7 Days in Belgium
DO NOT MISS
Free museums first Wednesday of each month!
ITINERARY
Day 1-2: Arrive in Brussels. Take train to Bruges.
See the beautiful laceworks at the Kantcentrum. In the afternoon there are demonstrations and you can watch Flemish ladies lace away in a frenzy. There is a famous candy shop called Zucchero with candy demo. The process may take a while, especially if they are making customized hard candy with letters. There are plenty of other shops on the street for you to browse and check back on the progress. Have a beer at De Halve Maan Brewery. There are a plethora of churches in Bruges, all with free entrance and each unique in its own way. It’s worth taking the time to visit them.
Day 3: Take a day trip to Ghent.
Ghent is very walkable and can be seen in one day. It is a more urbanized version of Bruges. The castle Gravensteen is worth a visit.
Day 4: Take a day trip to Oostende.
A neat little seaside town to get a taste of the beach in Belgium. There is a magnificent cathedral here as well across from the train station. For cheap eats, skip the restaurants and find the seafood trucks parked near the harbor.
Day 5: Take a day trip to Antwarp.
There is an underground pedestrian tunnel to the other side of the river Schelde. There’s plenty of churches and museum here to fill your day, including Rubenshuis, Cathedral of Our Lady and Saint Paul’s Church.
Day 6: Take the train to Brussels
The Grande Place is the place to be. From there you can walk to Mannekin Pis, the famous statue of a boy pissing. Nearby is a street of restaurants where you can get your moules frites (mussels and fries). Head to Place Royale for museums, which are free every first Wednesday of the month!
Day 7: See more of Brussels
LODGING
In Bruges we stayed at St Christopher’s Inn-Bauhaus. It is located within walking distance to all the attractions in Bruges. It’s a 3 km walk from the train station. You can also take bus 6 or 16 from the station.
TRANSPORTATION
The transportation is fairly simple and self-explanatory. When riding commuter trains with single tickets remember to validate at the yellow machines as you enter the station or you will be fined if you are caught not having your tickets validated. If you are traveling in a group. There is a group ticket option that is cheaper. All of you would only carry one ticket. On weekends there are special rates for roundtrip tickets.
Belgium train website http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/
Website for high-speed trains: http://www.thalys.com/be/en/
FOOD
Moules, moules, moules! You must have mussels in Belgium. The prices are pretty much the same everywhere but mussel size might vary. Food seems to be cheaper in Brussels than Bruges.
TRAVELING WITH LESS TIME…
- Focus on Brussels and Bruges
- You could see Bruges in one day
TRAVELING WITH MORE TIME…
- See Liege
- Make your way to Luxembourg or Amsterdam