Hi All,

Thank you so much for all your replies. Have been very tied up for the last couple of months.

Lolfn& Tulips - please can you tell what the pedestrian shopping street for teenagers in Antwerp is called.

I had planned for a day trip to Ghent from Bruges and a day trip to Antwerp from Brussels. Hope the teenagers do not get bored.
But, I think the chocolates and other stuff will keep them interested for sometime.

I believe the Ghent train station is half-hour away from the centre. We will take a bus from the station to get to the city centre.

Need your advise - we need to get a local SIM card while in Belgium. Can I buy this at Brussels airport when we land. Is it available? Can I use this card for our stay in Paris too or do I need to get a separate card for Paris? Basically I need the SIM card to access Google Maps whilst we are on the road. What is the approximate cost for a pre-paid card?

Just one more info - I know it sound dumb but I have always mixed up the seat location after I enter the correct wagon. Instead of moving into the right side, in hurry I go on the left side or vice-versa. The ticket nos keep repeating in each wagon. After I enter the train, where is the wagon no. indicated inside the train? I have looked up different sites but not yet got the clarity. Also for standing on the platform, where are the wagon numbers for each train indicated?
Any practical info will help please.

Thanks all once again for all the advise.

SKPKCP11

The best thing about SIM cards in the EU (and I'm certain you can buy what you need at the airport) is that all roaming fees were eliminated in the EU last year. So if you buy a Belgian SIM, it will be equally valid anywhere in France.

The wagon number on trains is generally displayed on the outside. There is also (almost always) an electronic diagram on various platform boards showing how the train cars are organized. This can be important because sometimes trains are "assembled" in different stations. So the board can show you wagon numbers such as 1-2-3-4-5-6-12-11-10-9-8-7. So definitely pay attention. No need to panic -- I have never boarded a train without numerous attendants present to answer questions.

The main shopping street is the Meir - chain stores such as Zara, H&M.
More interesting shopping for teens would be in Kammenstraat - check out Fish & Chips. It's opposite the lovely Dries van Noten shop.
Steenhouwersvest and Nationale Straat are nice too.

It's true that roaming charges have been eliminated, so you can use your Belgian card in France. Just be aware that there is a limit on data - depending on what card you buy.
If you have used up that data, you will be charged extra - or I suppose if you have a pay-and-go card, it will just stop working.
You will have to provide ID in order to buy a SIM card in Belgium.

In France also, ID is required to buy a phone. "Burner" phones are illegal for security reasons.

Such as.....

It would be more useful if you list the "loads of other interesting venues in Belgium"

@ MaryAlex: Why would you ask someone to list all the interesting venues in Belgium, when that is precisely what a good guidebook does? From what I can tell, you are planning a very expensive trip, but aren't willing to invest even a small amount in a decent guidebook or two, which really makes no sense. "Penny wise, pound foolish" IMO.

<<It would be more useful if you list the "loads of other interesting venues in Belgium>>


I only get to that level of "usefulness" for a fee, MaryAlex.

I don't understand why people come online to forums, when they post nothing but vague arrogant responses. May as well, not post at all.

And I don't understand why people come online, ready to spend a small fortune on a trip overseas, without having done at least a modicum of research. May as well not even ask for help.

Hah, inaccurate but it is hilarious that you are defending your useless advice. Not used to being called out on it.
Just write, refer to a guidebook or buy one. No point of posting, your comments are useless.I doubt you have even travelled to Belgium. You certainty do not write as if you have.

Oh, :there are lots of lovely places all around the world".. ridiculous.

I recently took a trip that included a few days in Utrecht and found once I was there that the aspects of Utrecht I enjoyed the most were not the ones guidebooks or internet bloggers or most message forum posters recommended most highly. That has been my experience traveling to other places as well. I do a lot of research, and so I generally have a very good idea of what the "Top Ten" sights are at a destination, and I have gotten used to finding out that I often end up liking lesser known places much better (and not just because the "Top Ten" have lots of other tourists).

Right now I'm planning a trip to Budapest, and already I am certain I will not go to any baths, and I doubt I will spend much time (or any) in "ruin" cafes. I guess I'll never know whether I would have liked Temple Bar in Dublin, but nothing about it appealed to me, but I am very glad I went to the Chester Beatty Library.

I did get some excellent advice about Utrecht on this very forum from many posters, who helped me with specific questions but also some rather vague questions on my part. Fortunately, the bullies with no imagination to begin with didn't take any interest in that thread, so I was spared having to tell them go find something else to do with their lives.

Since MaryAlex is NOT the OP, perhaps she hasn't bothered to read the whole thread. There is plenty of useful and even specific advice up-thread.

kitbag - I'm with you on the ruin pubs (didn't even exist the first time I went to Budapest) but reconsider the baths. They are a great way to unwind after a lot of sightseeing, besides being sights themselves. Choose between outdoor and indoor. Of course, you do need to pack a swimsuit, Hungary isn't Japan.

We are staying in Brugge in June 3 nights Got a place on airbnb

three nights in Bruges are great IF you are day tripping out at least one of those days- like to nearby Gent.