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Belgium trip! Suggestions?

Janet

(website)

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Hi all! I have not been terribly active on the forum since I'm on the ranch, where style takes a back seat for a while (and there is no full-length mirror, although I may change that today!). However, hubs and I have scheduled ourselves a getaway -- quite impromptu and with almost no defined plan at this point. We have a bunch of travel reward points to use, so we're flying to Brussels and plan to explore there and some other destinations in the area.

We're already planning on visiting Bruges, and we're considering a train day trip to Amsterdam and/or maybe somewhere in Germany. I've never been to any of these countries before, and J has only been to Munich for Octoberfest, so we're open to ideas. We'll get there in time for Christmas, and return home after New Years.

Since we have so many well-traveled people here, and I know some of you live in the region, I'd love to hear any tips or suggestions you have for places to visit or things we should not miss. Thanks in advance!

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15 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

Ginkgo

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Janet, I just returned from a trip to Belgium and loved it. My favorite city by far was Ghent -- it's a university town of about 200,000 people, lovely old town with river and canals and cathedral which has the amazing altarpiece by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck. Bruges is lovely but to me it does have quite a touristy touch to it. Ghent had excellent shopping and a tempting amount of silver jewelery, and there's an outstanding design museum also, but at the same time it is a "real" city. I am already planning future trips to Ghent! It's only about a half hour train trip from Brussels.

We also visited Ypres (aka Ieper), which was destroyed in WW1 but rebuilt as it was. including the huge medieval cloth hall. The focus of our trip was to visit WW1 sites, so we took a tour of the nearby battlefields and cemeteries and attended the 8pm Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. This has been performed nightly since 1928 (except for WW2) and is very moving.

Have a wonderful trip -- I am so excited for you!

rachylou

Veteran

Oh what fun! Ok, my first suggestion is don't let any drunk Belgians try to teach you pool... Haha. Memories of youth. Good times, good times. Haha!

I'd want to go to a Christmas market. Belgium, as well as Germany, has them.

Mochi

Veteran

It's been decades since I was there. But you're going to enjoy the fries.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Exciting! I bet you will enjoy your getaway, Janet.
I suggest you PM to Inge who is Belgium local, I am sure she would be happy to help you.

fern

Veteran

Yay, Belgium is fantastic! We did a beer & castles tour of Belgium a few years ago. We went to Brussels, then Bruges and Ghent in the north, and then a week visiting smaller towns in the south.
Bruges gets a lot of tour bus traffic, but it is really beautiful - we loved it at night, when it's quieter, and we rented bikes to ride out along the canals during the day. That probably won't work as well for you in December
We made a trip to the only working steam-powered brewery (Vapeur) which was a highlight for us, but that is pretty specialized. I do have beer and brewery suggestions if you want them.

missvee

Veteran

We were in Belgium in late August and Inge gave us some great advice to stay in Antwerp ( her home town). We booked the Hilton right in the old town and it was an excellent choice. We did a day trip to both Bruges and Ghent and highly recommend both of them. Ghent is the larger of the two but both have great walking and sightseeing opportunities. If you like art be sure to see the Van Eyck altarpiece in the cathedral in Ghent - some experts say that it is the finest painting in the western world. It is a stunner. As an aside, if you haven't seen the Monuments Men, rent it before you go. The character played by George Clooney is obsessed with finding both the altarpiece, and the Michelangelo Madonna and Child that you'll see in Bruges.

Inge

(website)

Oooh so fun, Janet!! I have some work projects to finish this weekend, but will add my two cents tomorrow. And do let me know if you'd like to meet up while you are in Belgium?-)

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Ghent is a must see, really one of the hidden treasures of the Low Countries. But you should also try for a shopping trip to Antwerp, home to avant-garde Belgian fashion and the flagship stores of Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, as well as the Mode Museum.

Let me know if you decide on a trip to Amsterdam and I'll be happy to share a few tips on eating and drinking in the neighbourhood, depending on your preferences.

Debbie

Veteran

Be sure and go to a Christmas market. It was a very interesting experience for me.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Bruges

Looking forward to your photos.

Inge

(website)

Alright, I'm back:-)
I second everything the ladies wrote above: Brussels, Brugge (Bruges) and Gent (Ghent) are all wonderful, and Amsterdam or Paris (a little under 2 hours by train from Brussels) are always a good idea too. But of course I have to put in a good word for Antwerpen (Antwerp) as well. With its compact city centre it is very walkable, there are lots of great museums, old buildings, centuries of history, lovely restaurants and cafés, and excellent shopping opportunities.

A few examples:
- Modemuseum (Fashion Museum)
- Fotomuseum (Museum of Photography)
- The Rubens House
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- Museum Mayer van den Bergh (with "Mad Meg", De Dulle Griet)
- Renaissance buildings like the Town Hall and gothic treasures like the cathedral.
- Flagship stores for Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, 2 Massimo Dutti stores, an Anne Fontaine store, independent shoe and jewellery stores...

