Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - 3 days in Belgium

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3 days in Belgium

We fly into Frankfurt on Friday morning and will drive to Belgium for 3 days. What is the "best of Belgium"? Where should we stay? We have to be back in Frankfurt Monday evening.

Ghent. Hotel Erasmus. Not necessarily for the entire three days, but don't worry, you'll get plenty of other answers here. One of them might even start with the letter "B". YKWIA

I haven't been to Belgium yet, so I can't really help you - I just wanted to mention that last Sunday's NY Times' Sophisticated Traveler had a nice feature on Antwerp. I don't see many inquiries here about Antwerp, but if I were going to Belgium I'd definitely that city out. According to the article, it's the "new Prague", hip and happening.

Christie, I'm sure you'll end up in Bruges for at least part of your stay. Here are some ideas that are off the beaten path but highly scenic and in the southeastern part of Belgium not too distant from Frankfurt. You may find one or more of the itineraries of interest. I don’t think any “tourist” to Europe can claim to be an experienced “traveler” until he’s stayed a night or two in towns with names like “Hohenfurch” and “Furfooz”. This routing from Bruges to Furfooz (I kid you not) will get you the rest of the ways, that is, the way of the “traveler” and the way to Wallonia and the Ardennes. The route will pass through or around Kortrijk/Courtrai, Tournai/Doornik, Mons/Bergen, Phillipeville and Dinant. It encompasses about 225kms (140mi) and about 3 hours drive time plus stops for sightseeing. To see what Furfooz has to offer in terms of accommodations, take a look at the website for “La Ferme des Belles Gourmandes at www.horest.be/pages/fr/hotels/339.htm If it doesn’t appeal, you can move on down the road another 10kms or so to Les Rhodos in Ciney. See the website: www.logis.be/index.asp Click on the British flag then the search button in the left hand frame. On the search screen enter the town name Chevetogne and click on Les Rhodos for information on amenities and prices. (This, by the way is an excellent website for searching out accommodations in Belgium and Luxembourg.) More to come.

A bit more... Okay, here we go. From Bruges take Rte N397/N31 south to Rte A17 (signs will say Roeselare and Kortrijk). Continue on A 17 to Tournai and pickup Rte E42 to Mons. To the south of Mons and into France is coal mining country. If you have a good map, (Michelin map No. 907 will do the job) you’ll note the little village of Cuesmes just southeast of Mons. Van Gogh came there in 1879 and stayed in a coal miner’s cottage for over a year studying art. The cottage, closed on Mondays, is now a museum and sits in a lovely woodland setting. The artworks on display are reproductions not original. In Mons, take Rte N40 to Phillippeville and there, pick up Rte N97 to Dinant. Scenic views and historic sites materialize once you reach Mons and continue to Dinant. The whole area between Mons and Phillippeville was the scene of furious WWI battles involving German, British and Canadian troops. About 10kms outside of Mons at Givry you’ll cross a road dating back to Roman times. In Soire-sur-Sambre you’ll find one of Belgium’s finest castles It dates to the 12th century, is moated and has cylindrical towers at the corners that were erected in the 14th century. If you take a detour of 4kms south off Rte N40 at Montignies-Saint Christophe on the border with France, you’ll find a Roman bridge that crosses the river Hantes. Continue on Rte N40 to Boussu-lez-Walcourt where you’ll find the “Barrages de l”Eau d’Heure”. These are a collection of dams and reservoirs that have hiking paths, picnic areas, viewpoints and 70kms of roads. Continue on to Phillipeville, a town of about 7000 which still retains its star shaped fortress plan and “souterrains”, defensive positions that date back to the mid 1500s. Continue on via Rte 97 to Dinant, a town in a magnificent setting. It’s situated on the banks of the Meuse with towering cliffs and a citadel above that dominates the buildings below. Zip on by; we’ll tour from there in the next few days. Continue on N 97 an additional 7kms to Furfooz where you’ll find your inn. You’ll also find the Furfooz National Park in which the river Lesse flows among rocky promontories. There are signposted paths that lead to some impressive scenic views.

