Belguim help!
 

We are planning on spending around 6 days in Belgium. We are not ones to pack up and go to a different city each day. Is it best to base out of one or two cities and take day trips? I can buy a month train pass for $125.00. Is this the best option? We would be coming into Brussels, would like to see Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. Any other suggestions welcome! Thank you!

You do not need a train pass. All those cities are easily reached with a normal, cheap, train ticket. look at https://www.belgiantrain.be/en

Which you choose to base yourself depends on you and finding a nice place to stay.

Brugge is very touristy but such an attractive place. The old architecture is lovely. I think I'd stay in Brussels and do a day trip to Antwerp, train takes about an hour. Antwerp train station is fabulous, old and ornate.

Then stay in Brugge and do a day trip to Ghent. If you're coming into Brussels first, you could continue to one of the other cities, then have time in Brussels at the end, before you leave. I found train fares cheap, especially compared to the UK. The Belgian ticket system is so straightforward.

For info on trains look at Seat61 website.

I'd definitely want to stay at least a couple of nights in Brugge. It is quite crowded and touristy with all the day trippers -- but becomes a different place after 3 or 4PM. Once the coach tours leave it is so lovely

I think that Brussels plus Brugge, Ghent and Antwerp would be plenty for six days
Other cities we have visited and enjoyed on day trips from Brussels are Mechelen, Leuven and Tournai.

We're spending a week in Belgium, headquartered in Ghent. We figure we can reach the other main sites easily by train. Will report back.

The only places we've visited in Belgium are Bruges and the coastal stretch near Dunkirk. Bruges is certainly beautiful, but I don't think it's necessary to stay there in order to see it thoroughly.

It's certainly possible to do Brugge as a day trip, but then one is obviously in the scrum with other day trippers.

Scrum? No idea what you're talking about. We're sightseeing, not playing rugby. And I don't understand how arriving from Ghent makes the experience any more hectic.

Because everyone and their maiden aunt are in the city between about 10:30 AM and 3 or 3:30 PM -- before and after those times it is a really lovely place. In between everything is crowded.

We stayed in Bruges for a few nights a few years ago in June. We were shocked at the throngs of people in the center of town. It was wall to wall people. In the morning and the late afternoon/evenings, it was absolutely lovely. But if I had only been there from 10-4, it would have been a one and done place for me. And here I am going back again this year--because I know how lovely it can be when the day tourists head out.

Maybe jeff will believe you . . . ;)

I understand how cruise ship disembarcation creates crowds. But I'm unlikely to hit the streets much earlier than 10 am even if I'm lodging in the city. I'm retired!

ch4books, your plan is a straightforward and easy one. Pick a city to base in (Brussels is obvious because it's a rail hub, but others are OK) and go by train to the others. You can buy your ticket on the day, the rail system in Belgium is mass transit and trains are never sold out, you just get on the next one. Are you over 65? There are some good deals with seniors tickets, not sure if that's a good tip for you.

jeffhullinger3220, I think janisj is just trying to manage expectations about Bruges. It is lovely but you do have to deal with tourists in the centre. And I have to let you know that they are doing long-term works on the tram lines in Ghent. The town is a distance from the station (about a 25 minute walk), and while you can possibly stay near the station, you still have to eat and the restaurants are all in town. So you have to manage this as well and look into the tram situation. I am not saying don't do Bruges or Ghent, I am saying, understand what you will be doing before you do it. Having said that, I sincerely hope you and ch4books enjoy Belgium. It's a hidden secret!

Lavandula

Depends on the time of the year. In July/August Brugge is far more quiet than in spring or autumn.

Thank you!

For your 6-day trip to Belgium, base yourself in Brussels for a few days and then in either Bruges or Ghent for the remaining days. You can easily take day trips to Antwerp, Ghent, and Leuven by train from Brussels. A $125 train pass is a good idea as it will save you money and make your trips easier.

Whatever you do, don't believe the transit maps for the tram routes in Ghent. Those maps belong in the fiction section. And don't count on the tram you need to take actually stopping at the station it's supposed to stop at. Buses, on the other hand, seem to go where the maps claim they will. But they're kind of seedy and unpleasant, much like buses in, say, Chicago. Drivers are nice, though.

Generally, don't put much credence in either maps or "information" signage in Belgium. Even the Belgians I've talked to laugh about the spontaneity of stuff like where public transit actually goes, where toilets are actually located and how one achieves access to said toilets, etc.; it's all unlikely to be where the signage says it will be. It's the most random place I've ever visited, based on first impressions. But the counterbalance to these nuisances is that the people here are so doggone friendly and helpful. I have never felt so much like the abrasive jerk American as when I've been around these Belgians. They're great.

Where are you now, Jeff? Are you actually in Belgium?

Lavandula

PS I am actually not surprised the buses in Ghent seem ad hoc. They are running to different routes because of the works to the tram lines and many roads are closed. Information at De Lijn.

You can't say the train pass is good value when we don't know what currency that is. There are many countries that use the dollar.

Lavandula, we are indeed in Ghent. The gentleman at Tourist Information was extremely helpful. First, transit maps were apparently updated at the beginning of 2024; those changes are not yet reflected in online mapping. Also, both tram and bus lines are truncated at the boundaries of the festival zone. Small price to pay, as the music and partying fill the center city in a delightful way.

We're loving Ghent, though visitors should be aware it's a pretty expensive place, especially for food. Probably about as expensive as London for restaurants.

Interesting, I know that prices (everywhere) seem to be going up through the roof, not surprised that Belgium (Ghent) is part of this. Ghent not being the capital but a reasonably wealthy second city has never been crazy expensive but Brussels has always been that way because of the Eurocrat salaries. I have a friend who lives in Wiesbaden (Germany) come to visit me earlier this year (I am in Sydney) and we compared notes on what things cost. She had just visited New Zealand and had complete sticker shock and found Sydney to be outrageously expensive too, but she said prices in Germany were going up as well, especially petrol. Prices here have risen 14% for a trolley of groceries in the last 2 years. So if Ghent is now expensive, for me it's part of that unfortunate world trend... or maybe it's just the Gentse Feesten?

Are prices going up where you live?

Lavandula

We were in Bruges in August 2022 and it was pretty crowded even in the evenings and early mornings. I was quite disappointed, and happy I’d decided on only one night and allotted the second one to Amsterdam. This was our 4th or 5th visit to Bruges, starting the mid eighties, but I don’t think I will go back again. Unfortunately tourism has taken over, but that’s the trend worldwide!

I generally find Belgium quite expensive for restaurants. This may be caused by high cost of labour, which are among the highest in Europe. Inflation also automatically leads to higher wagers due to mechanisms that link the two. At least taxes and service are included in the bill. Prices in Gent are similar to other cities in Belgium. There are some brasserie type restaurants near us, nothing special, they charge about 39 euro for a filet steak with fries. At least tax and service are included.
Funny how tourists complain about other tourists. So others had the same idea to visit Brugge. How dare they ;)