Brugge questions
 

My hubby and I will be in Brugge from 15-20 Aug. this year. We will stay in a B&B, but have questions for others who have visited before:
1. We need to get from Brussels airport to Brugge and back. I have heard different recommendations for either taking the train or hiring a driver (but who/where?).
2. I had read about a day-long bus tour to Flanders, and was wondering if it was worthwhile (we are seniors, 60ish).
3. We are on a tight budget, so any dining or other recommendations for low-cost, but good eating would be appreciated.

Take a regional train from the airport to Bruxelles-Nord. Take an Intercity train from there to Brugge. The fare is €13.50. These trains run frequently all day.

1. if you are on a budget, the train will probably be the better option. check everythin on www.b-rail.be (also in English)
2. sorry, I have no idea, but I tend to prefer doing things on my own, allows you to decide what you want to see and what rythm. Brugge is very small, so you can easily find your way around walking.
3. try the fries stand in front of the belfry, looking at the belfry, the one on the left. you can't get anything better and more low-cost !
enjoy Brugge, it's beautiful !

drlin:

yeh...them fry stands (green wagons) in front of the belfry...(why do you think they named it "bel-fry"?) are disgustingly great...addiction alert!

Also, en route, walking or biking to the Beguinage and The Minnewater, you'll pass "La Tavernier-Carpe Diem" and "Dentaliere"..both on the reasonable side for lunches...also the "Minnewater Tavern"..want something more sinful, try "L'Lauren" en route along the main street to the train station...waffles and ice cream, also excellent salads.

In Damme, we had lunch a few years ago at "Pallieter" just as you enter the village...outdoor seating and varied menu...lobster bisque that is memorable...again, reasonable even at 1.56-1 !

If you get too tired to bike back, cosider the little boat and bring your bikes on board. (It is however a completely level easy bike roue)
Enjoy!
Stu T.

Last sentence should read "route"...don't know of any "roues" on board!
stu T.

For budget dining:

* Head to the Markt and stand facing the Belfry. Take the little pedestrian street on the right. Go to the pitahuis - they have a takeaway window. It might take 5-10mins to get a pita based on how busy they are. Can vouch for the falafel, chicken, lamb, and feta pitas (those are all different types...not all in the sam sandwich). Then return to the Belfry and purchase frites (with yellow curry sauce...yum) to go with your pita. If you still have money left over, head to Dumon for a caramel (or two or three). Near the Markt at Eiermakt, 6.
* Alternately, try 't Brugs Pitahuis located at Philipstockstraat 35. Excellent schwarma, chicken, or falafel pitas (made fresh). When you dine in, they give you 5 different sauces along with your pitas...curry, onion relish, hot chile, garlic, and a thousand island dressing-ish sauce. Also good frites. Dine in pitas for about 9E.
* About a half block before 't Brugs Pitahuis is The Daily Bread. Great for breakfast or lunch. Philipstockstraat 21. Website at: http://www.lepainquotidien.com/. In Dutch (and in Brugge), it is called Het Dagelijks Brood. Our favorite breakfast there is 7.70Euros. It includes plain or chocolate croissants, a huge basket of a variety of fresh baked breads, fresh orange juice, and coffee. For 1.50Euro extra, you can get a soft-boiled egg. They also serve soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I can see that I'll need to do a lot of walking or biking after all the frites, carmels, chocolates, and beers! Perhaps I should buy some extra large pants before we leave?? I appreciate all the helpful suggestions!

5 days in Bruges is a long time. What are your other plans?

2. I presume you mean a battlefield tour. There are several available. Well worth while if history is your thing and very moving. I've not been on one from Brugge, but did half a day from Ieper/Ypres with a guide and wouldn't have missed it. BTW, Flanders is a province rather than an individual place. Enjoy it all, I'm sure you will.

kerouac - I am not the op but have 4 nights there and am a little freaked out by how long that is as well. I am busy looking for excursions from there.

Traveling with an 11 year old that suffers from horrid jet lag so I know part of the time will simply be recovering at the start of our journey.

