AussieSteve

We are planning to visit Belgium (plus Amsterdam and part of France) from mid-Sept to late Oct. The plan WAS to spend 3 days each in Ghent and Bruges (and simply transit Antwerp and Brussels, since we are not that keen on big cities). But now I am reading fairly negative things about Bruges, that it is too touristy and artificial. We'll also spend a couple of extra days looking at the WW1 battlefields. What are the views of members about Bruges? If we just gave it one day, can you suggest another place in Belgium worth spending a couple of days? Will we find things "closed for the season?"
I have heard good things about train services there'; also we can take a tour to Ypres etc.
Any need for a car? Later we will head for the Loire and Dordogne for a week and there I believe one needs a car to get to the small, out-of-the-way spots. Views?

StCirq

I haven't been to Bruges for quite a few years, though I used to go frequently and loved it. I imagine it is very touristy these days, but there's a reason for that - it's beautiful. I don't know why anyone would call it "artificial." There seems to be a trend these days for overtraveled europhiles to condemn places that have become more accessible to the masses over the years. I absolutely would visit Bruges. But I also happen to love Brussels.

You will benefit greatly from a car in the Loire and absolutely need one in the Dordogne. A week is awfully short for those two venues - I'd do only two days in the Loire and get to the Dordogne as fast as you can.

di2315

Hi AussieSteve

Bruges is one of the prettiest places I've seen - definitely don't be put off by the negative comments! We were there for one day, and that gave plenty of time to walk around the main area, take a cruise on the canal, have lunch and walk part of the perimeter of the old town to see the windmills and locks in action.

Train and bus services in Belgium are very good - we went from the Belgian coast to Ypres by bus, and found it more interesting than the train because we also saw little villages along the way, and enjoyed the conversation between driver and passengers who were regular locals.

Ypres is well worth the visit - I downloaded a historical walk from the internet; this took us around the perimeter of the old town, past war graveyards and the church that gives recognition to the Australians from WW1, and gave plenty of information.

Don't miss the In Flanders Fields Museum in the old cloth hall in the centre of town - very sobering. And of course, the sunset ceremony at the Menin Gate is a must!

In Ypres we stayed in the Accor Hotel - just off the main square, very convenient and we managed to snag a great nightly rate from their website. We had 2 days there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I would imagine from Ypres you could take a tour of the battlefields. We covered that part on a previous trip and had a car; public transport for that area would be very difficult, I think. Di

greg

I have been to both Ghent and Bruges. Bruges gets a lot of visitors because it is pretty as previous posters mentioned. So the choice is less touristy vs. pretty.

Why don't you come along for a canal boat ride in Bruges?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9qPzJoAgps

There are more visitors to Bruges on weekends and the hotel prices reflect that.

Michael

Bruges lives for and from tourism, as I see it. Ghent is not oriented towards tourism the same way. I am not crazy about towns being set in amber, which is generally the case with the <i>plus beaux villages de France</i>, but then, how else are they to survive?

KayF

We've had two trips to Brugge, both 3 days each. And we'd go back tomorrow. It's a lovely place, beautiful architecture, lots of history, great B&Bs, wonderful food. Sure there are tourists there and they go because it's a great place. You can ignore the hordes on the canal boats if you want and walk away from the main street, towards the Minnewater area which is lovely and quieter. We found Ghent similar but didn't spend as much time there.

I don't think you could possibly call Brugge artificial, it's not purpose built like Disneyland. It's original and in my mind, a place with character, beauty and atmosphere.

You won't need a car in Belgium unless you have an aversion to trains. If you are getting the Eurostar at all (from London) your onward ticket in Belgium is included in the Eurostar ticket (just hold on to it and show the conductor on the local train). Everything in Belgium should be open during your time there, lots of locals live and eat and shop and work there.

