Brussels and/or Brugge??
 

Hello! We're thinking about flying to Brussels for a weekend. We'd arrive late Friday and leave late Sunday. What do you think of Brussels? Would it be worth it to spend Saturday (or the whole weekend) in Brugge instead? Is there some other town nearby that's even more worthy? Thanks!!

It would be best to visit Brugge on Saturday and then visit the area around the Grand Palace in Brussels on Sunday.

We did this (Sabina special) for a long Thanksgiving weekend -- will be 2 years ago this Thanksgiving. Arrived on Thursday, flew home on Sunday. Stayed in Brussels & took train to Brugge for a day. It was absolutely great! Even had dinner in Brugge before taking a late train home. At that time the shops in Brussels were beginning their holiday season -- so all were open past midnight with candles on the sidewalks and mulled wine -- the best start to the Holiday season ever. Nothing as classy or sophisticated here in New England. Don't overlook the museum and the art deco house in Brussels. Do try some of the various special beers, the hot chocolate, and the fries.

<BR>Paige, I seem to remember that you live in Munich, so you may be familiar with Rothenburg. Brugge is a lot like Rothenburg - a well-preserved medieval town. If you're as fascinated by medieval Europe as I am, don't miss Brugge. <BR> <BR>The Grand Place in Brussels is a much smaller, although very beautiful, remnant of medieval Europe. So don't miss the Grand Place either. I recommend visiting the Grand Place both during the day and again at night.

Thanks!

Were making the same decision for a post France quick visit and would loved to hear some further comments on this. Thanks.

We got back 2 weeks ago from a trip that included 3 nights (two full days) in Brugge, and 1 night (one full day) in Brussels. We flew out of Brussels home, so that is how we ended up there for one night. If I went again, I would skip Brussels. After seeing & walking around Brugge, we were disappointed in Brussels (although we were there only for a Sunday, so walked around a lot but did not go to any museums). Brugge is a well-preserved medieval town that caters to tourists. It was entertaining just walking through the streets, eating excellent meals at the many cafes & restaurants, and sampling some of the MANY belgian beers at t'Bruges Beertje (highly recommend a stop at the Belgian beer bar--they carry hundreds of beers and they are mostly $2 or less). We found Brugge very relaxing, and the prices reasonable for food & drink. In contrast, when we got to Brussels, we stayed near the Grand Place (Radisson SAS--typical business hotel, but very comfortable and for $90/night a great rate). Brussels has a lot of business & Government buildings near the Grand Place, so on Sunday, the streets were very empty. The Grand Place itself was impressive, but I thought that Brugge was much more picturesque. Also, the restaurants on and around the Grand Place felt like tourist-traps, with higher prices than we found in Brugge. Brussels was fine, but if i went again, I'd stay in Brugge the whole time. It's very easy to get to the Brussels airport by train, even from Brugge.

This is good info --- more please?

I loved Brugge, an adorable medieval town, as much as I hated Brussels. I have yet to meet such rude people in Europe as I did there. From the airport and customs staff to the taxi driver, from the personnal working at the train station to the luggage storage workers, they were the ruddest people I have ever talked to. <BR> <BR>The taxi driver was the worst, he did not stop saying "merde" all the way from the airport to the train station. When we paid for his service, he tried to pull out without giving me my credit card back. I had to run after him to get it. I intended to come back to Brussels after visiting Brugge, which I did not in the end for obvious reasons. People there do not like tourists or foreigners, so, beware.

I quite liked Brugge. It was beautiful and friendly, and the food was quite yummy.