Ardennes
 

Hi,
If we have enough time during our 4 day trip to Belgium to do a driving tour of the Ardennes, which areas should we see? We're most interested in scenic nature or beautiful towns/villages. Thank you.

Namur, Dinant, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Rochefort, the caves at Han-sur-Lesse, Bouillon. Maybe Durbuy. This is where you will really want or need a car as the transport options are not the best. Picturesque rolling hills, little towns nestled into the landscape.

Lavandula

Are you at all interested in WWII / Battle of the Bulge sites? Spa has the natural springs and Formula 1 connections. Stavelot has several nearby waterfalls plus a really interesting museum.

Agree with lavandula that a car is pretty much necessary as the rail connections are poor. Most everywhere in Belgium almost everyone speaks English -- in Ardennes villages - not so much.

That description sounds like exactly what I would love to see & do. Thank you.

we will have a car. Is the only way to access the Springs via the Les Thermes Spa, or are there other ways?

Yes, there is access to a number of springs throughout the town - see the part about 'The Waters' / 'pouhouns' on this link:

https://historicthermaltowns.eu/portfolio/spa-belgium/

It's French in use throughout the Ardennes, but if you are just there for a day I would not let that cramp your style. Just use a translation tool on your phone, you'll be fine.

Lavandula

If you have a car choosing between "Meuse" and "Ourhe" is much easier, and you don't even have to choose. Should you be interested, a detour in the direction of the Hautes Fagnes and neighbouring Germany might also suit your schedule, roughly direction Malmédy and Monschau (Germany)

ny

my husband knows very basic French so that helps.

thank you
are you saying there are Springs in one of the places you are mentioning?

The places Menachem is mentioning (Meuse, Ourthe) are rivers. He means instead of choosing towns, just following the rivers. There was some very bad damage to some of the riverine areas in the Ardennes after a huge damburst in Germany in 2021. I imagine that for the most part that would be all cleaned up now, and it is at normal times very picturesque along the rivers. There are no springs along the rivers.

Hautes Fagnes might be written as Hohes Venn (the German name) on some maps; on the German side of the border this area is called the Eifel.

Lavandula

would you happen to know where the most healing natural springs are in Belgium?

I would say Spa, also Chaudfontaine

Ghent on the way to Bruges question
 

Regarding driving to Bruges from Antwerp, I have 2 questions.

Can we just “drive through” Ghent to see it on the way to Bruges, or is that not possible because we might not be able to have a car in Ghent?

What do we do with our car when in Bruges?

Thanks!

You will have to park your car in Ghent to see the city, because like most medieval cities the centre is pedestrianised. There are plenty of carparks:

https://visit.gent.be/en/good-know/p.../parking-ghent

In Bruges just park in the massive car park at the station, that's the easiest, and catch a bus into the town centre. There is mostly nowhere to park in the centre and streets restrict various kinds of traffic (it is also pedestrianised).

Lavandula

Oh, and don't forget the Low Emission Zones (LEZ) for the cities in Flanders; read this: https://stad.gent/en/mobility-ghent/...ion-zone-ghent

You will have to register your car if you drive into a city (Ghent, Antwerp); most new rental cars meet the criteria and so you may not have to pay anything, but it must be done or you can get a fine.

Lavandula

when we drive into Antwerp we will be stopped somewhere to get the car registered?

You can register online or from a machine in certain parts of Antwerp and you should then be good for the rest of Flanders. If you don't a camera scans the roads looking at number plates and you will be sent a fine of EUR350 (passed on by the rental car company).

Read this, it has all the details: https://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en/...r-your-vehicle

Lavandula

we register for every city we enter?

No, as I said, if you register in Antwerp you will be good for the rest of Flanders and you won't have to register for Ghent separately. Please read the links I add in my posts, they have vital information.

Lavandula

Here are some highlights and impressions of our Belgium trip:

I liked the Ardennes a lot, because the countryside is beautiful and overall it is not overly touristy. My favorite part of the Ardennes and of all of Belgium (so far) is the area between Torgny and Bouillon. Torgny itself is one of the most quaint and pretty towns I've ever been too. Getting lost between those 2 towns was lovely too, and we ended up in France looking at farms, animals, even more quaint towns and scenic views of the French countryside. So this is the overview of my favorite part of the whole trip!

In the Ardennes we also went to the Caves of Han, which is a spectacular experience if you like caves. My husband and son were wowed by it! It was cold, dark and damp, so I was looking forward to the end of the tour. We then went on the Wildlife Safari Park bus tour there, which was very relaxing and showcased a broad range of animals in their natural environments - I loved this!

Time in Leuven was nice, as the architecture in the center of the city is very grand, and we enjoyed walking around the Botanical Garden (created in 1738 for the students of medicine in Leuven). It was so peaceful with beautiful botanical displays.

Antwerp has loads of character in more of a hustle and bustle atmosphere, and we enjoyed a Jewish tour of parts of the city. Seeing the Central Train Station was worthwhile!

Bruges is beyond lovely of course, but the amount of tourists put a damper on it, for me personally. Overwhelming, but certainly so uniquely quaint and beautiful. We did a boat ride through the canals, and I purchased some Belgian and French lace in one of the shops. Belgian lace is apparently very expensive, because not many people make it these days. I am glad we went to Bruges, and would love to go again, somehow when it's quieter and stay a few days, if I ever have that opportunity.

Driving with our rental car was easier than I thought it would be, but definitely a few challenges with different driving styles and rules. Someone in the Ardennes actually tried to chase our car, because I made a slight mistake. I also found people tailgating often, which I am not accustomed to. Parking was a touch easier than I thought it would be, but I have to admit, I received 2 tickets, and I don't know why. Reading signs wasn't easy! Traffic getting in and out of cities was only slow when we were traveling from Bruges to Antwerp at around 5:15pm. Other than that, traffic seemed to flow well, in comparison to what I am accustomed to in the New York area.

Overall I found people to be very friendly and helpful, and I will never forget my time in Belgium!

Thanks to those of you in this forum, who helped me with the planning process!

It would be nice if you posted this as a new Trip Report. Otherwise its buried in your original thread