If you have any time in Brussels at all, go and see the Grand Place which is stunning. You can walk from the train station, I think there are luggage lockers at Brussels Midi (maybe Central too, check on the website) so you can lock up your bags for a while, look at the Grand Place, have something to eat and continue on your way.

Kay (assume you're Australian Steve, we are too)

FoFoBT

I've been to Bruges dozens of times and still enjoy it. Yes, there are tourists, but the majority are day trippers or week-end visitors over holiday periods. Bruges at night after the day trippers have gone is magical.

Also, you really need to explore the city beyond its core. We used to stay near the 't Zand and wander around on the "other" side. You'll find that the number of tourists drops like a rock once you get out of the heart of the city.

And no, it's not "artificial" - those beautiful streets, squares and buildings aren't "props" purpose-built to draw in tourists. Read some of Bruges' history and find out how the city actually benefited from long years as a neglected backwater.

walkinaround

i agree that you should include bruges. if you prefer more 'real' places then just limit your time there...see it, perhaps stay one night and move on. i dont think that the op is saying that they think it was built as a tourist attraction like disney. like dubrovnik for example, bruges is less of an 'experience' kind of place and more of a 'see' kind of place if you see what i mean. you wont be basking in deep local flavour but youll be surrounded by beauty. perhaps st cirq is right that some travel snobs will poo poo it because it is not a fashionable 'undiscovered' destination. dont worry about that...hardly anything in europe undiscovered.

KayF

walkinaround - are you saying Dubrovnik was built as a tourist attraction? You're not serious?

Kay

ozgirl

Hi aussiesteve, Bruges is a beautiful place to visit. Have spent three days there twice with plenty to do. My husband did a day trip to Ypres and other WW1 sites the first time from Bruges (I think it was with Quasimodo tours?) and the second time he and my son hired a car and did their own trip. Riding bikes along the canal was fun as well as just wandering the streets and eating - all those chocolate shops! Have you seen the movie "In Bruges?"

walkinaround

kay...reread my post paying attention to the punctuation and you'll see that you read it wrong.

Ozarksbill

Looks like travelers have of course enjoyed Bruges...and we certainly did as we relaxed for several days recently. Just join in with the tourists staying for several days. Ghent also nice.
Bill in Boston

Ruby99

I've been to Bruges twice, really enjoyed it both times... But the last time we spent 5 days in Ghent and I really loved it... There was a lot more to do, the food was great, and I found the accomodations cheaper than in Bruges. It is a lot less crowded during the week but it was very busy on Saturday in the shops.

Agree that the Grand' Place needs to be seen at least once if you are going to be in Belgium anyway

AussieSteve

Thanks to all who replied. We'll now give Bruges 3 days but not on a weekend. Good tips re France, too. Might just extend that part by a day or two. Has anyone found a nice small B&B near the centre of Bruges or Ghent?
PS: For other Australians who might be curious, we're from Portland Vic.

Michael

From my trip report, whch can be found by clicking on my name:

"...staying in Ghent at the recommendation of friends who felt that Ghent or Antwerp was preferable to Bruges. From the Brussels airport we had a direct train connection to Ghent. We found our B&B through the Ghent web page, choosing first by geographical location and then by what was available in the area. The location was perfect, the room was in the ?courtyard? and was very quiet. I put courtyard in quotation marks because we were on the second floor and what had been a courtyard was now a covered space with a deck on top. The weather was perfect for us to have breakfast on the deck every morning. Had the weather been otherwise the room had a large sitting area in front of a fire place with a small table for writing or having breakfast. The one quirkiness: the bathroom was behind a wall but had no door. For availability, contact Anne Gourhant Steyaert (annegourhant@hot mail com) Burgstraat 25, 9000 Gent. Ghent has a nice old town and a wonderful museum of decorative arts. Meals were nothing to rave about except for a very nice one in the old town called The Blue House (?), in Flemish of course. Our hostess had recommended it."

