Itinerary help....Brussels to Frankfurt (with car) 5 nights....
 

I will be flying into Brussels on a Monday in late August (no jet lag) and flying out of Frankfurt Saturday afternoon.

I have rented a car in Brussels and will return to Frankfurt fully aware of the cost of doing so.

Some cities on the must see list are: Bruges and Colchem (plan on driving from Colchem to FRA on Saturday morning). That leaves Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri to have some fun!

Others under consideration: Ghent, Antwerp, Maastricht, Dusseldorf?, Cologne?

I would love to hear some ideas on the best way to maximize my time in this area.

No museums.

Thanks!

Ttt

Ttt??

In the absence of anyone else I will chime in - wondering if you had given any thought to the Ardennes? You can do the standard attractions Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp by train very well (and indeed Belgium has a fantastic, dense rail network), but if you have a car then the Ardennes is more accessible and enjoyable than by train. You might think about La-Roche-en-Ardenne, Rochefort or Han-sur-Lesse, Bouillon, or Dinant (which is really, properly speaking, outside the Ardennes, but is really picturesque). If you are American and like WWII sites then Bastogne might be for you.

To the north are Maastricht in the Netherlands, and Aachen in Germany, or to the southern part of the Ardennes you might think of dropping in on Luxembourg, then logically going on to Trier and Cochem. That would actually make a good pathway. I highly recommend Trier for the Roman ruins, and it's the gateway to the Mosel.

Lavandula

Lavandula...Thanks!

Bruges is one of my "must sees,". as of now, Antwerp is not.

Thought about Maasterich, but Trier, Cochem looks like a good route.

Honestly never heard of the Ardennes so I have some research to do (thanks to you!)

I truly appreciate your help!

The Ardennes is the southern and more hilly part of Belgium. Even the towns mentioned by Lavandula are much quieter than those in Flanders (which is the northern part of Belgium). Buy yourself a good map and enjoy the scenery on the small roads. Michelin no. 716 covers Belgium and Luxembourg.

Myriam (proud to be Antwerpian, by the way ;-) )

Thank you, Myriam! I am sure we will get to Antwerp!