Still more Three rivers to be toured: the Lesse, the Semois and the Meuse. To begin, you’ve got two options. Drive to Dinant and take Rte 95 south or, from Furfooz, drive through the park and pick up a secondary road leading to Hulsonniaux and Rte 95. In the first option you’ll pass the mouth of the Lesse which empties into the Meuse. The Lesse is impressive in that it meanders between and below steep forested hills. There are a number of firms that offer boat rides on the river. The tourist office in Dinant can advise you. Continue south on Rte 95 to Beauraing, a village with a 12th century castle well worth a visit. Continue on Rte 95 to Plainevaux and pick up Rte 89 towards Bouillon. There is an unnumbered road off Rte 89 just past Plainevaux leading to Bellevaux and Noirefontaine. From Noirefontaine there’s a circular route, all on unnumbered roads and all with spectacular scenery and viewpoints that you can take in a clockwise direction that will lead back to Rte 89 and thence to Bouillon. Take the clockwise route to Mortehan and then detour via Auby to Saut des Sorcieres where there are a series of waterfalls. Continue to Noirefontaine, cross Rte 89 and continue to Botassart where there’s a fine view of the bend of the river around the “Giant’s grave”, Tombeau du Geant. Backtrack to Rte 89 then south to Bouillon and pick up Rte N810 to Corbion and Poupehan where there’s another scenic overlook. Continue on to Rochefaut with yet another spectacular view point and on to Vresse. This whole area is tobacco-farming country. At Vresse you’ll see the racks where tobacco leaves are dried; no tobacco though, too early in the season. Continue from Vresse across the French border following the Semois to Montherme where it meets the Meuse. Now follow the Meuse north to Revin, Haybes, Givet and back into Belgium just below Hastiere. The route is D988 from Revin to Haybes, Rte N51 to Givet and then 96 back to Dinant. Look for Freyr between Waulsourt and Dinan. In Freyr, there’s a magnificent castle that became the headquarters of Louis XIV when he laid siege to Dinant in 1675. It’s in a spectacular setting with tiered gardens overlooking the Meuse. Very impressive sight, indeed. You’ll now be back where the Lesse meets the Meuse at Anseremme just south of Dinant. Here, in addition to the opportunity for boat rides on the Lesse, you’ll find a large complex of walking paths.

Time for a beer or two, another river, some forests, perhaps a picnic and a grotto (warm clothes required). Let’s trek to Rochefort and its Trappist brewery, then south to St. Hubert, Neufchateau, Florenville, Orval and its Trappist monastery, where you can pick up the fixins for a picnic, then north past Bastogne to Houffalize and alongside the banks of the Ourthe to La Roche-en-Ardenne. Assuming Furfooz is your home base, drive through the park to the road leading to Veves where you’ll find a castle dating to the 7th century that sits high above the village on a ridge. The present building dates from the 15th century and has been restored over the subsequent centuries. Continue on to Celles, the village that marks the extent of General von Rundstedt’s German army advance during the Battle of the Bulge in WW II. About 4km south of Celles you’ll find a fork in the road going off to the right. Take it and you’ll end up with the boat rides on the Lesse start. Continue on the fork to the left to Rochefort on yet another river, the Lomme. If you’re into spelunking or cave dwelling, and you’re dressed for 50 degree weather, you can take a tour of a grotto, a complex of underground caverns with marble and limestone formations. It’s about 6kms southwest of Rochefort in the town of Han-sur-Lesse. Just outside of Rochefort is the Abbey of Saint-Remy, home of one of the five genuine Trappist breweries in Belgium. There are three different beers, identified by their gravity: Rochefort 6, Rochefort 8 and Rochefort 10 with the latter, a dark brown beer with an almost chocolate taste being the finest. Drive south now via Rte 803 to St. Hubert and pick up Rte N89 south through the Ardennes forest to Recogne. There take Rte 40 to Neufchateau, Rte 85 from Neufchateau to Florenville. Stop at the church at Florenville and walk to the terrace behind it for a panoramic view of the Semois valley. Take Rte 88 about 8kms south to Villers and thence Orval. The Trappist abbey of Notre Dame d’Orval is without a doubt the most beautiful monastery in Belgium. It’s a large complex including the ruins of the old abbey, a new basilika, courtyards, gardens, dairy barns and stables, the brewery and a shop where you can buy breads, cheeses and the beer made by the Trappists. Unlike the Rochefort monastery, Orval makes only one beer, Orval, one of the finest in the world. Here’s where you get your fixins for a picnic. Head back to Florenville and take Rte 85 north through Neufchateau to Bastogne. The drive from Neufchateau to Bastogne isn’t particularly scenic. You might want to stop on Rte 85 a bit north of Lacuisine to picnic while you’re still in the Gaume forest. At Bastogne, take Rte 30 north to Houffalize. This town was flattened by American bombers during WWII but it’s worth a stop to visit the Li Vi Form museum which details Belgian country life. From here, we’ll drive the Ourthe Valley to La Roche-en-Ardennes. Almost every village along the way has walking paths that offer views over the river. There’s a view point in the parking lot at Misramont that offers a superb view of the lake that forms the convergence of a couple of streams that create the Ourthe. La Roche is a tiny village in an absolutely lovely setting. As a result it’s laden with tourist hotels and restaurants. You can also rent boats and there are over 60 miles of foot paths. Despite its charming looks, La Roche was almost completely destroyed in WWII as a result of a bombing raid. From La Roche, take Rte 89 south to E 46, then E46 northwest to Rte 97 which will take you back to Furfooz (love that name!). I hope the preceding diatribe has given you some "off the beaten path" ideas for your stay in Belgium.