My family and I will be visiting Belgium in 6 days and we will spend 2 or 3 days renting a car and going towards the east and south of Brussels. Can anyone give me their general thoughts about any of the following: Mechelen, Hasselt, Tongeren, Liege, Huy, Spa, Durbuy, La Roche, Bastogne, Orval, Luxembourg City, Bouillon, Rochefort, Dinant, Namur. We can't do it all, so comments about sights, hotels and resturants would be very much appreciated.

Bastogne - great WWII museum and memorial. Dinant, Durbuy, La Roche: small, scenic towns with interesting history. Liege - very large city, a mess to drive in, but appealing in a certain way; I wouldn't go out of my way to see it, but if you're in the general area, I highly recommend a stop at the Henri Chapelle cemetery to the east, just north of the freeway near Welkenraedt, and a visit across the border in the German town of Monschau - possibly one of Europe's most picturesque towns - which you can reach via Eupen, just southeast of Henri Chapelle.

We thought Spa was rather run down (although driving the race course is fun). Dinant gets a lot of positive reviews, but if you go on a gray, overcast day, the whole town will look equally gray and bleak. Also, hope there are other tourists around, because we tried to take the boat tour along the river and the boat owner refused to go because the boat wasn't full. Monschau is very cute (I don't think I would call it one of the most picturesque towns in Europe), a German version of New Hope, PA. <BR>BTilke (Brussels)

We liked St. Hubert. The town has a lovely cathedral. The patron saint, Hubert, was a hunter. The alter featured a flood-lit hunting horn with a bouquet of sweet-peas, one of the prettiest presentations I've ever seen. If you're in for a splurge in that area, the Auberge Moulin Hideaux in Noirefontaine is an adorable (though Relais and Chateau and pricey) country inn with beautiful rooms and a lovely dining room. Chef has his own herb garden outside the dining room windows and you can see him running outside to cut fresh what he needs to make your dinner/lunch. Lovely.

Tongeren is a nice place to visit. As is Lier, which is not on your list. Both are smaller cities in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium).<BR>I was in Dinant last week, took a guided visited of the Citadelle on the rock. If you would like to do so, don't go too late - our guide seemed tired of telling the same story all day!! It was a rather grey day and BTilke is right, the whole town looked equally grey and bleak, especially when you see it from above. Besides a boat ride and the Citadelle, you could also visit l'Abbaye de Leffe (famous for its beer) and la Coll&eacute;giale (the church in front of the Citadelle - great views if you cross the bridge).<BR>We visited Durbuy on the same day. Very nice but very small picturesque city (the smallest city in the world, as the Durbuyans say!). Very touristy during high season (which is over now, schools starting on Monday). Allow one hour or so in Durbuy. <BR>From Brussels you can easily do Durbuy and Dinant in one day. Maybe even add a visit to l'Abbaye de Floreffe (which is only 30 km from Dinant) and taste a double or triple abbey beer and some of their delicious cheese.

Mechelen: once the capital of the Netherlands, now a small cosy provincial town.It is very well visited by lots of tourists: the "Cathedral St Rombouts" (try also to visit its tower with its famous carillon),the carillon school and the museum of Busleyden, the "Zoutwerf",where you can feel the atmosphere of Bruges between craft-guild houses in the original colours,the beguinage, the palace of Margaretha of Austria (now the court house)... <BR>You can visit everything on foot and meanwhile do some souvenirshopping; there are lots of nice shops. No parkingproblems, signs show you the way to several parkings.<BR>It is certainly a nice town to visit,I was born there and still work there, so if you have more specific questions about Mechelen,post them here.<BR><BR>However, if you have to choose between Mechelen and Bouillon, I'd advice Bouillon. There is a beautiful castle (fortress) of the middle ages upon the top of the hill, complete with torture chambre and suspension bridge over a ravine.I would advice you to start your expedition down at the river in the center of Bouillon and to climb up the hill (along a special path) by foot. It only takes 20 minutes, but you will have a more beautiful view than by going by car.

Thank you all for your comments. We won't know if we have 2 or 3 days to spend on the road, so the itinerary will depend on that. Maybe we can go to Monschau if we have three days. Definately going to Bouillon, may decide to pass on Liege (although we may have to drive through it), and I think Dinant is for sure. Has anyone been to the Bojrijk (outdoor museum) in Hasselt? Worth a visit? I expect we'll stay one night near or in Bouillon - any reccommendations? Thanks again for your help.<BR>Scott (San Diego, California)

Open air museum in Bokrijk (near Genk) reflects (rural) life how it was ages ago. It's a collection of old farmhouses and old handicrafts. On Sundays (don't know about the other days) there are demonstrations of sheep shearers, blacksmiths, wooden shoe makers, etc., all wearing old costumes. <BR>Worth going? Yes, if you're interested in rural architecture. Definitely worth going with children.

We also were in Bokrijk a few yrs. ago, and it was fascinating. But especially do not miss Bastogne. The museum is wonderful; you all will come away with a much better understanding of the Battle of the Bulge and how it transpired.

I think Bojrijk (didnt' realize that is a town)is a possibility if we have time. Everybody says go to Bastogne, so we will. We will also be in Kortijk for a few days, as well as 4 nights in Brugge - I may have to start a new thread tomorrow. Thank you all very much.

Kortrijk is a very small town! Not much to see there. But you might want to visit Ieper (Ypres), the WWI battlegrounds and museum.

Thanks, Myriam. I know that there's not to much to Kortijk, but the reason for the trip is business (in Kortijk) for my brother-in-law. The rest of us will do day trips while he's working. We're going to Lille one day, probably Ghent another, and the third day? Maybe Ieper, Oostende, Tournai? Not sure yet. Probably will post another thread on that