kfusto

We are considering a trip to Belgium in May of 2011 for about ten days. I expect we will fly into London to take advantage of Virgin's non stop flights from our home airport, a rarity for us when headed to Europe. We will likely just spend an overnight in London before our flight home as we have been there several times before.

We want to spend 6 nights in Belgium visiting Ghent, Bruges and Brussels and we would like to visit Amsterdam for the other two nights. Based on the research I have done, it appears that the main cities we would like to visit in Brussels are within about an hour of each other.

What is the best way to incorporate Amsterdam? It is about two hours from Brussels by high speed train so perhaps spend two nights in Brussels, then 2 in Amsterdam and then the remainder in either Ghent or Bruges? Which city would provide a better base for us? We really want to visit Bruges but it seems that Ghent has a lot to offer without being as tourist oriented - is this a fair assessment?

Alternatively, should we head to Brussels from London upon arrival and base there, seeing Amsterdam on a day trip to avoid a hotel change? We could easily visit Antwerp and Bruges on day trips as well, and just stay in either Ghent or Brussels for the reminder of our nights. There are also some reasonably priced flights from London to Amsterdam so the other possibility is to head to Amsterdam upon arrival for 2-3 nights then head by train to Belgium for the remainder of the trip.

As for our preferences, we enjoy architecture, food and wine, art, public markets and simply experiencing the places we travel, rather than having a list of must see's. As a point of reference, a few of our favorite European cities include Berlin, Bologna, and Salzburg both for the cities themselves and for the easy access to so many other great places on day trips.

Your advice is greatly appreciated!

hetismij

Base yourselves in Gent. From there you can get the train to Brussels for a day, to Brugge, and even Antwerp.
Then get the train to Amsterdam for two or even three nights (lots to see and do in Amsterdam and surrounds) and then fly back to London from there for your flight home.
Or do it the other way round - fly into Amsterdam for two or three nights, then move to Gent then get the train to London.

abbydog

Hi! I just returned from a trip to Bruges (3 nights) and Amsterdam (6 nights). We flew in and out of Amsterdam so we could have a direct flight from the U.S. My first recommendation would be to avoid having to travel to Amsterdam from Belgium twice (i.e., visiting Amsterdam in the middle of your stay). I would tack it on at the beginning or end to avoid the long train ride, which is nice the first time and a bit less interesting the second time around.

My second recommendation is to spend at least one night in Amsterdam. It's so lovely at night, it seems to me it would be much more relaxing at the end of a day there to stroll back to your B&B (and I know a terrific one!) than to get on a train. You might even want to spend several nights in Amsterdam and take advantage of easy train connections to other cities such as Delft and Haarlem.

I haven't been to Brussels but I just had dinner with a world traveler who absolutely loves the city. For train travel, that would be a very convenient base. Others on this forum love Ghent and Antwerp too.

avalon

WIth your interests I'd substitute Antwerp for Brussels more of all the thinhs you've listed.

kfusto

Thanks for the advice.

So perhaps we will fly into Amsterdam from London on arrival and spend 3 nights, then head to Bruges for 3 then wrap up with Antwerp or Brussels.

abbydog, we are not fans of the B&B experience so we stay in hotels when we travel. Where did you stay in Bruges and would you recommend it or was it also a B&B?

hetismij

If you decide to visit Antwerp it would make more sense to do it on the way from Amsterdam to Bruges, otherwise you double back on yourself.

kfusto

Thanks, noted.

I have read that there is massive construction right now in Ghent. Can you comment on that?

abbydog

Hi! In Bruges we stayed at the Cote Canal B&B. I didn't realize it when I booked, but it is the #1 B&B in the TripAdvisor rankings. That ordinarily would have made me suspicious (!) but it was terrific -- the host, Caroline, was incredibly helpful, the house is gorgeous, the location amazing, and there's even a little garden out back next to the canal. We were there over Easter weekend when Bruges had the Tour de Flanders scheduled as well (unknown to us), and so without Caroline's help booking fantastic restaurants every night of our stay, we would have been wandering the streets in a fruitless search for good food (paired with wine and beer). The breakfasts were lovely too. I understand the B&B aversion, but for the comfort, personal attention, and reasonable prices (plus chatting with other travelers and getting some great tips if you want to at breakfast), I really love them.

We stayed at a great B&B in Amsterdam too. Fantastic location, unbeatable price, great breakfast, and again the personal attention you don't usually find in hotels. Plus, we met some Austrian women who every day gave us perfect advice about walking tours and places to see.

kfusto

abbydog, it looks fabulous and thanks for the recommendation. I will work on him - I think he had one bad experience and has never forgotten!

Can you please post the Amsterdam recommendation as well. It appears we have similar taste in accommodations.

zeppole

Another vote for including Antwerp, and making Brussels a day trip from someplace else unless you are very keen to see some of its specialty museums. Food in Antwerp is fantastic, although the best Belgian waffles I had were in Brussels. They are divine.

