Flemish instead of English or a variety of other languages.
There's a good NH Hotel in that area (used to be the Sofitel) and I'm sure there are B&Bs as well; we always stayed at the Sofitel.
As for Brussels, try staying in the Ixelles area near the Chaussee de Waterloo or Place Chatelain or along the upper part of the Ave Louise. You will find lots of good independently-owned restaurants (rather than tourist traps or chains) and the tourist numbers are much, much lower than in the Grand'Place area.
I was in Brussels last week with an old friend and her husband making their first trip to Belgium. We stayed at The Hotel along the Blvd Waterloo; my friend stayed at the Radisson Blu down near the Rue Neuve/GP area. I liked our location a lot better.
Anyone who plans to be in Brussels before the end of June should really try to see the excellent Chagall exhibition -- one of the largest ever put together in Europe.
http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/en/exhibitions/chagall
As for Bruges, if you want to get away from the tourists, simply stay (or at least spend time) on the other side of 'tZand. The lace and souvenir shops quickly give way to the kind of stores, restaurants, and services locals use rather than tourists. Try the small restaurants along Smedenstrat. You'll hear patrons speaking Flemish instead of English or a variety of other languages.
There's a good NH Hotel in that area (used to be the Sofitel) and I'm sure there are B&Bs as well; we always stayed at the Sofitel.
As for Brussels, try staying in the Ixelles area near the Chaussee de Waterloo or Place Chatelain or along the upper part of the Ave Louise. You will find lots of good independently-owned restaurants (rather than tourist traps or chains) and the tourist numbers are much, much lower than in the Grand'Place area.
I was in Brussels last week with an old friend and her husband making their first trip to Belgium. We stayed at The Hotel along the Blvd Waterloo; my friend stayed at the Radisson Blu down near the Rue Neuve/GP area. I liked our location a lot better.
Anyone who plans to be in Brussels before the end of June should really try to see the excellent Chagall exhibition -- one of the largest ever put together in Europe.
http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/en/exhibitions/chagall
Apr 1st, 2015, 07:08 AM
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http://www.belgianrail.be/en/Default.aspx
Belgian Railways official site - see if they say something about day passes or tickets - especially good for going and coming if they still exist.
Belgian Railways official site - see if they say something about day passes or tickets - especially good for going and coming if they still exist.
Apr 3rd, 2015, 04:51 PM
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I want to thank everyone so much for your interesting comments. My husband happens to love Belgium beer by the way so if anyone has any ideas along that vein please let me know! We will look up your travel reports and do a bit more research. We are really excited about our upcoming trip. Thanks again all!!
Apr 4th, 2015, 07:23 AM
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<<I want to thank everyone so much for your interesting comments. My husband happens to love Belgium beer by the way so if anyone has any ideas along that vein please let me know!>>
You can get useful suggestions about Belgian beer from this thread I started before a trip there in 2011
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mendations.cfm
I also wrote a trip report. We were based in Brussels and took day trips from there. Brussels itself has a lot more to offer than the Grand Place and Manneken Pis.
You can get useful suggestions about Belgian beer from this thread I started before a trip there in 2011
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mendations.cfm
I also wrote a trip report. We were based in Brussels and took day trips from there. Brussels itself has a lot more to offer than the Grand Place and Manneken Pis.
