We decided to take a few days and explore Belgium this spring. We’ve been to Brussels for a layover on our way to Spain a few years ago. We had about 8 hours on the ground and we got out of the airport and explored the City for a few hours – eating waffles, drinking beer, wandering the streets, checking out the pissing statues…you know, a normal day in Brussels.
This time, we are getting out of Brussels straight away, but we aren’t totally sold on where we are going. We figure Bruges is high on the list – it’s one of the dozens of cities called the Venice of the North. I’m also contemplating Ypres, which has some amazing WWI memorials.
Can you help me answer the following questions:
- What cities would you visit?
- Where should we dine / which restaurants?
- Which hotels should make our list?
- Do you have any recommendations on bike tours?
- What areas should we skip entirely?
Looking forward to hearing about your trips and recommendations!
I’ve heard great things about Ghent. It might be worth stopping over for a few hours on your way to Bruges and see which of the two you prefer? I spent a weekend in Antwerp a few years ago (I was in the area on business) and thought it was a nice city but I wouldn’t rate it as high as Bruges. It depends on how much time you will have.
I’m only in Belgium for about 5 days. We decided on spending a couple days in Ghent, but using that as our base for other exploration. Definitely hitting Ypres for the WWI history, but I think we’re skipping Antwerp. Thanks for the guidance – I’ll keep you posted as our plans firm up.
Zillions of ideas here! https://discoveringbelgium.com/