itinerary ideas?

we will be staying for a day and 1 night in Bruges this October.Can anyone suggest a good itinerary to ensure we see all the beautiful sights? Good place for lunch and dinner?Doesn%26#39;t have to be fancy or touristy!Also we promise not to wear ugly American golf pants-to funny and yet so sad!What are they thinking!

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Most of the guidebooks for sale in UK would include walking tours of Brugge, or you could buy a guide from the Tourist information in the Burg, which includes details of all the main sights and a selection of DIY walking tours.

The tourist area of the city is compact and easy to navigate. You can get a great taste of the city in 1 day, there are guided walking tours which leave from near the tourist informantion office, or you can get a guide book from tourist information with some suggested routes. If you%26#39;re staying overnight then maybe consider hiring bicycles and riding around the outskirts, along the canal.

Whilst there also consider a horse and carriage ride, where the driver will give an excellent commentry. The boat tours which leave from 5/6 locations give a good view of the city too.

The Half Maan brewery is worth a visit, either for the tour, or just Beer and Lunch and there are many good places to eat in the city, one of my personal favourites is Den Huzzaar, just off the Markt.

The Blefry is worth th climb, as long as you%26#39;re not Elephants ! ( Film in Bruges ).

What dates will you be there ?

Enjoy.

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Agree with StockportBreaker, There are many nice things to see in Bruges and both the canal boat tour and horse and carriage are great. Also the climb up the Belfry is worth it for great views of the city.

The best way to get around though in my opinion is by foot.

Good places for lunch would either be Cranenbourg on the Markt square or Cambrinus on Philipstockstraat.

There%26#39;s no end of restaurants to have a great meal in the evening. The better quality ones are away from the Markt square though I think. My personal favourite is Au Petit Grand which is on Philipstockstraat opposite Cambrinus which is a grill restaurant. For something more local try Gruuthuse Hof on Mariastraat.

Enjoy your stay in Bruges.

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Removed on: 12:26 am, October 02, 2009

suggestions for 2.5 hours in brussels

Hello - I am taking my father on holiday and we have 2.5 hours stop over in Brussels - where can I take him to show him something nice - but it has to be close to the train station or an easy taxi ride away because he can%26#39;t walk far.

thanks very much

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Hmmm... not too much time so I would suggest getting off at Brussels Central station and then taking the short walk to the Grand Place and the streets surrounding.

I am guessing you are on the Eurostar which covers any station so no need to take another ticket. Otherwise its only one stop from Midi station by train or take the underground.

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There are a large number of restaurants within a short walk of the Grand Place. Perhaps, some of those here can recommend a few for you.

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thanks for your suggestion

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Yes we visited recently and the train from %26quot;Midi%26quot; to %26quot;Central%26quot; run very frequently and only take a few minutes; come out of the main Central station exit and look across the road, the cresent shaped building is the Meridien Hotel and to the left of this is an arch way which leads DOWNHILL just 100 metrs to a small tree lined square with cafes etc leading:

on the right to the famous covered shopping arcade and via this to the tiny lanes whith dozens of restraunts with good value Specil menus (3 of 4 courses from 10 euros each)

on the left to the Grand Place, Cafes, Chocalte shops etc - all this is just 10 - 15 mins from the station but dont forget the short steep hill back up to the station, I was walking with a cruch at the time and found it a bit of a pull, but it is the only hill

Enjoy - we were there for 3 days, but wish it was only 3 hours, you will see it all in the time you have -

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Removed on: 3:19 am, October 10, 2009

Sightseeing Buses-Hop on Hop Off from Midi Station

Hi There,

Husband and I will be visiting Brussels (7 hours to be exact) from Paris and arriving at Midi Station around noon.We would like to see the highlights of the City and try some famous Belgian Waffles and Chocolates.Reading through the posts, the hop on hop off tour will be a good idea to get an overview of the City.I have also taken notes on some recommended places by the Brussels destination experts. Will we be able to catch one of these buses at the Midi Station? If not, how much will a cab cost to the Grand Place or Hop on Hop off stations? We will only have 7 hours to spend in Brussels so wanting to see the fastest and efficient way to get around. Thanks in advance and looking forward to visiting Brussels.

Andrea

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All the HoHo tours start from Central Station and you can travel to that station on your Thalys ticket, since the destination %26quot;Brussels%26quot; covers you to other stations within the city. There must be a train going in the direction of Gare du Nord (which stop first at Central) every 10 minutes, including all the trains to the airport (every 20 minutes or so), so just hop on the next one you can identify at Midi, and get off at the next stop (underground).

Otherwise it shouldn%26#39;t cost more than €5-6 in a taxi, although since I%26#39;ve never done it myself by taxi this is a guess.

HoHo buses are not the fastest and most efficient way of getting around Brussels, but they are probably the best way of doing so in such a way as to pass the most %26quot;sights%26quot;, if you want to see anything other than the Grand%26#39; Place/Galeries St. Hubert area. From other people%26#39;s experience, the red or blue ones (it%26#39;s actually the same company) are better than the green or yellow.

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Thanks Gaminari. This is helpful.We will probably take the taxi to the city centre and take it from there. We%26#39;re not that savvy with trains/underground and afraid will end up in a different destination (done that before in Germany):). Will keep an eye on those Red/Blue HoHo buses as suggested.Have a great day.

