tower

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.

Lawchick

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kerouac

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

cmeyer54

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.

ronkala

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.

zahara

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

drlin

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!

beanweb24

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.

libssmfamily

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!

libssmfamily

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!

huddoshols

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!

ibailey

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.

Saraho

TTT for information about Flanders Field tours