We can take a day trip to either Brughes or Antwerp. I have been to Brughes last year, we liked the quaint city but did not enjoy that much as it was raining really hard. Where should we go, Brughes again or Antwerp( is it worth?) we have an entire day to kill. I will have a teenager and an eight year old with me. Wanted to take Amsterdam day trip but it's not available on the day we can go.

What do you mean that a day trip to Amsterdam is not available on the day you can go?

Are you referring to an organized tour?

You can easily do a day trip on your own. It's a little under two hours each way by train so it could be a long day trip.

I was in Brugge a couple of weeks ago for a few nights and then off to Antwerp; the Sunday I arrived in Brugge it was sunny and the place was mobbed with tourists. The next few days it rained and it was much quieter (plus not a weekend). Still, I really loved Brugge, even in the rain. If you want to see it in the sun, consider going back, especially if your day trip would be on a weekday when it would be less crowded.

Assuming you will take the train by yourself (very, very easy), you can decide spur of the moment which city to visit. You can buy a train ticket for the return journey for a specific day and use it on any InterCity train, as they aren't reserved. It's not much longer by train to Brugge (from Brussels?). I think trains to both cities run about hourly.

Both Antwerp and Brugge have a few interesting museums. But I didn't care for Antwerp as a city very much - though to be fair I didn't explore much beyond the center and the (ugly) waterfront. I hear the 'Zuid (south) neighborhood is trendy and fun. But in between the train station and the center of Antwerp is mostly a bunch of fancy stores - pretty boring to me, as I'm not a shopper. I doubt your impression would be much different than mine on a day trip. Brugge by contrast is a delight for strolling, even away from the touristy areas in the center. There are beautiful parks and canals and swans - making for a nice break after you've seen a museum.

I, too, loved Brugge. Built my entire trip around visiting there on one vacation. So, if your kids would like it, I'd go there.

Part of that trip included a couple of nights in Antwerp. Liked the cathedral, the beautiful train station, the beguinage. That was about all my likes. I, too, found the waterfront area ugly. The rest wasn't that interesting.

And, how about Ghent? Another wonderful town!

Or Dinant or Maastricht?

Yeah Joannyc I am referring to organised tours. We visited Ghent last time.Those are my thoughts too that Antwerp would be like any other big city but of course a new place that we did not get to see last time.I agree, Brugge has an old world charm that we can enjoy one more time.Thanks Andrew I think I am leaning towards Brugge I dont know much about Dinant or Maastricht.Thanks again!