I want to broaden my Belgium horizons. Besides Brussels, what are 2 good day trips from Brugge? (my base)

Also, are there train passes to buy for travel within Belgium? It might be cheaper that way because I will be coming from Brussels to Brugge, then 2 day trips and then back to Brussels to get on the eurostar back to London.

We are visiting Antwerp one morning to visit the Diamond district and a few selected sites - then lunch at Anthony van Dyke Restaurant and return. Another day we will visit the Steffe Hendrick Brewery have some moules / frites for lunch and hire bicycles to ride down the Canal to Sluis where it is believed that our Family originated from. Obviously Ghent and Damme are worth considering as well. Just some ideas from us.

You can purchase a Belgium Rail Pass for 62E that permits 10 trips between Belgian rail stations. You would have to do the math to see if this works for you.

I could recommend Day Trips to:
Knokke (seaside)
Ghent
Antwerp
Tongeren (oldest city in Belgium)

Have fun!

If you are a fan of Belgian beers:

How about Westvleeteren in the south toward the french border where one of the 6 belgian abbeys produces its famous abbey beer? They don't have any restaurant/beerhall but it's an authentic peaceful abbey far from urban areas.

Westmalle in the northeast (east of Antwerp) has an abbey with its own beergarden across the street.

As you point out most of the "good stuff" is closer to the French border, a long way from Brugge relatively. As you point out there are a few around Antwerp.

I would recommend Ieper (Ypres) for In Flanders Fields, its fascinating, interactive WW I museum (very different from the usual museums). Easily reached by train.
If you would be willing to rent a car, we highly recommend the relatively untouristed Zeeland area of the Netherlands (the beaches are frequented by tourists, but not American tourists), especially the town of Middleburg.
Belgian train prices are among the most reasonable in Europe. Second class fares are pretty inexpensive (esp. on weekends and holidays) and with your fairly short trip, I think you may find simple point to point as cheap as any pass.

If you are interested in music, particularly the saxophone, and don't mind a 2 1/2 hour train ride, may I suggest Dinant, the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone. We spent several hours (not enough) in Dinant last year on our way from Luxembourg City to Brugge.

Dinant is an interesting little town steeped in history, which sits on a narrow 2 1/2 mile strip between the River Meuse and the rock face. The impressive (from the outside) Collegiale Notre-Dame sits at the base of the cliff. Next to the church you can take a cable car up to the Citadelle (dating from 1051), which sprawls across the top of the mountain, looking over Dinant and the Meuse Valley. The tour of the Citadelle was guided, and unfortunately, we are Americans who are linguistically challenged and the tour guide didn't speak English. But thanks to doing research before our trip and what little we could understand from the guide we were still able to get a grasp of the history of Dinant and how much blood was shed over the years - most recently, 1100 homes burned and 674 citizens massacred during WWI, bombed and burned twice during WWII.

We went to Dinant primarily for the Maison de la Pataphonie, which is a little hands-on childrens museum geared around hand-made musical instruments from found objects created by Max Vandervorst. There were 4 rooms dedicated to various themes - metal, water, wood, stone and finally a "symphony hall" with about 20 different "instruments" where the whole group played together. We had to make reservations in advance and we took the tour (3 adults) with a group of 12 school kids, ages 8-10(?). It was great watching the faces of the kids as they discovered new ways of making music, from the simplest of objects. My husband and I have created several sound sculptures, so we found this little museum to be one of the highlights of our trip through the BeNeLux region. Also at the Maison de la Pataphonie is one of only four in the world of the largest saxophones ever made, over 6 feet tall! I remember the guide had to stand on a stool to play it.

And at no. 35 rue A. Sax is the birthplace of Adolphe Sax. There was a lot more to the town that we did not get to see, as we were limited with our time. I understand there is a great jazz festival every year, but can't remember when it's held. You can check out the following website for more information on Dinant.

www.dinant-tourisme.be

Enjoy your time in Belgium and have a safe trip, where ever you decide to go. Peace.

Robyn

I did the Quasi-modo tour. We saw many remote areas of Flanders, including a chateau and some WW2 German bunkers. We also toured a brewery and a chocolate factory. The guide was really funny and the tour was great fun.

We were thinking of taking a Quasimodo tour - how long did your tour take and how many miles / kilometers ? Did you visit or go through Sluis or along the Brugge - Sluis Canal ? Thanks for your post.

It was a full day tour, I believe it lasted from around 9:30am to 5ish. There wasn't an excessive amount of driving, as Flanders is not a huge area, just a lot of really intersting sights. There are different tours offered, I did the one called Triple Treat. I don't recall the Sluis canal specifically, but maybe that's offered on the other tour. I'm sure you can e-mail Quasimodo and ask at [email protected].

Aside from what I metioned before, the best thing about that tour for me was that I felt like I got to see some parts of Flanders that most tourists miss. Also I learned things about life in Flanders, both past and present, that you will not learn by staying in tourist areas.

Here's the address if you would like to contact them for more info:

http://www.quasimodo.be/

I second the recommendation for Quasimodo tours. We took the Flanders Fields (The Great War) tour which was a full day. Picked us up at our hotel and dropped us within a block at the end. A very knowledgeable guide who inspired me to learn much more.

You should also check this website for additional ideas:

http://www.visitflanders.co.uk/

I am definitely going to take the Quasimodo tour. That triple threat sounds exactly what I am looking for. One question though, I don't mind walking...but is this the kind of tour where there is a lot of "hiking"? (i.e. climbing up 860 steps like that tower in Brugge)
I have fibromyalgia pretty bad and I just don't know from one day to the next how I will be. I don't want to book a tour and then be disappointed because I can't really participate.

There is no real hiking on that tour, just a little walking on flat land. I'm so glad you will be doing this tour, I think you will really enjoy it. Have a great trip!!

Thank you P_M, you are very nice!

jsmith - Thank you for the reference to the visit Flanders web site above. It is very helpful.

You're most welcome, From Atlanta!! Always happy to be of service.

Steve, whil you are in Sluis, a good restaurant to try is Oud Sluis (www.oudsluis.nl)

The Genealogists tell me that is where I "come from", so how can I resist a visit to Oud Sluis ? ! SydneySue and I will be pumping our mountain bikes along the Brugge-Sluis canal one day late in September. Thanks BTilke