Personally, I would overnight in Brugge, but I'm not much for the place. If you do end up eating several meals there, you might find this helpful:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...d-tour-belgium

Although I didn't much care for overnighting in Brugge, I did like my hotel, the Jan Brito, which is comfortably a few steps away from the thickest tourist mobs and tourist tat, but still quite convenient to everything. You should request a room that faces the garden. It's especially good if you like a tasty breakfast.

For Amsterdam, I recently stayed at the NH City Centre hotel and thought the location was tremendous. It also has an elevator, which is nice if you have a problem with canal house stairs. (I was traveling with my elderly mother.)

Lastly, Belgians make a unique form of gin that is very much worth tracking down and sampling. In Antwerp, the place to go is De Vagant, right at the intersection of Vlasmarkt and Reyndersstraat 1. In Gent, the place to go is t'Dreupelkot, in the Groetenmarkt (12)

zeppole

Sorry! TYPO alert:

I meant to type "Personally, I would NOT overnight in Brugge." Not, not, not. I just happen to really not like basing in towns that lack any life other than tourism. Were I to pick 2 bases in Belgium, they would be Gent and Antwerp. Personal choice.

I don't know about construction in Gent, but I read that the van Eyck altarpiece in St. Bavo's is being restored and only parts of it can be viewed.

hetismij

The Dutch also make Jenever Zeppole and do it better than the Belgians do .
In fact Gin is derived from the Dutch Jenever, both the word and the drink.

kfusto

zeppole, I was looking at the Nh City Center so your recommendation was quite helpful. It is fairly priced and I like Nh Hotels overall.

Thank you also for the link - I will review that as well.

I appreciate everyone's comments as I continue to research.

abbydog

HI KFusto! In Amsterdam we stayed at Maes B&B, also the subject of rave reviews on TripAdvisor. It is a neat house about 15 minutes' walk from the station and in striking distance of everything, with about seven restaurants right on the same block. Our room was small but with large windows overlooking the secret rear gardens of the houses on the canal that you normally would never get to see. Our bathroom, up a steep set of stairs that was almost like a ladder, was enormous and included a jacuzzi tub. And hosts Ken and Vlad offered a wealth of info, as did other people we met at breakfast.

If part of the resistance to B&Bs is forced interaction with other people, we didn't find it a problem at these two. Of course you could choose to hang out with people you met at breakfast, but the window of time for breakfast was so large that you could easily never even run into other guests. (I've been to more regimented B&Bs that insist that everyone sit down at 8:30 sharp, and nothing could be further from the experience at Maes and Cote Canal).

Looking forward to more questions!

MyriamC

There is indeed massive construction in Gent right now. The streets in the very centre (Korenmarkt, Veldstraat, Emile Braunplein, Belfortstraat and surrounding streets) are being renovated. The works will last about four more weeks.

LSky

Is there a specific type of art and/or architecture you like?

zeppole

You're welcome, kfusto. The location of the NH City Centre on Spuistraadt puts right in the middle of a lot of terrific restaurant choices. If you are bothered by street noise, request a room facing the canal.

hetismj,
I'm happy to overlook a bit of what in Italy is called "campanilismo" -- which means loyalty to one's own local bell tower, through thick and thin -- but having sampled jenever in both the Netherlands and Belgium, the improvements made to it in Belgium are sublime, and jenever in the Netherlands just doesn't hold a candle to the variety and exquisite taste of Belgian jenever.

To kfusto I say: I would give jenever a miss in the Netherlands -- or certainly don't make it your first experience of it -- and but would go out of my way in Antwerp to sample it a De Vagant.

kfusto

"If part of the resistance to B&Bs is forced interaction with other people, we didn't find it a problem at these two."

The lack of privacy is one of his main issues and for me, I really prefer access to a fitness center as I work out daily. So hotels are generally a better option.

"Is there a specific type of art and/or architecture you like?"

My husband has a background in architectural design and is also a professional photographer so he is attracted to a wide range of architectural styles. He enjoys shooting unusual staircases and doorways when we travel.

We were wowed in Berlin last year by the contrast of modern architecture with the extensive use of glass in juxtaposition to the buildings not destroyed in the war. We also enjoy Greco-Roman architecture.

As for art, I am a sculpture fan and we both enjoy ancient history so musuems that offer exhibits like the Pegamon Museum with the magnificent altar and other artifacts are of particular interest.

I have not even begun that part of my research yet but look forward to learning as much as possible before our trip.

Tulips

Kfusto, they are building an amazing new museum in Antwerp, the MAS. It's due to open May 2011.
If you're interested in modern architecture, there's also the Richard Roger's designed palace of justice.

hetismij

If your husband loves architecture then try and find time for a day in Rotterdam. It is full of great modern architecture. Combine it with the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, or the Kunsthal maybe, or even the Nederlands Fotomuseum.

Your husband may also enjoy FOAM in Amsterdam