I have spent three wonderful one-week long vacations in Brugges, so I can't imagine anyone being "freaked out" by being there for 4 days. It's a beautiful little city that becomes even more wonderful once all the tourists have gone home for the day.

Ideas:
* Ride a bike
* Climb the Belfry
* Do the brewery tour even if you don't like beer (the horror!), as the view from the top is wonderful
* Have a chocolate war - find out who makes the best (in my war, Dumon won for caramels)
* Go to a museum
* Eat frites from the cart under the Belfry; figure out which sauce is best
* Walk along the canals
* Check out the windmills
* Head to the Beguinage
* Go shopping

...and on and on...

If you feel like you've had enough of Brugges, then by all means take an easy and short daytrip by train to Ghent or Antwerp (I prefer Ghent) or even Brussels.

drlin, we took the daytrip of Flanders with Quasimodo and enjoyed it immensely.

http://www.quasimodo.be/

beanweb24 - my written communication lacks greatly at times. I should have said "I am concerned that my eleven year old daughter might be bored in Brugge after a few days."

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions. :-)

Brugge will be a lovely place for you to both recover from jet lag and start your vacation.

Definitely look into the Quasimodo tours mentioned above. If you figure a Quasimodo tour and a day in Ghent or Antwerp, then that really leaves 2 days for you in Brugge (with one being the most jetlagged). I think you'll be fine and will have a fantastic trip.

Not sure if you found a good guide, but I especially like the Cadogan Guide and the Top 10 Brussels & Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges books.

Have a great trip!

We can also recommend the Quasimondo tours - we did the Triple Treat tour and had a very enjoyable day with a friendly and informative guide.

Mom, take the train from Brugge to Knokke, rent bicycles, cycle along the seafront, visit the Zwin nature reserve. Shop (or windowshop) along the Zoutelaan or Lippenslaan (a bit more affordable). Or if the weather is really good, recover from jetlag on the beach, have lunch at one of the many great restaurants there.

In't Nieuw Museum, Hooistraat 42. It's a neighborhood grill restaurant. Had a couple of tables of local folks playing cards, drinking beers, snacking. Relaxed, friendly service. Watch your chops and steaks being grilled. I did write it up in my trip report in 2006.

Tulips if the weather is welcoming I believe we will do just that. And thanks for all the tips - drlin sorry to "highjack"!

We also did the full-day WW1 battlefield tour but with this company:

http://www.visitbruges.org/

The cost was about 50e and included lunch. The guide was superb and the group small i.e. 6 folks maximum.

joe

I did a Flanders battlefield tour last year and highly recommend taking one. The knowledge that the guides have is well worth the cost IMO. We went with a local Ieper tour company since we drove to the city in our own vehicle, but you could take the train. I believe this is the company we went with:

http://www.ypres-fbt.be/

We did the tour in the morning and then spent the rest of the day in town. A visit to the In Flanders Field Museum is a must IMO.

http://www.inflandersfields.be/

Also, we stayed for the last post which is performed every night at the Menin gate at 8:00 p.m.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menin_Gate

It was a longer day, but very moving and worth every minute.

drlin:


I neglected to mention the lace schools. My wife wanted to see the demos at one of the schools...and I dragged along...BUT, I found it quite fascinating. The students, work away at their lace project and the "guests" stand in the back of the room...the things they can do with a dozen spools at once are mind blowing.

stu t.

.

So you are from a country that still practices religion, lawchick?

I also did the quasimodo tour and loved it. They picked me up from the hotel entrance and brought me right back there. That might not sound like a big deal, but DH was working in Brussels for the day and I had arrived in Brugges ahead of him. the little restaurants around the square are pleasant as well but they are spendy. Better to wander a little off the beaten path and find others. Most have menus posted so you can estimate the expense before going in. I also agree - the train is the way to do; you will likely need a cab from the train station to your hotel however.