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Sorry but I don%26#39;t think the HoHo buses should be recommended - yes they all go from the Central Station (which is a short walk from the Grand Place) when we went a few weeks ago we negotiated a price with the ticket seller reducing the 18 Euros each to 12 each - we were then told the bus was leaving immediately and rushed to find a seat, it waited at least another 15 minutes as others were told the same;

the commentry is very poor - you are given your own headset to plug in - each of the buses has a slightly different arrangement so each time you get on you must search to find where to plug in, the there is a choice of several languages each bus seems to have a different setting for each language so you must search through all of the numbers trying to find the best -

But worst of all, the commentary does not match the route and the route plan given out is not followed by the buses, there is no clear bus stop for the HoHo so one might drop you on one side of the square and the next stop somewhere different to pick you up (they all run at about 15 - 30 min intervals so if you do get off one the next will be along soon)- howevre as the comentary and the route do not match you have no idea where you are - we wanted to get off at the Botanic Gardens and ended up at the War Museum

- unless you want to see the Atomium or the European congress buildings I would recommend just walking around the historic areas close to the Grand Place, I wouldn%26#39;t even bother with Manekin Pis - it%26#39;s tiny and not worth the walk!

Otherwise cafes, bars, people and chocolate are all very nice - just avoid the HoHo buses

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Removed on: 6:21 pm, October 08, 2009

How do I get from Brussels Charleoi airport to Ghent?

Hi!

I hope to come over to Ghent for the I love techno festival on 15th Nov 2008. I am travelling from Ireland. I was just wondering does anyone know how I get from the airport to Ghent and roughly how long does it take? Do I just get a train from the airport to Ghent?

Any advice/help would be much appreciated!

Thanks.

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Charleroi Airport doesn%26#39;t have a station so you have to either take take the shuttle bus (1 hour) to Brussels, which delivers you to Gare du Midi, and a train from there (30 minutes) or a local bus to Charleroi%26#39;s railway station (10 minutes and then train to Brussels Gare du Midi and again, change there for Ghent - roughly 1h30 in total.

For timetables see http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en

Stations to enter are FROM Charleroi-Sud or Bruxelles-Midi and TO Gent St. Pieters.

Shuttle timetable is on Charleroi Airport%26#39;s website.

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Removed on: 6:20 am, October 06, 2009

wheres the party at ???

hi there

i will soon be in brussels for a few days

i wondered where is the main area for bars/restaurants/clubs etc etc

some has told me already grand place, is it true ?

thanks

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Plenty of cafés and restaurants around the GP, yes, but if you want to eat, avoid the nearby %26quot;Ilôt Sacré%26quot; (rue des Bouchers, petite rue des Bouchers, rue Grétry) with a couple of honourable exceptions (e.g. Chez Léon): not that you would be poisoned but it%26#39;s a tourist trap with a reputation for %26quot;confusing%26quot; orders and miscalculating the bill (somehow always in their own favour of course). But if you are looking for bars you might like the Delirium which is off rue des Bouchers at the end near rue Grétry, it has a menu of over 2000 beers.

There is a cluster of bars and cafés in St. Géry and clubs in St. Jacques area, both not far from the GP. For the first, start with your back to the Bourse (stock exchange) and take the street to the right of O%26#39;Reilly%26#39;s, it arrives in Place St. Géry. For night clubs return to the Bourse, walk to the back, turn right, walk two blocks and you are in the St. Jacques (gay) area. Although, all depends on the day of the week also.

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Next to the Marriot hotel (opposite the stock exchange) there is a really good pub called o%26#39;reillys. the atmosphere there is amazing on a friday night, everyone sings and dances the night away, think its closes at 3/4am.

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Removed on: 2:19 am, October 07, 2009

Brussels in December

We are considering travel to Brussels in December to celebrate 60th birthday. Will the weather be unbearably cold for a visit then? Any suggestions for side trips during a week%26#39;s stay there? Is there anything more active to do than walking around streets or going to museums?

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ive been to brussels twice during christmas and going back again this year! first of all i would definately recommend going during this time:

http://www.plaisirsdhiver.be/en/index.aspx

i would say it is definately not unbearable. it is probably 5-10 degrees during this time which will just mean thick clothes.

if you go during xmas you will definately be kept very busy. You can also visit bruges, antwerp, ghent for their xmas markets. they have lots of activities.

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Removed on: 7:16 am, October 07, 2009

Comic shops in Brussels

I amn going to visit Brussels sometime in mid November.

I am a comic fan and I know Brussels is also the comic strip capital of Europe. It has 2 or 3 museums dedicated to comic strips, but I would like also to visit some stores. Especially shops/galeries where I can find original art or signed lithos, ex libris etc.

Thanks in advance!

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BRÜSEL, Blvd Anspach 100, near the Bourse (www.brusel.com)

MULTI-BD, Blvd Anspach 122, www.multibd.com

NINE CITY, Blvd Reyers 32, www.ninecity.be

SANS TITRE, Ave. de Stalingrad 8 (Place Rouppe, near Anneessens metro station)

LA BANDE DES SIX NEZ, Chaussée de Wavre 179, 1050 Ixelles (nearest metro: Trône/Porte de Namur or bus 95 to Parnasse) www.labandedessixnez.com - see also www.cedimho.be/eurobd/labandedessixnez/

This last-named is a bit out of the way but I know it has originals and it%26#39;s in a bit of a comic book area, you also have:

LITTLE NEMO, Rue du Trone 132/corner of Ch. de Wavre

FIL A TERRE, Chaussee de Wavre 198

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yeh, theres one to the left hand side road of the stock exchange building. if you go down that road theres a really big cominc book store.

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Removed on: 12:17 pm, October 05, 2009