Trip to Belgium - Antwerp or Brussels?

I will be visiting Belgium in September, and was wondering what city is the best to shop. Is it Brussels or Antwerp? I%26#39;ll be spending most of the time in Bruges so may have time for just one city? I am keen to get a handbag, and if someone can recommend a good hair salon, that would be great!

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If you like shopping, Antwerp may be the best choice for you. Go to the Meir for a large range of shops, and to the Schuttershofstraat and Huidevetterstraat for the more fancy (and obviously more expensive) shops.

I%26#39;m afraid I don%26#39;t know much about hair salons, but I%26#39;ve discovered something interesting. If you click on this link, you get a complete overview (in English) of all the shops in Anwerp: antwerpshoppingstreets.be/eng/antwerpshoppin…

You can select %26#39;hairdressers%26#39; under %26#39;category%26#39; and then you can make your selection.

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I would also recommend Antwerp for shopping.

Apart from the streets already mentioned in the post above, you should also check out De Kammenstraat, one of the hipper streets of Antwerp.

For a good hair salon in Antwerp I can recommend

De Client in the Nationalestraat.

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Kathleen and Belgium Girl,

Thank you for your help. We are going to Bruges and that will be our base, but while my friend is a chocoholic, I%26#39;m not, but am keen on lace so it will be a nice trade off but I%26#39;d like to do some shopping.

On the hair salon, do they require an appointment and do they speak English? I heard that English is well spoken in Belgium.

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I guess English will be no problem in Belgium. Most people understand it and know how to speak it (from basic knowledge to very skilled).

Most hairdressers work by appointment, some don%26#39;t. A telephone call before you want to go may be a good idea.

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Thanks! I bought a book on Belgium and have been reading alot about the cities. Now I want to go to Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and Bruges, but on four days, I know that is not possible!

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Graywolf,

you don%26#39;t need an appointment at De Client, only if you want to go after 1700h. I do advise not to go on Saturday afternoon as it might be quite busy.

The haircutters speak English, no problem. There are even some haircutters there that only speak English!

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Thanks! Is there anyone in particular that you recommend?

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They are all quite good. My favs are Esther and Sissy.

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Graywolf3 - what kind of hair salon are you looking for?

De Cliént is good, but it%26#39;s very young and trendy. If you like the more classical (French) style, Olivier Dachkin, Sanké or Haute Coiffure Henri might suit you better. A very hip salon, better than De Cliént IMO is Toni %26amp; Guy.

For a handbag, there%26#39;s a large Delvaux store in Antwerp and you will also find Gucci bags and such. A nice, more medium priced leather store, is Charlotte %26amp; Willem on Schrijnwerkersstraat.

By the way, Bruges is not the only city in Belgium where chocolate is sold. You will find at least as much chocolate in Antwerp or Brussels than in Brugge!

Enjoy your stay.

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There%26#39;s also a Delvaux store in Bruges on Wollestraat, just to the left of the Belfry tower in the corner of the main Mark%26#39;t square.