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2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
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2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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I am taking the train from Amsterdam to Paris in mid-March, and would like to stop in Belgium for two or three days. There seem to be so many appealing cities, though, all with so much history...and good beer! My initial plan was to spend two days in Antwerp, with a day trip to Bruges, but I've since been told that Ghent is more attractive than Bruges, and that Brussels is also worth a stop. So how should I structure my time in Belgium?

I am a college student traveling solo on a tight budget, and I'm particularly interested in architecture--especially off the beaten track. I'm also a self-declared aficionado of good beer. I was planning on taking an AM train from Amsterdam on Sunday the 18th, and then arriving in Paris in the PM of that Tuesday. And I know that many Belgian museums and sights are closed on Mondays. (Hmmmph!)

Brussels, Belgium
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1. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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You can get good beer in any of these cities so that doesn't help you distinguish between them. I don't think Ghent is more attractive than Brugge, it is just different: a lot bigger, for a start, and it has a castle, which Brugge doesn't have. I suggest you google Brugge sights and Ghent sights - adding architecture if you want to - or check under "things to do" (left-hand side of the page) in each of the relevant TA forums, to determine which appeals to you most. For a first-time visitor I would recommend Brugge rather than Ghent, but in any case, the most convenient stops on a trip between Amsterdam and Paris would be Antwerp and Brussels, and these would also be the most interesting cities if, for example, you like art nouveau architecture (Zurenborg district in Antwerp, all over the city in Brussels). I do think you should see the Grand' Place in Brussels, but this does not require an overnight stay. And Brussels hotels are likely to be more expensive than Antwerp's.

I would therefore stick to your plan of staying 2 nights in Antwerp. Assuming that you get settled into a hotel/hostel by lunchtime on the Sunday, I would do a quick trip to Brugge on the same day. Being a Sunday you can get a weekend return for €15 instead of the weekday price of €28.20 (as a student, you could also get a "Go Pass 1" ticket for €13, that is €6.50 for Antwerp-Brugge and the same for Brugge-Antwerp; but only if you buy it online, see http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/tickets/gopass1/index.php - it's not available from stations).

On Monday, look around Antwerp: the diamond museum, for instance, is open, as is the zoo, and closing days are not a problem for architecture. You might like to explore Antwerpen Centraal station, and/or visit the art nouveau district near Berchem station: http://www.aviewoncities.com/antwerp/zurenborg.htm and/or wander around the little lanes near the cathedral, where you can see Antwerp's only surviving 16th C wooden house, in Stoelstraat, see http://www.belgiumview.com/belgiumview/tl3/view0001400.php4. The MAS Museum is unfortunately closed on Mondays but you might consider it worth seeing from the outside: http://www.mas.be/MAS-EN/Publicatiekanalen/Stad/Musea/Musea-MAS/MAS-EN/Startpagina-MAS-EN/Startpagina-MAS-EN-Hoofdnavigatie/Building-and-surrounding-area.html

Continue to Brussels on Tuesday morning. Get off at Gare centrale and leave bags in lockers there, then visit the Grand' Place which is about 5 mins walk away, and also the Galeries St. Hubert, close to the GP. Your Thalys ticket to Paris permits you to take a local train from Gare centrale to Gare du Midi for free, so do this (after picking up your bags) in time to connect to your Thalys departure - which will leave from platform 3, 4, 5 or 6 at Gare du Midi, at the Eurostar terminal end of the station.

You don't have time to get off the beaten track, or even to see all the main sights. You will have to be selective, and that means doing your own research so you can decide what you really want to see - which will also tell you how you want to divide your time.

Portsmouth, United...
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2. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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Well I have been to Bruge and to Ghent. Bruge is lovely town but I think a little more aimed at general tourism. Ghent is a big university town and the old town is very interesting with some lovely old buildings. There is also Gravensteen Castle to examine. I cant imagine you would have any trouble finding Belgium beer in either place.

Gail

Brussels, Belgium
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3. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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P.S. If you decide to go to Ghent instead of Brugge, a weekend return from Antwerp costs €9.60 or if you go on Monday a return ticket would cost €17.40; "Go Pass 1" ticket is still €6.50 each way (so €13 return) but again, must be bought online.

If you want to travel from city to city, staying in 2 different cities, current SINGLE train ticket prices are as follows:

Antwerp-Ghent: €8.70

Antwerp-Brugge: €13.70

Brugge-Ghent: €5.90

Brugge-Brussels: €13.10

Ghent-Brussels: €8.20

Edited: 12 years ago
Brussels, Belgium
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4. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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P.P.S I looked it up but on the basis of the above, the weekday price Antwerp-Brugge-Antwerp should be €27.40, not €28.20, so I must have copied something wrongly. However, I have a feeling prices may be going up before your trip anyway so this is just a guide.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
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5. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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Wow! Thank you so much for the prompt response and thorough information. You've provided me with just the direction and inspiration I need to structure what will be, I think, a wonderful jaunt through Belgium. I certainly have some more research to do before I lock things down (and as a lad who's easily swayed by his compulsions, I will want to factor some flex into my itinerary), but I couldn't be more excited now.