If you decide on Antwerp, and would like specific suggestions, just let me know and I'll round them up for you.

In the meantime, here's the tourist website for Antwerp with tons of info.
And here are the sites for Brussels, Ghent and Bruges.

If you are interested in doing a Christmas market: Antwerp has one, and I'm sure Brussels and possibly Bruges and Ghent will have one too, but they are all small-scale markets, very lovely of course. I'd suggest going to Germany if you want to experience the atmosphere of a large Christmas market, e.g. Cologne (about 2 hours by train from Brussels) or Aachen (1 hour and 15 minutes by train from Brussels).

- On b-europe you can find train schedules (and buy tickets) for train trips from Belgium to other European destinations.

Ooh and a quick heads-up: I don't know if this is the case in the Netherlands and Germany, but many restaurants & pubs, and all stores will be closed on 25 December and 1 January in Belgium. So definitely check in advance if you would like to eat out on those days. I'd also recommend booking in advance asap for 24 and 31 December. (many restaurants won't be offering their regular à la carte options on those two nights, but will do a fixed "holiday" menu). I believe museums will be closed on 25 & 26 December, and on 1 & 2 January. On 24 and 31 December they might close early. Best check the individual websites of the museums you plan to visit.

JenA

Veteran

Hi Janet,
I'm watching this thread because we will be in Paris during this same time (visiting my husbands family) and I'm trying to plan a day trip to Belgium!

We plan to drive and thought it would be "cool" to go to another country. Plus my kids love Tintin and chocolate. (I needed an incentive to get them off their electronic devices) I clicked on the links that Inge suggested and I remember visiting these cities many years ago as a teenager. I'm thinking that Bruge is a fun city that will appeal to all of us. Any thoughts?

Not to hijack your thread!!!

Hope all is well and keep us all posted.

Jen
ps. If you decide to visit Paris let me know!

Aziraphale

Veteran

No advice, just envy. Have a fun trip!

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I haven't really been to many places in Belgium, but I'd at least spend a few hours having coffee in the main old plaza in Brussels. It captures the essence of what I imagine old European cities all looked like once -- beautiful. And, of course, the famous Manneken Pis is nearby -- worth looking at just to say you've seen it, IMHO! If you like beer, Belgian beer is among the best in the world, though it is rather strong.

German Xmas markets are fun but they can drive you crazy if you just want to look around town. I find them a fun and festive atmosphere but they can be crowded and often have all the same cheesy knick-knacks. Cologne's market is huge and as a bonus it's in front of the incredibly beautiful cathedral, which is also close to the train station so it's hard to get lost.

Most of the time when I visit a new place I just wander around and look at buildings and stuff, so I don't have a lot of specific suggestions. But all of these places have some very beautiful areas so there is always a lot to look at!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

OK, I'm finally back home in the land of wifi, and I so appreciate all your responses! I'm taking many notes.

Ginkgo, Ghent was on our list too, and now you're solidified it! Will definitely visit there. Ypres sounds fascinating too.

Rachy and Debbie, we're excited about the Christmas markets -- even if they're filled with tchochkes, it's all about the festive vibe.

Mochi, we'll definitely partake in fries! And chocolate!

Fern, the brewery sounds like a fantastic idea. Hubs and I both love beer. And castles!

Missvee, I'll definitely check out Monuments Men, and I am very excited about the plentiful art there. Thanks!

Approprio, thank you! I'm particularly interested in Amsterdam, since that's where my ancestors came from (Van Courtlands who settled in what is now New York). I would love to at least spend a day there, if not more.

Ornella, I'm definitely bringing the camera! Although I'm going to try to do this without the laptop, so I'll bring enough memory cards to last the whole trip. I'll be TRYING to pack as light as I can. Hubs gives me a hard time about all my luggage.

Inge, thank you, thank you, thank you! All fantastic suggestions, and I am taking your advice to heart about reservations and holiday dining. I wondered about that, so this is really good info. I've also added Antwerp to our want-to-visit list! It all sounds fantastic. I will definitely let you know if we're coming to your area -- it would be so fab to meet you in person, especially since I was sad to miss the big meetup here in the states!

Jen, you will love Paris! We thought about going back there but decided to go for somewhere brand new to us.

Thank you, Az! We're really lucky we get to do this. All of my husband's business travel pays off in reward points.

Mander, spending a few hours having coffee in the old plaza sounds wonderful -- right up my husband's alley. I'll probably join him for a while and then get restless and go wandering around with my camera! I'll just make sure I give him a really good, engrossing book to take to the cafe.

Again, thank you all so much. This is great info to get us started!

I was just realizing that I could probably use a little advice on what to pack and wear, but perhaps I'll start a new thread for that...