Becks16

Hello!

I am currently in the midst of a six month journey around Europe. I leave England for Amsterdam on Oct 14, arriving early on the 15th. Halloween is not massively important to me, but it would be fun if anything interesting was happening close by, and a google search revealed 1 article that mentions Ostend in Belgium as one of the top 10 European places to spend halloween.

http://travelaway.me/best-halloween-...ons-in-europe/

Has anyone been here for the festivities? Is it any good? Is Ostend worth a visit just for itself? Obviously the weather makes it less of a draw as a coastal town, but is there anything else worth visiting? I will be staying in Bruges for at least one night, so could visit from there rather than staying in Ostend itself.

The second part of my question is, if it IS worth visiting Ostend for Halloween, how shall I fill the 4 extra days in Belgium I now have?

Current itinerary is this:
Oct 15: arrive Amsterdam 9:00am (17 hour bus from Nottingham)
Oct 16: Amsterdam
Oct 17: to Haarlem
Oct 18: Haarlem
Oct 19: to The Hague
Oct 20: The Hague, hopefully daytrip to Delft
These hostels have already been booked: I am flexible after this point, but figured something like this:
Oct 21: to Antwerp
Oct 22: Antwerp
Oct 23: Ghent
Oct 24: Ghent
Oct 25: Bruges
Oct 26: Brussels
Oct 27: Brussels
Oct 28: Luxembourg
And then on down through France to Spain, where I fly home Dec 3.

So how can I revamp this to land in Bruges/Oostende on the 31st? I don't want to do too much backtracking, and I don't want to feel like I'm killing time to get to the 31st. Is there anything obvious that I am missing?

Thanks for any suggestions!

ribeirasacra

and when I done a search I never found Belgium in the top 10.
http://www.thetravelmagazine.net/i-4...in-europe.html
http://www.cactusworldwide.com/blog/...ons-in-europe/
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

Dukey1

It all depends on what you want to DO on Hallowe'en IMO. And some of those "things" are not going to be mentioned in "Travel Magazine."

Becks16

It was more for atmosphere than for actual activities: I don't need candy, don't have a costume, etc. but if the town is festive I thought it would be a fun trip. I know that local festivals are sometimes over-hyped on websites and such, so was just wondering if anyone had personal experience, or if anyone local could give an opinion. I can't find many reviews/personal accounts online.

The other cities recommended are just not feasible with my current location (I'm not flying anywhere just for halloween) and most of them I've already covered! But this one was right in my neighbourhood.

Tulips

We don't do Halloween in Belgium. Some businesses have cottoned on to a gimmick that may bring in some extra money, but there's certainly not a party atmosphere around Halloween. At least not that I'm aware of.

I don't know Oostende at all, but it's the autumn school holidays that week and places on the coast may be busier than usual.

Tulips

I've just looked it up, and apparently Oostende no longer do anything special for Halloween. They used to have a parade and special events around Halloween, but not anymore.

Becks16

Ah thanks Tulips! I didn't realize it wasn't even happening anymore. That makes my decision a lot easier

Tulips

Becks, Halloween is a US thing. Some bars and clubs may organise something, and as it is on a Friday this week, it may be a busy night for going out. But there's no trick-or-treating or anything like that.

You probably know this, but there's a fairly new youth hostel in a great location in Antwerp; Pulcinella.

The week of October 26 is a school holiday week. If you plan on visiting museums or sites, it may be busier than usual.