I%26#39;ve read about Ghent and it seems like a good day trip, but we only have 2.5 days in Brugge and then we are off to Brussels for 1.5 days, I do not want to do too much and have our trip become a blur. Do you think Ghent is worth a side trip? Also is Waterloo worth a side trip from Brussels, historically speaking? With many thanks
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1) Ghent is only 30 minutes by train from Brugge but while I personally prefer it to Brugge (it%26#39;s much bigger and livelier) you will probably want to spend most of your time in Brugge.
2) It isn%26#39;t worth it if you only have 1.5 days in Brussels because you need an entire day, especially if doing it by bus (W from opposite the Ibis Hotel next to the Gare du Midi). To get the historical perspective you must stop first in Waterloo itself and spend at least one hour, if not more, at the Wellington Museum where there are plans of the battlefield showing what was happening hour by hour - without this you will not understand a thing at the actual site, for which you would have to take the same bus W (stops opposite the Museum, outside the Waterloo Tourist Office) to Mont St. Jean for the Butte de Lion, panorama etc. In fact it may not be worth it historically at all unless you take a special guide which I presume can be arranged with the Waterloo Tourist Office, the organised tours from Brussels (which only go on Sunday afternoon) give only a brief description and do not point out who was where at the actual battlefield.
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I%26#39;m curious, why you prefer Ghent, can you elaborate more? Should I be staying in Ghent instead? We once went to old Quebec City, we thought we would stay for 3.5 days but after 1.5 days we left, seen it all. Do you we will find ourselves in similar circumstances. If so, could you please tell me how would we get to Ghent from Brugge. Thanks so much.
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Hi, I live in ghent and its true it is a very nice city and certainly worth a day trip.. the historic center is beautiful but not so %26quot;museum%26quot;like as Bruges can be. See the pictures of Ghent posted on tripadvisor to have an idea.
That said, I love Bruges, it really is very picturesque.. everything there is perfectly preserved and renovated.. which makes it less of a %26quot;real%26quot; city. It%26#39;s small, you can certainly visit it in a day (unless you want to enter every church and every museum). So I think visiting both is a great idea..
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Thanks so much, we will certainly make a day trip over to Ghent could you please recommend the best way for seven to travel there? We are a family group.
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Please look at the first line of my answer: %26quot;Ghent is only 30 minutes from Brugge by train%26quot;. That answers your question regarding the best way of getting there, in fact if you don%26#39;t have a car, which I would assume since you don%26#39;t mention it, it is the only way of getting there other than taxi/hired minibus. You don%26#39;t give ages but children under 6 (in 2nd class, up to 12) travel free IF NOT OCCUPYING A SEAT, otherwise they pay 50%. While 7 is not enough to benefit from group travel rates - for which you need a minimum of 15 - tell the ticket office you are a group of 7 and they will recommend the best way to buy 14 journeys, that is, 7 return-trip tickets: I would guess they will recommend a 10-trip ticket plus 2 return tickets but they are the experts. As the b-rail fares section (sefora) is out of action this morning I can%26#39;t tell you the normal price but I would expect it to be around €12 on a weekday.
Ghent - Gent in Dutch - is half-way between Brugge and Brussels, on the railway line between Brussels and the coast. You will arrive at Gent-Sint-Pieters station and need to take a tram, e.g. no. 1, to Korenmarkt for the city centre.
As regards why I personally prefer Ghent to Brugge, as I said, it is much bigger and livelier - but of course as a resident of Belgium, my interests are different from those of a tourist visiting the country for 4 days. Brugge is too touristy for my taste, although of course that is precisely because it is so charming, and I would still recommend it over Ghent to someone who had never been to either.
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Thank you, I was just wondering if that was the best way to travel. I do read your posts Gaminari, as they are quite helpful. What do you think about stopping off in Gent on the way to Brussels. Is there a place to leave our luggage in the train station? Once again, thanks for all of your input.
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