We are flying in/out of BRU with 2 weeks in between. Never been to Belgium but have spent a week in Amsterdam and a week in Paris. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers.

I'm thinking of starting with Brussels, Bruge, Luxembourg(?) and whatever is interesting in the area for the 1st week, then head on south (maybe Paris again?) for the second week. With kids, our prefer mode of travel is to stay put in a central city then do day trips.

I've been viewing images of the sights around Brussels. Most of them have canals, cathedrals, and they start to repeat after a while. Is this true? Would we be bored with spending the entire 2 weeks in Belgium?

We like Roman ruins, castles, medieval towns, and great food.

Forgot to mention that this will be in Mar, so a bit cold?

What a good day trips out of Brussels/Bruges?

Would Paris be a logical base southward for the 2nd week.

Brussels is not the best destination for Roman ruins, castles or medieval towns - but it is good for food.

2 weeks in Belgium is a lot if this is what you are after. However, you could stay in Brussels and go to Bruges/Paris/Cologne and endless other places from there.

It sounds like a few days in the Loire Valley might suit you.

March can be quite cold in Belgium or indeed Luxembourg or the north of France.

I'd head for Cologne/Koblenz, and see some of the Rhine and some of the Mosel areas (rent some bikes, go up those chair lifts, castle visits, etc). Boppard, St Goar, Trier, Cochem - all good places.

Yes, I realize 2 weeks in Belgium maybe an overkill which is why I'm thinking of spending the 2nd week in Paris (or a good base in northern France).

I promise my son that I'll try to organize a snowboarding day if there is snow. Is there a convenient ski resort that's day-tripable from Brussels?

There is a fascinating maritime museum in Antwerp. The city square is a sight.

Maastricht is a wonderful city. It was founded by the Romans but I don't know if they left any ruins.

For great food get the critters that rhyme with Brussels -- mussels. Delicious. Also good in Antwerp, maybe better.

Luxembourg is further south than Paris!
Trier has lots of Roman ruins.
The Mosel can flood however so that would effect visiting the Mosel valley.
Not much chance of snow in March in an area handy for brussels, but the Eiffel and the Ardennes are skiabale if there is snow. WInterberg is a popular place to go when there is snow, and is a day trip from Brussels.
Consider Maastricht, it is an interesting city.

Thanks for mentioning Trier. Didn't know about that one. Google images show a very interesting town.

My suggestion:
Use Brussels as your base in Belgium for a week. Day trip from there to Brugges and Antwerp.

Then pick a base in Germany, perhaps Koblenz or Cologne, for your second week. Both are great places. Cologne is the oldest of the major Roman cities and has a wonderful Roman-Germanic Musuem. Day trip from there to Trier, Mosel/Rhine castles. The best snow I know of in this area is at Feldberg, in the Black Forest. If you're there before Easter, you may find a Fasching parade.

Have fun!

My daughter lives in Brussels and we travel over there quite often. When you are visiting towns in Belgium don't overlook Ghent. We enjoyed it a lot. While visiting my daughter this year we drove from Brussels to France. We visited the champagne area and ended up in Stasbourg. It was a beautiful place! It reminded me a little of Paris, but on a smaller scale of course. After Stasbourg, we headed to Trier, Luxembourg, and then back to Brussels. I have visited Germany several times from Belgium but I much prefer France.

Sounds like a wonderful trip is shaping up. Have fun.

We were in belgium for a few days a couple of years ago.

Brugges has to be the most beautiful small city anywhere.

Picture Amsterdam only nicer. It was a lot warmer when we were there. Rented bikes and drove around the town and stopped at the windmills.

Really enjoyed it.

Picture canals, bridges, flower boxes and swans. Just beautiful.

You can see photos at:

www.travelwalks.com