dreamer320

Dh and I will be going to Belgium for two weeks in September. We'll likely be flying in and out of Brussels, and have 13 days on the ground. We're from Virginia and in our mid-50s and early 60s. I have some issues that prevent me from doing a lot of walking, so no hiking or strenuous activities. We're generally early risers, so tend to be at our first stop when it opens. I see this trip as being a bit slower-paced, with time to just sit in beautiful places or over good food and relax. I like taking photos, but strictly amateur. And we're looking forward to good beer and frites, we're into good casual food and rarely eat anywhere remotely fancy.

Here's what I've gotten so far, I'd welcome any tips or comments. (Forgive any misspellings, as I'm writing from notes I've jotted down quickly.)

Day 1 - morning arrival to Brussels; train to Antwerp; look around Central Station and the Cathedral of Our Lady, maybe De Koninck brewery tour; overnight Antwerp
Day 2 - this will likely be a Monday, so I don't have a lot down yet; maybe wandering around city center, some shopping; dh mentioned Chocolate Nation; overnight Antwerp
Day 3 - Plantin-Moretus Printing Museum; Red Star Line Museum; overnight Antwerp
Day 4 - morning train to Brugge; likely stopping over in Ghent to see St. Bavo Cathedral, St. Michael's bridge, and Gravensteen Castle; overnight Brugge
Days 5-6 - while in Brugge, we'd like to see the Markt, Historium, basilica, lace museum, Burg Stuidhuis, a canal ride, beguinage, maybe the folk museum; overnights Brugge
Day 7 - day trip to Ypres, probably with a small tour operator, and staying late for the Last Post ceremony (though dh isn't keen on that); overnight Brugge
Days 8-11 are still uncertain. I'm thinking perhaps basing in maybe Liege and doing day trips, with a rental car for all or a portion of this time. I want to go to Margraten Cemetery for sure, then maybe Villers Abbey, other castles, Dinant, Aachen, Germany, maybe Luxembourg City?
Days 12-13 - Brussels: Grand Place, Saint Hubert galleries, musical instruments museum, part of the cartoon walk, Sts. Michael and Gudula Cathedral
Day 14 - flight home

Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

hetismij2

If you are going to Margraten then carry on to Maastrciht too. It may be a nicer place to stay than Liege anyway. Not a big fan of Liege I have to admit.
If you have a car then go into the Ardennes. You don't have to walk much, just enjoy the scenery.

Vttraveler

I would recommend pretty much everything we saw on our trip to Belgium in 2011. We had already visited Brugge and Gent so didn't go back to either of those cities.
My TR with (lots of!) details is here
10 days in Belgium plus a day in the Netherlands

I would recommend Aachen over Luxembourg City.

PalenQ

Belgian trains are great and frequent - there are no seat reservations on domestic trains - just buy tickets at station or download on phones - though look at Belgian Railways site for possible day passes- for lots on Belgian trains check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Gent to me deserves more than a quick look.

Tulips

Looks good Dreamer320. In Antwerp don't miss the Conscience plein and Carolus Borromeus church. The most beautiful square in Antwerp I think.
For chocolate; The Chocolate Line, on Meir, in the former royal palace. The best chocolates and a gorgeous location.
If you are going to the Red Star Line museum, also look into the MAS. You can go to the top floor without charge, it has great views.
I don't know if you've booked a hotel yet, but O Kathedraal is great, and you couldn't be more central. Good value too,and next to the best place for frites in Antwerp.
I also like Banks hotel.

Agree with staying in Maastricht rather than Liege.

texasbookworm

Here's what we did in Germany and Belgium November 2017--loved it all despite the cold, which you won't have to contend with

Thanksgiving Week in Germany and Belgium

We didn't have much/enough time in Antwerp but thoroughly enjoyed the Plantin-Moretus Printing Museum.

Can you consider staying one night in Ghent? I understand not wanting to change hotels a lot, but we loved Ghent and I don't know if you actually will have much time in between train rides--but I haven't looked at times, etc.


It doesn't look like you plan to have a car in Belgium; if you do, check on the LEZ stickers/registration/etc., required in several cities, Brussels included. It was a definite red-tape hassle for us, but we had rented in Frankfurt and maybe renting IN Belgium cuts out that paperwork. We sure loved having a car, though.

If you head into Germany, Aachen is terrific. I was going to also suggest Monschau, a little German town, but it is veeerrrry hilly which you may not want to try to navigate--you can't use a car there.

Macross

2Xplore.be He was the best. He is a native, his family has lived in Ypres area for many years and he speaks perfect English. I think it was the best and most informative tour I have ever taken.

dreamer320

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into Maastricht; since we don't have a firm plan yet for those days, I just want to be somewhere from where we can take a couple day trips. Sounds like Aachen would be great, any other thoughts on day trips?

Tulips, finding beautiful places to just enjoy is as much a part of our vacations as sightseeing, so we'll add your suggestions. We're hoping to go to mass at St. Carolus Borromeus or the Cathedral if our schedule works out.We haven't booked a hotel in Antwep yet, and will more than likely be staying there as part of a United Vacations package to get cheaper airfare.

I have the trip reports bookmarked and will read them later. Actually, I probably already have, since I've been thinking about this trip for some time! We'll likely rent a car just for a few days when we'll need one, to go to Margraten or Dinant or wherever we decide that's not as accessible by train. Definitely not in any larger city! While I'm not timid at all, the idea of following road signs in busy areas in a language I don't know is off-putting!

Macross, thanks for the Ypres recommendation, I'm off to look it up now.

PalenQ

Aachen is really close to Maastricht -which I really liked.

Michael

The Reubens house in Antwerp is definitely worth a visit:

Tulips

If you are driving in Limburg (the Dutch province), also consider a stop in the white village Thorn.