Marg,
Glad to see your comments about the Triple Treat Tour being enjoyable. We were scheduled to do it in April but had to cancel the trip. We are now planning to do it next year.

hi,
I am looking for a centrally located B&B at a reasonable rate in Brugge for july. I wondered which ones you found. thnks

We are planning to stay at the Royal Stewart (in August), which is pretty reasonable and was highly rated on Trip Advisor. However, that's all I know about it. If you do stay there, I would love to hear your impressions.
[email protected] is the email address. I can't recall the website - sorry. Best wishes!

Zahara -

How long will you be staying? If it's a few nights, you might want to consider a self catering flat which can be even cheaper.

I've rented at the following places below and have been delighted:

De Drie Koningen (where you can get breakfast...in the form of delicious pastries delivered fresh from the bakery each morning): www.ddk.be

Ridderspoor: http://users.telenet.be/ridderspoor These folks also have a B&B.

Our dental hygentist here in the States (Mieke, she was born and raised in Belgium) said anyone who visits Belgium should stay for an entire month...

We're unforunate - We're only staying for 3 days - based in Brugge, but traveling on the first day 25 minutes to see Oostende (The Crusaders left from here to the Holy Land) to see the beach. Anotehr day trip to Ghent (40 minutes each way). And finally, on Day 3 to Antwerp (1 hour) to have lunch and see the seaport (my grandfather was dropped off here by the English as a POW in WWII). As you can see, this doesn't leave much time to actually explore Brugge except for a few meals and hopefully, a climb up the Belfry. There are so many places and things to see and try in Belgium. Try googling the name of the towns you're interested in. Or purchase/check out books from library. I checked out two general books on Belgium and Luxembourg. Then purchased Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door and Best of Europe 2008. I also took advice offered on a lot of these fodor's posts. Try typing Brugge, Bruges or Belgium in the search column on any travel website. You'll find a lot of information that way. I also got valuable info from my dentist office - it was there where I first read my library book on Belgium while waiting for my daughter's appt. to end, and the dental hygentist noticed. After all of my research, I think she gave sound advice... 30 days of chocolate, lace, canals, flowers, beer, architecture, windmills, food (Belgium takes pride in their meals), bicycles, artwork, churches, seaports, history, WWI & WWII sites, etc... It really is a magical place. It has been the crossroads of Europe since the Middle Ages. I cannot wait to explore. I wish I had 5 days! You're so lucky, jetlagged or not. Good luck and have a great time!

Oh and I forgot to mention, I'm taking a 6, 9 and 11 year old with me. I have no doubt in my mind that any of the three will become bored on this leg of our journey. If it really is a concern, try taking your daughter to the beach. There are several to choose from on the Belgian coast.

I also forgot about the waffles. Authentic Belgian waffles... This alone is worth the trip!

Firstly the train,as others have described,was very easy.
We stayed in a apartment,De Drie Konigen(as did someone else)www.ddk.be Great location,so easy to come back during the day. Ate beautiful produce from the markets each night. We also did the day tour with http://www.visitbruges.org
(as I mentioned on a previous post)A small tour,very moving and interesting. It is definately worthwile. You will love Brugge,5 nights is not too long. P.S My husband loved his waffles everyday,I settled on mulled wine..We were both content!

Have to say of all our travels, we found Bruges to be the city we will never forget and would love to return and share with our adult children. We spent 3 days there, prior to a riverboat trip down the Rhine and Mosel Rivers and felt those three days were the highlight of the trip. We were so impressed with the elegant simplicity of the old city.....no honking cars, gracious, friendly people who seem to have all been born and raised there, easy walking, wonderful food, and a wealth of history to a town that stands in the l3th century. Our most magical times were at night, after the day tourists from Brussels returned on their trains. We meandered along the canals.....over small bridges photographing the uplit buildings and streets. As for the food, we loved the frites, moules. We even enjoyed periwinkes, a thumbnail size snail, served as a complimentary appetizer at Breydel De Coninc, an off the beat restaurant frequented by the locals. My I seem to be going on and on....but this is the place so just relax and let it be.

TTT for information about Flanders Field tours