I will be visiting Belgium in early August and I plan 4-5 nights. Ghent is one area I will be seeing, visiting Kanegem and Nevele where my grandparents lived before emigrating to the USA in 1901. I’ve secured a private day tour to these towns and now want to figure out what/where else to see/stay. Brussels is on the list as well as Bruges and maybe Antwerp. I’ll be traveling from London via train to Belgium, then heading to Paris for 4 nights afterward. Suggestions? Thank you.

Thread has been moved from Tech Support to the Europe Forum and tagged for Belgium

With 4 - 5 nights I would pick a base (either Ghent or Brussels) and do day trips out from there. Kanegem (belonging to Tielt) and Nevele are right next to Ghent but you will probably find it easiest to drive there (although there are buses, it will take you a long time to get there). Ghent, Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp are all well-connected by train and time-wise very close.

You might like to play with the Moovit app - helpful finding directions in Belgium. Also De Lijn's site, which is the bus company for Flanders (a different company in Brussels, the STIB/MIVB).

With only a few days I would have a day each for Ghent, Nevele/Kanegem (if you finish early there, more time back in Ghent), Bruges, Antwerp and then Brussels if you have 5 days. Somewhere you will be short-changing one of them but if that's all you have, that's all you have.

Lavandula

Oh, how dumb of me, I just went back and saw that you have a private tour arranged of your ancestral towns. Well, I still recommend a base and day trips, and if you can stretch it to 5 days, do it, so all your cities get at least a day. Bruges is crowded with tourists at most times of the year but is nevertheless an amazingly preserved medieval city. Ghent is less crowded but still a medieval heart beats there. Antwerp is great for bars, restaurants and shopping, and Brussels for its museums. I particularly recommend the Royal Museums of Fine Arts - there are three all together. We saw Magritte in January this year, just fabulous.

Lavandula

Thank you. I’m thinking three nights in Ghent. We could then do our private tour of Ghent, Kanegem and Nevele. Then a day trip to Bruges and a day trip to Antwerp. We’d return to Brussels and spend two nights giving us a little more time there.

OK, sounds like a plan, although they are all so close (except for Bruges, which is still under 2 hours away) that you could easily do one base. But your way works too. Do you have accommodation in Brussels yet? I usually travel with my family so we often self-cater (aparthotels, apartments), and we nearly always stay in the Louise district. Last time we stayed in the Citadines Toison D'Or. It's a really good location for access as it's just near the Louise metro, which is also a tram stop, and there is a restaurant street behind the hotel and a supermarket next door. It also has a kitchenette in the rooms. It's not a high-end hotel but has a lot going for it.

Lavandula

Do you have a suggestion for a hotel in Ghent? Looking at NH Ghent or Harmony. Pillows if I feel like splurging. Thanks

Pillows is fabulous; has a spa and small pool too, bicycles to rent, lovely restaurants, garden. The Marriott looked good too; in a busy area, could be very crowded in summer. NH is right in the center but doesn't look as charming as Pillows.

No, I go to Ghent from Brussels - but Tulips will be on the money with her thoughts there.

The NH at Place du Grand Sablon (Brussels) gets a good rap here, I think it's a nice chain, wouldn't hesitate to use them.

Lavandula

If you only have 4 whole days: One day for Ghent: Gravensteen castle, the art museum, possible a walking tour.

A second day for Kanegem and Nevele.

The other two days whole days can be in Brussels: I liked the art museum in Brussels; and I made time for the Manneken Pis statue. I didn't give myself time for anything else. I didn't give myself time for the Royal palace or the model of an adam made in about 1958 for a world's fair. If you see these cities, you don't have any time for Antwerp or Bruges. Don't try cramming too much in or you won't experience anything properly. You would need 8 to 10 or more whole days to see Belgium semi-comprehensively.

I only gave myself 5 nights in Belgium - 3 nights in Antwerp, two nights in Brussels including a day trip to Ghent.

Thanks for your input. I may have to extend a day in Ghent. Would you advise a day trip to Bruges or to Antwerp if I only choose one. I’d like to see both, but realize I’m pushing it a bit.

No, I do not advise a day trip to Bruges or Antwerp. Because in 4 whole days you only have time for Kanegem and Nevele one day, Ghent another day, and if you want to still see Brussels and see it well, that would take up 2 whole days; that is all you have time for. If you really identify something you want to see in Antwerp and/or Bruges, and if you now have a 5th whole day, I do not recomend this, but I guess you could pick one but not both of Bruges or Antwerp for a day trip, and/or delete one or both days of Brussels. But you can't reasonably cram in your two small towns, and Ghent, and Brussels, and an additional location. Less is more with only 4 whole days in Belgium.

I spent 3 nights in Antwerp and two nights in Brussels.

I would do Bruges despite the tourists because it is densely atmospheric. The city center in Antwerp, in contrast, was badly busted up by the V1 and V2 rockets in WW2 and the center is a hodgepodge of quick-built replacement buildings and commercial stores with the occasional older building. Once you make it down to the river the view is barrenly dull, though you get hopes up when you see the castle standing there, but it is a bit of a nothingburger. I'm hoping someone can defend Antwerp, here, because I don't get it. On top of it, they charge you 12e to get into the cathedral in Antwerp and it looks like this:

Thanks for your suggestions. Decided to have four days in Ghent with a side trip to Bruges then two full days in Brussels. Then on to Paris for 4 nights. Looking for a hotel in the Latin Quarter.

That's a good plan, it suits what you want to do in Belgium. Good luck with finding a hotel in Paris. If I top this thread maybe a few more people will see your request.

Lavandula

Bruges is densly touristic but worth a bit of time. I especially like the Lace Museum and the church next door with some very elaborate carving, then it might be worth walking down by the river/canal and of course, before you go, watch "In Bruges" very funny and gives you a real idea of the shape of the town.

We’re back from Belgium and had a fantastic time. Props to the NH Collection hotels in Ghent and Brussels Sablon. Clean, perfect locations, friendly staff, and great breakfast. I was able to visit Kanegem where my grandfather was born. Natalie from Tours by Locals was wonderful and contacted the archivist in Tielt who had a wealth of information from the birth and population records from the 1800s. We ate lots of fries Belgian stew, mussels, chocolates and drank beer and even had a shot of Janever. Thank you to the Fodors community for your suggestions. Ghent was a perfect base.

Super, glad you had such a fantastic time. Belgium is Europe's hidden gem, especially if you can step off the tourist pathway as you did!

Lavandula

Thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed yourselves

BTW we had a great time in Paris too. Hotel Atmospheres was terrific and again, great location, friendly staff. Paris By Mouth tour was fantastic. Now to diet!