Anyhow, I reckon I'll probably settle in Antwerp on Sunday, because I'm more interested in its museums than Bruges'; to my understanding, most state-run museums will be closed on Monday. (Alas, the belfry in Bruges will also be closed until April, so I won't get to ascend its steps. The Concertgebouw will suffice!)

Then, a long daytrip to Bruges on Monday--get there before any crowds descend, and stay until sundown. I'll probably purchase a pair of Go 1 passes for this, as this seems to be my transportation cheapest option.

On Tuesday morning, I'll take a another SNCB train to Brussels, drop my bags in a locker at the station, and then explore the city for an hour or two. But now, I have another question: what's the word on bus transportation between Belgium and Paris? A Euroline bus ticket is one about fifth as expensive as a Thalys ticket (approx. €9 versus €50). I know buses will take a good while longer, but is it worth spending the money for the expedience and comfort of the train? Or does the train offer fleeting landscape views, while the buses do not?

Thank you so much for the help Qaminari, and any further tips from anyone who's traveled the region are greatly appreciated.

Brussels, Belgium
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6. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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I hope you are not confusing Go Pass (now "Go Pass 10") and "Go Pass 1 ticket" and I hope you noted that the latter is available ONLY for online purchase (not more than 1 month in advance, btw) - which is not always feasible with non-European credit cards. Go Pass [10], which CAN be purchased at stations, is a 10-trip pass costing €50.

You get much the same view whether you travel by bus or train between Brussels and Paris, and it is not what I would call scenic. The train is expensive (unless you can get the Smoove rate which for many departures is already sold out 2 1/2 months in advance) because the only option is the high-speed Thalys, which takes 1h22 and brings you to Paris-Nord. The bus takes 4 hours, from the Eurolines bus station next to Bruxelles-Nord, to either Galiéni or La Défense in Paris, both further out than Gare du Nord. Despite add-ons (administrative fee..) it can be very cheap indeed if you book early enough, but if you were buying a ticket on the day of travel. I seem to remember that it can be at least as expensive as Smoove on Thalys.

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
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7. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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Oh, thanks for the ticket clarification! I was planning on purchasing tickets in advance, and so I think I'll go with the Go Pass 1 ticket (provided my credit card works!).

But the plot thickens: I just discovered that I'll be coming through Paris again in May, and so I'm now thinking of tacking another day onto my Benelux trip instead. Given my aforementioned interests (historical sites, monuments, squares, rivers, pubs, parks, and NOT necessarily museums), how might this affect my itinerary?

Should I spend two nights in Antwerp and one in Brussels, or do three nights in Antwerp (with day trips to Brussels and Bruges)?

Alternatively, I could spend another day in Amsterdam (allowing myself 3.5 days there), but I expect food and accommodations in this city are more expensive than in Belgium.

Again, thoughts?

Edited: 12 years ago
Brussels, Belgium
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8. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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Each of the cities mentioned has historical sites, monuments, squares, rivers (or canals, or in the case of Brussels, one canal and a largely hidden river), pubs, parks, and - whether you want to visit them or not - museums, so I really don't know how this list could help anyone advise you on where to stay and for how long. Whether you stay in each city you visit or stay in one city and visit all the others on day trips, or something in between, is entirely a matter of personal preference (how much you are prepared to move, unpack and repack) and doesn't necessarily affect WHAT you see!

I can see that you aren't interested in Brussels, as you only allocated 1/2 a day to it, but don't know whether this is because you like smaller places (in which case, consider Lier near Antwerp - http://www.eupedia.com/belgium/lier.shtml) or because the sort of architecture and historical sites that interest you aren't the sort available here: but then you are the only one who knows what your interests are (i.e. TYPE of architecture, etc. - I note that you didn't pick up on the art nouveau aspect)!

As price is a consideration, one thing you can do in Brussels for free is to walk around looking at comic strip murals, another is to view the Cinquantenaire Park from the top of the Cinquantenaire archway, see http://www.trabel.com/brussel/brussel-cinquantenairepark.htm - access via the Army Museum, also free, apart from the cost of the metro ticket to Mérode (€1.80, or you can get a day card for €4.50 covering all Brussels city buses, trams and metro). Beer isn't free, of course, but a glass of it is included in the price of entrance to the Brewers Museum in the Grand' Place, or you could just buy a beer at the atmospheric little bar of the Toone puppet theatre off the nearby Petite rue des Bouchers (http://www.cromwell-intl.com/travel/belgium/belgian-beers/toone.html).

Brussels, Belgium
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9. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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Re hostel in Antwerp (I reported duplicate posting but the result was not quite what I'd expected!), I found a booking site but it wouldn't confirm places for the dates I tried, however it also didn't say it was no longer operating: http://www.realadventures.com/booking/1031816_Den-Heksenketel-Hostel

But, I couldn't get into what seems to be the hostel's own site (http://heksenketel.org) and its facebook page seems to have been inoperative since 2010...

Brussels
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10. Re: 2.5 days: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and/or Antwerp?
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< apart from the cost of the metro ticket to Mérode (€1.80, or you can get a day card for €4.50 covering all Brussels city buses, trams and metro) >

Just an extra detail ... STIB prices go up on 1st February.

If the OP comes to Brussels in March, a single metro ticket will cost €2 and the day card will cost €6 !

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