Beaune or Bruges (via train)
 

Planning a trip next May to Swiss Alps-Paris-Amsterdam. I wanted to stop in Bruges Belgium from Paris up to Amsterdam and spend the night. I am also interested in Beaune. I know that 1 nite wouldn't be enough,maybe 2? Would it make a nice stop between Interlaken and Paris. It is important that we can get there by train because we are not renting a car while we are there. Didn't know if Bruges may be more practical or vice versa.

I forgot to include my interests- love chocolate! I also enjoy wine and Burgundy looks gorgeous. I like walking and seeing museums, but I like to wander around towns too.

ttt

Maybe I'm really slow tonight, or suffering from too much hurricane "plywood stress" here in Florida. But I've read your post several times and am still confused.
Are you saying you need to make a choice between one or the other?
If so, make it Bruges. It has a lot more to offer in my opinion that Beaune. We spent two nights in Beaune this summer and it was quaint and nice, but doesn't begin to compare in my opinion with Bruges. Of course if you can do both -- then do both.

Sorry if it sounds confusing. I was trying to decide between one or the other. We are planning to be gone for no more than 2 weeks. Thanks for the response.

As Beaune is not on any major trainline, I am afraid it is out of question. Besides,Brugge is so much more interesting to visit.

Beaune is a short detour on the train from Interlaken to Paris. Most likely your train will pass through Dijon and Beaune is only 20 minutes south. The food and wine are great. Beaune is easily walkable. Burgundy is my favorite part of France. Don't miss the opportunity to spend a day and night.

Brugge is one hour west of Brussels by train. It is beautiful, especially in May. Try to visit during the week and on days when there are no holidays, which are plentiful in Europe during May. The Germans, in particular, have an abundance of holidays and 4 day weekends in May and love to travel.

ilovetulips, you didn't mention tulips! I assume you know about Keukenhof, just south of Haarlem. It should be in full bloom in early May. Do not miss that.

When in Beaune buy some wine to carry you through the rest of your journey. I recommend the <i>Passe-tout-grains</i>, a blend of pinot noir (1/3) and gamay (2/3). A nice <i>Bourgogne</i> white is <i>Aligot&eacute;</i>. Neither is held in the highest regard by the knowses so the prices are very reasonable. Taste and buy in one of the stores marked <i>n&eacute;gociant en vin</i> in Beaune.

I recommend Bruges over Beaune if you have to make a choice. Bruges has plenty to see for a couple of days - the people are extremely helpful - we stayed at a great b&amp;b and there are great restaurants.
Beaune is in a wonderful area of France, but the town isn't as interesting and if you don't have a car to wander around the beautiful countryside, I think you would be missing the best of that area. Also, we found the people in Beaune are not very interested in the tourists, maybe they are just putting up with them.

I was unaware that Beaune isn't on a major trainline. This summer we stopped there on the way from Lyon to Paris. No transfers between either end. It may not be on the main line between Interlaken and Paris, but as mentioned above it's a short detour off from Dijon. And you can get trains straight through from Beaune to Paris.

Ilovetulips, thank you for clearing my muddy brain. I still say of the two, go for Bruges.

My vote goes to Bruges over Beaune because the town is prettier, the people are friendlier, and there's much more to do. I've been there twice (3 days each time), during the week, and have heard from folks who have visited on a weekend that it's very crowded so try for mid week.

Brugges is the reason why many people go to Belgium.Well worth the trip.

Hi tulips,

You will find it inconvenient to get to Beaune from Interlaken.
See http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Thanks everyone for your comments. Bruges is my first choice and it seems to be easy to get to and very practical for the amount of time we have to spend. Someone asked about the Kukenhof sp? Gardens in early May. I would love to see them, but unfortunately I work for a school district and I cannot take off an extended period of time right before school lets out. More than likely we will begin our trip around May 26 so I will probably be missing the peak tulip time. I am just thrilled to get the chance to travel to Europe!