I am just beginning research for a possible birthday trip to Belgium with our two adult sons and their girlfriends (ages 36-42). Thinking about a week in Bruges, Brussels and/or Antwerp. I was last in Brussels for the World Expo in 1958. I expect it has changed a wee bit. None of the others have been there previously.

We like independent travel, like B&Bs, small hotels or an apartment. Enjoy being in the city but in a neighborhood rather than tourism center. Like doing our own cooking or eating where the locals eat out. Our favorite souvenir shop is the grocery store. Like using public transportation or walking.

In addition to the birthday celebration (my 70th), we would like to sample Belgian beers on their home turf and get an arts cultural fix via small museums and points of historic interest. We enjoy local festivals.

For economic and time considerations (husband and I are covering all travel costs), I am thinking of flying into Amsterdam and training to wherever we decide. Would consider any reasonable airport (we are departing from Detroit and St Louis).

Any suggestions for cozy, convenient lodging for 6, preference of cities, visitor destinations? We prefer traveling in spring or fall, like to avoid summer crowds.

Fodorites have been generous and wise in their information - please don't let me down.

Of the 3 places you listed, Antwerp will be the least touristy. Bruges is full of tourists; but it's got its reasons because it is really lovely. I've been 3 times - first 2 times was a day trip; the last time we stayed for 3 nights and wow that was wonderful. The best part about staying in Bruges is that the city is magical in the early morning hours and at night; after all the daytrippers are gone. But, if you stay in Bruges, you CANNOT avoid running into tourists all day long.

There is a brewery IN Bruges you can visit - De halve Moon.

There are a gazillion of B&Bs in Bruges. We stayed at B&B Verhulst. The hosts (Freida & Benno) are the nicest people ever. They have bikes for rent (at a lower rate than commercial bike rental places) so we took the bikes one day and cycled in the countryside. http://www.b-bverhulst.com/tuinkamer.htm

Most other breweries in Belgium are difficult to get to without a car, just FYI.

As for museums, Antwerp has the Rubens House, Museum of Fine Arts, as well as Museum Mayer van den Bergh. All worth going.

In Brussels, its Museum of Fine Arts has a MAGNIFICENT collection of Flemish Primitives paintings. If you're a fan, you'd be in heaven. there's also the new Magritte Museum (which I havne't been yet), and the Museum of Musical Instruments (inside a beautiful art nouveau building). If you like Art Nouveau, don't miss Horta Museum - prior home of Victor Horta.

We enjoyed Bruges quite a bit. It is touristy, but a lot of people come for day trips, so in the evenings it is pretty quiet. Also, most tourists seem to go between the train station and the main square - there is a lot more to the old center that isn't touristy.

De Halve Maan Brewery is great - they brew the Bruges Zot beer, which comes in a blonde and a bruin. Very good and the tour is a lot of fun too.

I found this site very helpful when researching.
http://belgianstyle.com/mmguide/locate/locate01.html

Hope it helps. What a great thing for you to do with your children!

(We ended up visiting the European Beer Museum in Stenay, France, which was wonderful...but that's another story)

You can get a train right from Sciphol airport in Amsterdam to Antwerp, and change there for a direct train to Bruges. I also recommend De Halve Maan. Bruges itself is wonderful, with its medieval buildings, great chocolate shops, canals, and fasinating museums and churches. The Church of the Holy Blood actually has a relic, a vial of Christ's blood brought back from the 2nd crusades. Its brought out at certain times for veneration and my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to see it this past Jan. Even if you don't quite believe, its still fascinating to see.

I'm not opposed to tourists (I am one), I just prefer traveling in less crowded times. I'd rather be 1 of 1000 than 1 of a bejillion. Also not opposed to driving. Perhaps taking the train from Schiphol and picking up a car for a couple days. Bicycling is also appealing. I would expect the terrain to be flat as the Netherlands which makes it easy for my old legs.

Each of you has good things to say about Bruges - my impression is based on the film "In Bruges" which I loved, just maybe not all the bloody bits. Would you spend a full week in Bruges with forays into the countryside and omit Brussels? If you had 7 days how would you split them? We will probably travel midweek (better airfare/better availability)

Thanx to klondike and yk for your links. Very helpful!

Belgium is so small that you could easily base yourself in a central location (Brussels or Ghent, for instance) and make daystrips by train. If you base in Brussels, Antwerp and Gent are only 35 mins. away, Brugge is about a 1 hour train ride.
You can sample Belgian beers everywhere.
With a car you could even make a daytrip to the Ardennes, the southern part of Belgium which is far less touristy. The scenery in the Ardennes is totally different than in Flanders (where Antwerp, Gent and Brugge are). It's hilly and very green but really worth the trip if you have a day left.
If you like self-catering, you might find accomodation here: http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Belgium/r19.htm

Enjoy my country!

Are you flying out of amsterdam or Brussels? If the latter, it would make sense to spend the last day or 2 in Brussels. While it's a city, I still think the Grand Place area of Brussels very charming. FYI, hotels in Brussels are much cheaper on weekends than midweek due to high # of business travelers.

Yes, In Bruges is a great movie. As I said, we absolutely LOVED the town in the evening when it's quiet (we were there in late Sept).

Belgium is very flat - so bicycling is easy. The bike trails are extensive and very well-marked. Our B&B hosts also let us borrow the bike trail maps. With the maps, it's impossible to get lost. Most of the trails are dedicated bike trails and not just a 2-feet lane on the side of a busy road. The few trails we rode on which we had to share the road, they are country roads with few cars passing by.

If you do consider renting a bike, I highly recommend biking from Bruges to Damme along the Damme canal. The following link is the segment on our bike ride from Bruges in 2008:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-2585609

Sounds like a fabulous trip!

Do you want to taste beers or visit breweries? Like yk says, most of breweries are outside the cities and you need a car to visit. But, you could build a great trip driving from brewery to brewery. I like Myriam's suggestion to go the Ardennes, then you could visit the Trappist Monasteries.

For a very special Belgian experience visit this brewery in Brussels
http://www.cantillon.be/


Brussels also has a small beer museum
http://www.beerparadise.be

Bruges, Brussels and Ghent all have wonderful pubs where you can sample multiple Belgian beers in one place.

't Brugs Beertje is one in Bruges.

Have fun!

FYI, if you are looking to enjoy wonderful medieval archetecture while sipping your great Belgium beers, remember that both Antwerp and Brussels were both bombed into rubble during both world wars. Probably 95% of all you see in those two cities has been rebuilt.

If you are really into beer, visit this place.

http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/home.htm

More research shows that flying into Brussels is actually a better deal from both Detroit and St Louis. That means we'll probably fly in, train directly to Bruges and end up in Brussels.

MyriamC - your holiday rental site is great - thanx