Hi everyone,
I%26#39;ll be stopping in Belgium for 2 days/2 nights on my way from the Netherlands to Paris... what can/should I see in that limited time? (Brussels, Brugge, Gent, Antwerp?).
I%26#39;m a female traveling alone who%26#39;s interested in history, architecture, local culture %26amp; art (especially Flemish).
Thank you!!
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It depends on where in the Netherlands you are starting from, how you are travelling and possibly also whether you want to return the same way but if travelling by train you could, for example, go by InterCity train to Brugge, changing at Antwerpen-Berchem (total journey time from Amsterdam about 3 1/2 hours from Amsterdam); then the next day travel from Brugge to Brussels (1 hour), getting off at Gare centrale and staying in the Grand%26#39; Place area; then continue to Paris by Thalys (1h22) from Gare du Midi.
I really would not recommend trying to see more than 2 cities in 2 days, even if you have to change trains in Antwerp to get to Brugge and the train from Brugge to Brussels passes through Ghent. Although if you want to see the current Flemish primitives exhibition in Antwerp (http://www.kmska.be/Home_NL.aspx), you could stop there for that and take the time from Brussels, if you limit your sight-seeing there to the Grand%26#39; Place. Although if you are interested in Flemish art it would be a shame to miss the Musée des Beaux Arts in Brussels (fine-arts-museum.be/site/…F_peinture15.html), but you can%26#39;t do everything. It would be a good idea to check what there is to see in each of these cities (see %26quot;Brussels attractions%26quot;, %26quot;Brugge attractions%26quot; etc. in the list on the left of the relevant forum) and select according to your interests.
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Tough call here: if it%26#39;s Flemish culture you%26#39;re into? Skip Brussels...Brugge and Ghent would be my stops. Also, given your short time? Brugge has more bang for the buck in terms of concentrated history (you%26#39;ll feel you are in a time warp..the city is so well preserved and restored) and it%26#39;s manageable. You can literally walk end to end, hit the museums and great bars, etc.
Off the top of my head? You HAVE to climb the Belfort, snag a walking tour if you can, and visit the Groeningemuseum, with its medieval art collection...and there%26#39;s more: great high end windowshopping, cycling (the road to Damme is very pretty and is good for a morning or afternoon if the weather suits you)
Ghent has a real appeal since it%26#39;s as we say in the States, a college town. Lots of great clubs and stops, the very historic St. Baaf%26#39;s Cathedral, Belfort, and Stathuis along with the Patershols area..and I found people there incredibly welcoming...and I met two students from Ghent on a train trip, and correspond with them still...so the folks are really friendly and open.
No matter which you pick, you%26#39;ll be just fine as a female alone. I did go to Antwerp, and that%26#39;s also a hot club town, but for me? I don%26#39;t know, it didn%26#39;t strike me as much..I%26#39;d like to go back with someone who knows it better, and see...
For the record--I traveled alone from Brussels to Amsterdam, Oostend, Brugge, and Ghent and NEVER had a single problem. I work in a city and don%26#39;t have much trepidation by nature, but I think you%26#39;ll end up having a blast all the way around.
Enjoy!
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Gaminari %26amp; Rodefiets - thank you so much for your help! Okay... sounds like Brugge is a must... and after that, it%26#39;s a toss up between Ghent and Brussels.
Gaminari - what would you choose between Ghent %26amp; Brussels?
And is it possible to get a train from Amsterdam to Brugge?
Thank you both SO much! :-)
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Hi Slangevar,
No problem...
on the train situation, yes, you CAN get a train from Amsterdam to Brugge/Bruges (keep in mind everywhere you go you%26#39;ll see signs in both Dutch and French, so don%26#39;t be thrown...on which is Dutch and which is Flemish? A linguist can pick that apart for you, but call it Nederlands..as the Belgians do? and you won%26#39;t risk an international incident :)
.
If I recall, on th way out from Brugge? Made at least two transfers, one in Brussels.
On the trip back from Amsterdam? It required at least 4 transfers..I believe that was a complete fluke. Train service is VERY good, but you will often find that they switch tracks, or they%26#39;re late by 10 minutes, but you never have to wait too long for the next one.
You can actually go to the Belgian train service web site, pop in your itinerary and get a feel for how much it%26#39;ll cost and how long it will take.
If still torn between Ghent and Brussels? I%26#39;d still go for Ghent only because of the time factor.You can see a lot in a little bit of time.
That said, Brussels is gorgeous, and the museums, from Beaux Arts to Band Desineé are incredible. Plus, with the French, you get a different feel. It%26#39;s just that Brussels deserves a bit more time. If you need a place to stay there, I can%26#39;t recommend Zinneke enough. The host, Geert, will make sure you get PLENTY to eat in the morning, the rooms are bright and airy and it%26#39;s a quiet neighborhood, yet the Metro%26#39;s not at all far from you. Geert will also tell you which cafe%26#39;s are good, which to skip, and give you a map to help you get around. I like it so much, I%26#39;m going back for a two week stay.
Enjoy it!
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Rodefiets - thanks again! Ooh, I%26#39;m so torn between Ghent %26amp; Brussels. But the funny thing is, I%26#39;d been looking at the Zinneke for a few days and am almost inclined to go to Brussels JUST for it! Love the Tin Tin theme.
Hmm... I might just go for Brugge and Ghent and then come back to Brussels some time during my month in Paris, since it%26#39;s so close. It definitely sounds like I need more than 24 hours to get a taste.
Thank you both so much!
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I happen to be very fond of Ghent myself but for a first-time visitor with little time I would still recommend Brugge and Brussels rather than anywhere else. However, if you have time to come back to Brussels from Paris, it takes only 1h22 on the train because the only option you have from there is the high-speed Thalys (and if you book a month or so in advance you should be able to get a Smilys return fare for €59). If you are interested in history, architecture (especially art nouveau) and Flemish art I don%26#39;t see how you can miss Brussels at some point.
The only way anyone could manage to change trains twice between Brugge and Amsterdam, whether going via Brussels or via Antwerp, is if their first train stops at Antwerpen-Centraal, so that they would have to change for Antwerpen-Berchem to continue to Amsterdam. However this is in no way necessary and if you put Brugge as departure station and Amsterdam-Centraal as arrival station into the timetable search boxes on any European railway site (e.g. b-rail), it will automatically show connections via Antwerpen-Berchem, so you should make no more than 1 change travelling from Brugge whether this is A-B (the most direct way) or Brussels. How anyone can make such a journey with 4 changes I really can%26#39;t imagine.
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