Hello ladies and gents,
First of all, I%26#39;d like to say a big %26quot;Thank you%26quot; to all the contributors to this forum and especially to qaminari for their extensive and greatly informative answers. I%26#39;ve been reading around for a cuple of months now and I%26#39;ve had many a questions answered even before asking them. However, I have just a couple more, and I%26#39;d greatly appreciate your opinions.
Now, for my travel plans: I%26#39;ll be in Bruxelles between the 13th and the 17th September; this is my first visit to Belgium and I%26#39;d like to take the opportunity to also take a daytrip to Gent.
I%26#39;ve come across the B-Excursions from Belgian Railways ( www.b-rail.be/php/bexcursions/index.php… ) and this seems like a very good deal.
But I%26#39;m not clear on how to get and use this. It says on the site that the tickets are available for sale in all Belgian train stations. Does this mean that I can buy them at any ticket counter...and how would I ask for such a ticket? Are there any machines selling these also?
As for the rest of the days, this would be my itinerary; am I totally missing out on something; should I drop anything?
Day 1 (Saturday)
We%26#39;re landing at Charleroi around 13,30. I%26#39;ve decided to go to Bruxelles by bus+train, thinking I%26#39;d be able to stop at Bruxelles Central, instead of Midi, by means of the shuttle bus -our B%26amp;B is on Chausée Saint Pierre, that seems more easily accesible from Central-. If I%26#39;m wrong, please tell me.
I%26#39;m think of spending the afternoon exploring Grande Place and strolling around, %26#39;meeting%26#39; Manneken Pis and walking to Place Sainte Catherine (I looove seafood).
On Sunday, we%26#39;ll be in Gent.
Day 3 (Monday)
Tour of the European Parliament, then it%26#39;s off to Heysel to see the Atomium.
Back in the city, I plan on exploring the area of Place du Petit Sablon and Place du Grand Sablon.
Day 4 (Tueday)
Indoor day :). We%26#39;ll visit the Saints Michel and Gudule Cathedral, the Musée du Costume et de la Dantelle and the Musée des Instruments de Musique.
I%26#39;m a little bit confused regarding the opening hours for the Dantelle Museum; my guidebook lists them as %26#39;10 am-12,30 %26amp; 1,30 pm-5 pm%26#39;; does this mean that there are no admissions allowed between 12,30-1,30 pm or that you cannot be inside the museum between these hours?
I understand we%26#39;ll be just a little bit late to visit the Royal Palace this year; is the Changing of the Guards ceremony something worth seeking?
Day 5 (Wednesday)
Parc du Cinquantenaire and the Musée Royal d%26#39;Histoire Militaire.
This afternoon we%26#39;re taking the Thalys to Paris. I%26#39;ve booked the tickets online and opted to print them at home. How long before departure should we be at Gare du Midi?
Also, I remember reading about an arcade, similar to Galleries Saint-Hubert, but dedicated to books and printings. If only I could remember the name or where I%26#39;d read it; would anyone please jog my memory? :)
Thanks once again for you time and advice!
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1) As far as I know, you can%26#39;t buy B-Excursion tickets from the machines, as these only sell %26quot;normal%26quot; train tickets. Just go up to the ticket desk and ask for a B-Excursion ticket to wherever. In fact I believe the excursions are numbered, so if you have selected it from the B-Rail website you may be able to quote the number. Or print out the description to show them.
2) Yes you are right that taking a train from Charleroi means you can get off at Bruxelles-centrale (final destination of these trains is Antwerp). However, I would dispute that this is necessarily better than Midi for getting to Ch. St Pierre. From the map on www.weekendhotel.nl/fr/accos/5391/acco_map your B%26amp;B seems to be near Place Jourdan. The means of transport that would bring you closest is the no. 80 bus, which starts at Porte de Namur, more directly reached from Midi. You could also take bus 27 from its terminus at Midi (follow signs to %26quot;rue couverte%26quot;) directly to the stop called Parc Léopold, or if you miss that one, Nerviens.
3) The opening hours given for the Lace (dentelle) museum mean that it closes for lunch: not only are no admissions allowed but you can%26#39;t stay in the museum while it is closed. They will cease allowing people in 15-20 minutes before closing and come and tell people to leave if they are lingering inside (same applies at the Army Museum, incidentally).
4) No the Changing of the Guards ceremony is nothing special, and it doesn%26#39;t take place in front of the palace itself but in the little courtyard in front of the building to the left of the Palace.
5) Thalys is like any other train (except Eurostar), you just show up at the station in time to find the platform, something like 3 or 4.
6) You probably mean the Bortier Gallery off rue de la Madeleine, not far from the Grand%26#39; Place and indeed the Galeries St. Hubert (up the hill towards the Gare centrale/Albertina gardens).
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Thanks a whole lot, Qaminari, you%26#39;ve been great once again. :)
The info about the transport options will be especially helpful, I had ignored buses completely and was thinking about going by metro to Schuman and walking from there to the B%26amp;B, but if the bus drops us off close, great.
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I just want to confirm that the B-excursions are numbered and that you can save lots of time by quoting the specific number at the ticket counter.
I hope you%26#39;ll enjoy Belgium. I recommend your one-day-visit to Gent. When you arrive at Gent, you can easily cross the city by feet or by tram-train. The last choice will cost you about €1.20.
Kind regards
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Thank you very much for the information, BonteW. I%26#39;ll be sure to have that code with me, then.
And I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;ll enjoy my -very brief- time in Bruxelles and Gent - especially after all the struggle deciding between Gent and Brugge. :D
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