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57622960079007

Cowboy1968

While Gent and Brugge are fine destinations the overall itinerary sounds a bit unusual, IMO.
Even by European standards, both towns are almost next door neighbors, just 50 kms apart.
So I was wondering why you should change places, check out and in of hotels, for something which is just a short train ride or drive apart.
And as the only other stop you mention is Amsterdam I was wondering if you should not allocate your bases more evenly over the whole area.
IMO, it makes no sense to think in categories like Netherlands and Belgium and France. These are just the nowadays political entities. By culture and architecture you will find great similarities between the two Holland provinces in the Netherlands and Western Flanders.
Places like Delft, Gouda or Alkmaar come to mind. Or further inland like den Bosch or Maastricht. On the sea there is Middelburg.
Antwerpen has a very vibrant historic center - not a glass and steel financial district. I would probably not trade it for Gent, but that's just personal taste Just a bit east of Brussels is Leuven, a historic small town.

KayF

walkinaround - I meant to apologise earlier, just got caught up with work ...stuff....life

Sorry for the misunderstanding, it was late one night I was reading your post and my eyes were crossed, should have shut the laptop down well before then but this forum is addictive.

Kay

beergirl

Bruges is nice but I prefer Ghent, only a half hour away from each other by train, oh and by the way the Belgian rail system is terrific and reasonable! - but really different! granted, Bruges is a very picturesque city, and usually overrun with tourists. The Half Moon Brewery tour is really fun and is hopefully on your list of things to do.
But I really like Ghent way better, not nearly as many tourists and much more of a "real" city. Being a university city it has really good energy with lots of thing to do, and great places to eat and drink... try Amadeus for all you can eat ribs and then the Bicycle Bar or the Drupelkot for a nightcap! Also a good flea market on Fri, Sat & Sun at St Jacobs Square and if you're at all a foodie check out the "farmer's" Market on Friday morning on the Vrijday Square... just a block away from the FLea! Both markets are plenty of surrounding cafes for beer or coffee!!!

Tulips

I can understand wanting to stay in Brugge; it's more quiet in the evenings. 3 days would be far too much for me, unless you use it as a base; but you're also spending three days in Gent, which is very close.

For something else to do, if the weather is nice, take the train to Knokke, rent bicycles, visit the Zwin nature reserve and cycle along the coast. Lots of good restaurants and shops too.

And don't skip Antwerp!

basingstoke2

AussieSteve, This is about Lut and Bruno Setola's B&B in Bruge, taken from my '08 TR. I would imagine the rate would have gone up since then, but still I am sure it is still a bargain compared to the competition. The B&B is located at the most a two minute walk from the main square.

I had some trepidation about this choice of B&Bs. See the Trip Advisor reviews and you will understand. No place can be that good. But, it was!! A beautiful home on a quiet street with some lovely stained glass, large, spotless and comfortable room with beamed ceiling, ensuite bath and vivacious, gracious hostess, all for 65 Euro including what turned out to be a varied and fine breakfast.

Lut Setola runs a great 3 bedroom B&B and I can't think of anything negative about it. Well, maybe two things. The rooms are all on the top floor so that means 3 flights of stairs, but that was no problem for our senior bones conditioned by hours of daily walking in Paris. Also, breakfast is served directly outside the rooms, so if you are the type that sleeps in and some quiet conversation outside your door disturbs you, you may be annoyed. Again, that was no problem for us. There were two friendly young couples from Australia in the other rooms.

The B&B's rooms are the Red Room, Lilac Room and Orange Room. All are of good size and the Orange Room has a loft that is perfect for two kids. We were in the Red Room and it was bright and cheery. Men beware! The Red Room's bath has a beam that is placed in a way that shall we say requires a postural change when using the necessary in a standing position.

A very nice touch is the bowl of candies (free)kept in the dining area as well as a small refrigerator full of drinks including a variety of beers - not free, but payment is on the honor system and the prices are far less what one would expect, the same as they would be in the stores where she buys them.