Travel in Belgium

I%26#39;m planning a trip to Belgium and my first stop is Brussels. Then I%26#39;d like to see Bruges and either Antwerp or Ghent. But I%26#39;m only in Belgium for 4 days. Any recommoendations for somebody on a tight budget?

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Hello,

If you would be interested in staying in Ghent, this is a link to affordable accomodation: http://www.hostelsweb.com/cities/gent.html

I will copy my comments from a previous topic, hoping it will help you. It is a difficult choice indeed, and I will try not to be too chauvinistic about my hometown! :-)

- Bruges is cute and small and extremely picturesque, but may feel a bit like an open air museum. In the summer months it is crowded with tourists, so try to avoid spending your weekend there. Good museums. http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm

- Ghent is a lively city that combines a mediaeval atmosphere and romantic streets, canals and squares with old and new culture. There are many interesting museums and monuments, and good bars and restaurants. Check out this website: www.visitgent.be

- Antwerp has a cosmopolitan atmosphere. It has beautiful renaissance monuments, many interesting museums and trendy hotspots for dining and clubbing. http://www.antwerpen.be/eCache/BEN/52.html

Enyoy your holidays!

Regards,

Kathleen

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4 days for 4 places @ a day each. Ghent is in the midst of them to do day-tripping. Train from Ghent to any other city you%26#39;ve mentioned are faster than taking Underground across London.

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It depends firstly on which city you are staying in. I assume you are arriving on Eurostar, which means at Gare du Midi: if staying in Brussels take any train going to Gare du Nord (e.g. airport trains) one stop to Gare centrale and stay around there, either at a cheapish hotel like the Ibis, Novotel, Madeleine, or at the Bruegel youth hostel near Place de la Chapelle, http://www.hihostels.com/

dba/hostels-Brussels---Bruegel-008007.en.htm

You can visit each of the other cities from Brussels by train in less than 1 hour from Gare centrale, and if any of the trips are on a Saturday or Sunday they will cost half the normal return price.

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Hi,

I%26#39;ve stayed in Bruges many times, i%26#39;ve also stayed in Brussels and visited both Brussels and Ghent from the base of Bruges. Never been to Antwerp so can%26#39;t comment.

Brussels, Bruges and Ghent are all really nice places. My personal preference for a short break is Bruges as there%26#39;s everything there that I need (restaurants, bars, shops etc) and generally I find it a little more tranquil than I found Brussels or Ghent and there%26#39;s a train station that%26#39;ll get you to any of your chosen places within an hour.

All are fine places to spend some time though. Best website I have found for hotels etc is http://www.booking.com there%26#39;s loads of hotels in all the places your thinking of visiting so maybe you might think about staying a night in each place?

Can%26#39;t speak about budget hotels in Brussels but there%26#39;s a Ibis and a Novotel just off the Grand Place (close to Gare Central) which are reasonably priced and I%26#39;d have a look at those if I was on a budget. There%26#39;s also an Ibis in centre of Bruges which i%26#39;ve actually stayed at.. It was fine, typical Ibis standard.. but as your not spending alot of time in it anyway it%26#39;s clean and comfortable and a good standard. My hotel of choice for Bruges though is the Aragon.

Hope this helps.

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