Brugge Travel Forum

I am trying to decide which city to visit? I've been to Bruges before and loved it... problem is we only have 1.75 days and we will be jet lagged (so we won't have the most productive first day). Also, we probably will take an 8:00 AM bus to Paris from Ghent (train fares are SO much higher and bus doesn't take that much longer).... so it might make sense to sleep in Ghent. Can you do both cities in 1.75 days or should we only do one? If so which one? I'm thinking we can stay in Ghent .... see the city the first day (we'll probably arrive around 11AM)... and then train to Bruges the next day, sightsee and train back to Ghent. Or should we just spend the time in one city? And if so, which one.
Thanks!
Gail

brugge

If you've been in Bruges before (I love it too), I wouldn't hesitate.
Stay in Gent.
There's plenty to do and see and it's less touristic than Bruges... and cheaper.

Well,if you been in Bruge before I would suggest Gent.Gent is also a very lively and interesting city to visit.Enjoy your stay

yes I agree... visit Gent on the first day, stroll along.
It is quite different from Bruges.
Then... the next day, you still can decide for a day in Bruges or a second day in Gent. It is not far away by train. If I am not mistaken there go at least 1 train each half hour.
but check
www.nmbs.be
(chose English)
then fill in the departure and arrival
and right date!
you then can see the details , the hours, the cost of 1 track (so multiply by 2/person)
and the time it takes.
If in the weekend the tickets are at 60 % of the regular price. Trains are cheap in Belgium.

Enjoy :-)

"If in the weekend the tickets are at 60 % of the regular price"

That's great information Irisbe, I was already wondering why it was so unbelievably cheap to go from Turnhout to Brussels and back. Do you have a source for this?

Oh, and to answer the question; I think a few hours in Brugge are still worthwile. Focus on Gent one whole day.

sure
http://www.nmbs.be
you can see the special tarifs
groups tickets are always cheaper, even through out the week
and b-dag tickets give great combinations for only few little money extra.
(you can do a search on d-dag)
then go to the index
there are permanent and temporary b-dag tickets

LOL not
d-day
but
b-dag

Hi,

As I posted in Gent forum:
**Answer: Re: Should I visit Gent or Bruges if I only have 1.75 days?
Thursday March 4 22:13:17 2004 CET

A: I would vote for Ghent for 1.75 days, 4 days. It deserves more than a day, for sure. Plus, you've seen Bruge already.

Ghent, Ghent, Ghent...**

I am not that biased. I've seen Brugges (2 times) in the pre-VT era. I've re-discovered Ghent in July and I like Ghent better.

Beautiful, serene (not sleepy) and it has many things for every budget: posh and student-budget eateries (same goes for nightlife), culture, history, monuments,. It has canals too if that matters :))))

I am not a Brugge-basher but I guess regular TOs and travel agenicies have been selling it a lot. Still, the others cities are worth the visit. Not so long ago, I saw a Belgium page here and saw only pics of Brugges. Come on! (not intended to you, Mrs Samowitz), Belgium is not only Brugges.. :)..err... my 2 cents,
NL

Thanks. That's not an easy website to find your way around, I'll have to study it. I found something about a 50% reduction in the weekends. That's still great. Shame that they don't allow you to get out at a station along the way and continue the journey later.

I visited both, and if I remember well, they're quite close to each other, maybe one hour by train or even less, so yuo could even see both in that time you're saying.

the center of Gent is quite nice. and you could go to the cathedral and see one of the masterpieces of flemish painting, the "Mystic sheep" (I'm not sure this is the realname in englsih) you'll have to pay to see it, which I didn't, and so I didn't see it. Now I regret a little.

Besides, you can stroll along the channels that cross the center, around which I saw big nice bourgeoise houses and all that.

a tip: from the Gent train station to the center you'd better catch a tram, it's faster than arriving on foot.

Brugge is also nice, and compared to Gent it's more quiet ( that refers to the memories i have from being there) there was less traffic in the centre.

from the station of Gent Sint Pieters I would go through the park `-)
and be careful you don't get lost hahaha
Norali wrote a nice page about her last trip in Summer `-)
visit Sint Pieters Abbay
yes Saint Baafs (you can see now some of the paintings of the museum of fine arts I think, because that museum is under restauration...
and do go for a big Kwak at Dulle Griet at the Vrijdagse Markt `-)

or aks Luchonda
D-man of Gent `-)

hahah.. Thanks Dannie :)

If you are a museum freak, the ***Museum card*** may interest you.

The possibility to visit the 15 most important museums and monuments in Ghent, for 12.50 euros.

Validity: 3 days from the first visit, meaning you can buy the card beforehand.
Sold at participating museums and monuments, hotels and tourist info points.

***On MSK***
In fact, Fine Arts museum (MSK) is closed from August 2003 till end 2006. Some years to repair the ecrin that uses to contain those works. The collection is classical. Huge gathering of paintings, sculptures, tapestry, drawings from XIV - early XX centuries.

This museum is closing for years. During its closing time, MSK artworks are spread in Ghent museums and St-Bavo cathedral.. as part of permanent collections or confronted with those latter... or part of some temporary exhibition collections.

For instance, from Jan 2004, some Expessionist and modernist works will be confronted with SMAK (Museum of contemporary art) permanent collection. That seems already worth the visit for me. Also, Old Masters works, that I could see on July 21, will be confronted with Sint-Bavo Cathedral historical art.

The museums that take part in the Art Circuit (for the crossing over) are: SMAK, Design museum Ghent ( James Ensor, George Minne works would "reside" there), MIAT (collections focused on themes of urban and rural life VS ones from the Musuem of Industrial Archeology and Textiles), at last, the Museum of Deinze and Leie region.


***NB:*** Museums and monuments that participate in the Museum card (12.50euros - 3days) include the ones previously cited but also: Alijn House, Museum Dr. Guislain, Museum for the History of Science, Art centre St Peter's abbey, de Wereld van KINA, Caermersklooster, Castle of the Counts, Belfry.

Sounds like everyone thinks we should go to Gent. Anyone have a recommendation for a cute Bed and Breakfast in Gent? We'd like to keep it around 60 Euros/night.