Hi,
We (two other female friends) are planning on going to Brugge in November (1-13). I am the planner and have a few questions.

1. How cold will it be? Should we pack full winter coats and thick sweaters or will light to medium thick jackets work? I read it would rain. Are we talking cold-frigid-feels-like-ice rain?

2.) I've read the past posts on hotels for Brugge and I'm sad to say, I still haven't narrowed it down. lol. We are on a budget but then again, this is the trip we've always wanted to do! Here are my top five
- Hotel Egmond: they have 150E for 3 person on the day we wanna go. that or a 112 E/2 person

-Verhulst: 150 E for 3 person is all they have available

-Fevery: for 2 days double 160 to triple 190 E.

-Adornes: raning from 90 to 130 E per night.

right now, I just don't know. I suppose I could just bite the bullet and pick one.

3.) And then there's Paris. It's a monster of a task that I find myself procrastinating over. We are thinking of staying in Paris for three to five days. Somehow the goal is to end up in Nice before taking train back to Brussels to fly home. This is the part of the trip I really am gonna need help with. I have no idea where to begin. Places to stay between Paris and Nice are a blank slate. Please help.

Thanks ahead of time!

I'm doing a similar trip but leaving in two days (5 nights Paris, 2 nights Brugge and 3 nights back in Paris)!

For Brugge, I did a bunch of research, booked Egmond and then had second thoughts. Mainly the price and it was further out from the center than other hotels. But it looked beautiful! I ended up booking 2 singles for the same price as the double at Egmond at Hotel 't Zand (url below). I could not find any information here or on tripadvisor but it looked nice, was newly renovated and I liked the location. There were comments on a Bruges hotel page that were all very positive. I'll let you know what I thought when I get back.

http://www.hotel-boudewijn1.be/

I found that this booking site had cheaper rates than the hotel site. When I e-mailed 't Zand they honored the booking site rate. This was a good site for doing some comparison shopping:
http://www.booking.com/city/be/brugg...label=bruges-3

Have a fun trip!

To be honest, I like the location of the Egmond better than 't Zand. The Egmond is right at the Lake of Love and the Beguinage. It'll be much quieter than 't Zand which is the shopping area.

About the weather: November is usually drizzly and coldish. Not the ice-rain type of cold, just very sad weather. Average day temp 9°C. A full winter coat might be too warm. The best you can do is pack layers.

Hi Myriam - thanks for the input. The t' Zand hotel is air-conditioned so the closed windows should block out any noise - at least I hope so! But by what I'm seeing on weather.com, heat isn't going to be a problem!

Have you considered renting a flat (if you're going to be in Brugge 3 nights or longer)? If so, I highly recommend Drie Koningen...love Carmers, but probably a little small for you 3.

www.kanthuisje.com/d3kon

I have 2 nights in Brugge booked in mid October at Hotel Cordoeanier near the Market Centre for 101.00 Euros a night for a family room that sleeps five. Breakfast included.
www.cordoeanier.be
The only thing I didn't like was the
rate on their site was not the rate they came back to me with to confirm, but it was still within budget.

Hello. We stayed at the B&B Verhulst a few years ago. The owners are delightful, the room we had was very large and nice, the location for us was good. Have a great trip.
Susan

Thank you guys so much. We have decided to go with B & B Verhulst!

If your plan is to do Brugge - Paris - Nice then back to Brussels for your flight home, I would fly to Brussels; plenty of flights with SN of Virgin Express, unless there are places along the way that you really want to see. For 13 days, Brugge, Paris, Nice sounds great; I wouldn't want to loose another day on the train; I suppose you take the train from Paris to Nice after leaving Paris. Plenty to do and see around Nice to keep you occupied for 4 or 5 days.

Unfortunately, November weather in Belgium can be all over the map. My mother and a friend came to visit us in Brussels in early November and the weather was definitely unpleasant...windy, cold, sleet and snow showers for several days. But a friend came to visit us in another November and it was beautiful, crisp and sunny, with some rain but only at night.
Layers are definitely the rule. It you wear thick sweaters and winter coats, you may very well swelter on the nicer days. So better to have layered clothes than thick sweaters. Gloves and low heeled, comfortable waterproof boots will come in handy. Bring an umbrella but...don't be surprised if you get some cold rain that it turns out to be too windy to use your umbrella. Happens. So a coat with a hood may be advisable also. Parkas are very popular in Belgium.
Plus point #1: many cafes and restaurants in Brugge have fireplaces. Perfect for those chilly days. If only Paris were the same way.
Plus point #2: The weather in Belgium at that time of year can be quite changeable. So if it's cold and rainy at noon, it may be sunny and warmer 90 minutes later.

We stayed in two different triples this past summer (three women) in Paris. Click on my name to find the thread and review the Paris portion of my trip report. Either Hotel St. Louis Marais or Hotel Bonaparte would work for you. Have a great trip!

You don't say how you're planning to get from Paris to Nice. EasyJet flies to Nice from both CDG and Orly. I found November fares as low as E18.99.

PREM'S (discount) tickets on the TGV or iDTGV booked online at sncf.com can be as low as E25, but you'll need to book them ASAP to have a chance of getting them at that price. PREM'S for the night train can be as low as E35 for a bunk in a six-person couchette and E60 for a bunk in a four-person couchette (worth it for the extra space and comfort). Plus you save the cost of a hotel and have more daylight hours for sightseeing. You print PREM'S yourself. Leave France as the default country and do NOT choose cancellation insurance or you won't be allowed to print them. Fill in the fields for name and e-mail address, but leave the postal address fields blank.

I don't know the other two hotels, but about 6 years ago we stayed at the Adornes in a double room on the top floor overlooking the canal.

It is (was) a delightful hotel, very clean, quiet, good breakfast, and very helpful staff. We were there for four or five days.

The Adornes is about 10 minutes from the Center, but it was an easy walk. We had some wonderful dinners (not in the Center) and enjoyed walking around this beautiful little city.

It was in late March, and it was on the cold side with some rain.

Weather permitting, take the canal boat tour. No matter how much you walk, you will see the city from another perspective. It was a highlight of our stay.

Go to the lace factory to see a demo of lace making, very interesting. We had been warned by a friend from Antwerp, not to buy any lace from the tourist shops as the things were made in Asia, probably by machine. The lace at the museum is expensive, but so tempting. We found a little shop, I forget the location, where the daughter who taught at the museum lace school, had a few pieces of lace for sale at very very reasonable prices. Ask the locals or someone at the museum where you can get the 'genuine' handmade Brugge lace at a reasonable price.

Enjoy your trip,

Nina

All I can say is that Brugge is a beautiful city and it can be very cold. I guess as it's further north it gets colder. When we visited in March Paris was cold but Brugge was freezing even under the sun. Layers and a warm, water resistant coat are good to bring. Enjoy your visit!