Brussels Travel Forum

we r planning to visit Brussels,Antwerp and Brugge in feb.we'll be coming from Amsterdam and proceeding to Paris.could you please tell me the order in which i should plan my visit and how many days we should spend in each city?I would also like to know if it would be better to base ourselves in Brussels and take the day trip to the other 2 places.thanks

Hi, I haven't been to Antwerp so couldn't give advice on that city. Brussels' main attractions include Grand Place ( the main city square ) , the Manekin Pis which is only about a 2 min walk from Grand Place , The Atomium ( www.atomium.be )& Mini Europe ( www.minieurope.com ) which is next door to the Atomium . Those were the places i saw in Brussels & really enjoyed my 2 night stay which i felt was enough to see the city. Bruges is small but very pretty. Things to do include a horse & carriage ride , boat trip on the canal & generally wandering around the main square which has some beautiful buildings. One night would be enough to see Bruges as it is so small. ( www.visit-bruges.com ). Have a lovely time.

http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/holiday_type/breaks/article2974737.ece

You might find the above link to a recent article about spending a few days in Antwerp useful.

It is a long time since I was there but I would certainly go again - there is a lot to see and do there.

It would be indeed best to base yourself in one city, and visit the others from there. This doesn't have to be Brussel though. Antwerpen and Brugge are very nice in their own way.
Trains in Belgium are cheap, fast and frequent. There are at least two trains per hour between Brussel and Antwerpen, and between Brussel and Brugge. There is also an hourly train Antwerpen - Brugge. And while you're in the area I'd suggest visiting Gent also.

Amsterdam-Antwerpen by train. Then on to Brugge; stay 24 hours in Brugge so have both day and night time. Might consider to stay an extra 1/2 day to rent a bicycle to cruise around (there are some excellent bike tours, actually. Try Quasi Mundo bike tours, the guide is a funny man...). Brugge IS fairy tale stuff... so bring your camera!!!
Back to Antwerpen then, 1-2 days and then take train to Brussel. Both Antwerpen and Brussel are connected to high speed trains to Paris and Brussel is the most south and closest to Paris.
Easy!

enjoy,

otjesjr

OOps ! I meant also to point out the excellent TravelGuides by VT members on this site.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Belgium/Provincie_Antwerpen/Antwerp-358974/TravelGuide-Antwerp.html

You should also see the Brugge and Bussels Guides here.

A logical order would be 1) Antwerp (since it is on the way to both Brugge and Brussels coming from Amsterdam by train) 2) Brugge 3) Brussels 4) Paris. It would not be logical in my opinion to go back to Antwerp from Brugge as someone recommends above: for one thing you have to travel via Antwerp anyway, so why go twice, and for another, it would be much more logical to go from Brugge directly to Brussels, which takes 1 hour on the fastest trains.
If you find it preferable not to be packing and unpacking all the time, you can of course easily base yourself in Brussels, when it will cost €12.20 return (€6.80 on Saturday or Sunday) to go to Antwerp and €24 (€12.80 at weekends) for Brugge: currently there is also a shopping ticket for €7 but that might not be available next month, anyway if you tell the ticket office when you want to go and return, they will sell you the cheapest ticket available for your circumstances.
If staying in Brussels I would advise you to stay near Gare centrale, which will be the most pleasant location and also convenient both for travelling to Antwerp and Brugge (you can also go from Midi and Nord but the first is a horrible area to stay in and the second is only feasible if you don't mind walking 10 minutes or so to Rogier). Gare centrale is only 5 minutes from the Grand' Place and there are dozens of hotels in the area, e.g. an Ibis "Off Grand Place) and a Novotel ("Grand Place"), although the most convenient of all would be the Méridien right opposite the station.
You can buy your ticket to Paris from any of these stations (or online from www.thalys.com or http://www.b-rail.be/int/E/) but the Thalys only leaves from Gare du Midi. However, your ticket is valid from any Brussels station so you can catch a connecting train from Gare centrale to Gare du Midi, there must be one every 10 minutes or so. Thalys takes 1h22 to Paris, whereast the one from Amsterdam still takes about 3 hours (which is one reason why I would recommend coming on the Intercity instead, which is cheaper and more flexible since it stops at Midi, Central and Nord.
It is impossible in my opinion to advise someone how long to stay somewhere without knowing what they want to do there. Some people think half a day in Brussels is enough just to see the Grand' Place and perhaps the Galeries St. Hubert, others could spend days exploring the museums. It all depends on your interests. However, you can certainly see what you probably want to see in Brugge and Antwerp in a day.

thanks guys,gaminari...that was pretty comprehensive!I think we'll be able to spend only 3 nights in Belgium.so we r planning to either cut out Antwerp completely or just to take a day trip from Brussels if time permits.

Also ghosthunter....mini europe is closed in feb:( but thanks for the other info

happy travelling!

Excellent advice from gaminari - I agree. I love brussels and there's plenty to keep a people watcher cum antique hunter cum museum lover occupied for as long as they want. Bruges is very pretty indeed, but I feel that it is a bit of a museum town - so i'd recommend a day trip - don't miss the Beguinage (although I'd say that the Beguinage in Leuven is probably more interesting and atmospheric)..; also don't miss the Michelangelo... there is one there.

Antwerp is also a city I love and could easily occupy a few days also... some stunning architecture, a very large port and some of the best art museums I know... great shopping too.

Your decision will really rest upon the practicalities - how often you want to pack up and move on. Personally I'd base myself in brussels, take a day to see how it shapes up as a destination for you, and then see how you feel about taking in another town.

Enjoy