My husband and I will have 1 day and night to spend in Belgium in October between our stays in Paris and Amsterdam. We were going to stay in Brussels but on other posts I%26#39;ve read there isn%26#39;t much to see and it is more of a business center. Which is recommended most; Antwerp, Brussels or Bruges? Does the train go to Bruges? And do Antwerp and Bruges have public transportation?
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Public transport is superb across Belgium, and in all the towns/ cities. Having said that, Bruges is very compact and you don%26#39;t really need transport. There are horse and carriages and canal boats if your feet get tired.
2 trains an hour go to Bruges, and probably more to Antwerp. Both are about an hour from Brussels, and you can get to Amsterdam from them, too.
What other posts say there isn;t much to see in Brussels? Its the capital, and of course the business centre, as well as having Royal Palaces, Parks and National Museums. So I can%26#39;t agree there is nothing to see.
The main %26#39;sight%26#39; is the huge medieval Grand Place.
As said, Bruges is a small, well-preserved mediavel town with canals; Antwerp is a bustling city with an ancient centre, lots of works by Rubens (and his house is well worth a visit!) and many top shops. It%26#39;s railway station was voted one of the best in the world, along with Grand Central in New York.
I%26#39;d suggest you see the Grand Place and surrounds in Brussels; take the train to Bruge and wanderround before spending the night there; then train to Antwerp and see some of that before heading for Amsterdam. Or spend more time in Belgium.
Or tell us what you want to see and do, so that somewhere can be recommended.
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Thanks for your help. We may try to see all of them while we are there. I forget how close everything is in Europe!
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I think we%26#39;ve decided to go to Brussels from Paris by train and spend part of the day there then to Bruges to spend the rest of the day and night there. Adding the train ticket to Bruges makes the cost significantly higher. Is there another way to get to Bruges from Brussels that may be cheaper? Would it be cheaper to buy our train tickets once we are in Europe? (I%26#39;m using the raileurope.com site)
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There is no way to get to Brugge from Brussels by public transport other than by train. However, Raileurope being a resale agency, it is certainly likely to be cheaper to buy from the train operator, i.e. in the case of the train from Brussels to Brugge, Belgian Railways.
The cost is €12.90 single, €25.80 return (in second class), unless you would be making a return journey on a Saturday or Sunday, in which case you can use the weekend rate of €13.80 return (single costs the same as on a weekday).
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P.S. That%26#39;s assuming you want an add-on journey from Brussels to Brugge and back, on top of your Paris-Brussels and, presumably, Brussels-Amsterdam tickets (where the first has to be Thalys but the second could be Thalys or IC, so I don%26#39;t know whether you have organised this as a single journey - with a 24 hr break in Belgium - or not).
An alternative would be to purchase a Thalys ABS ticket, which will include Brugge in the cost. I presume you have looked on www.thalys.com, or that Raileurope mentions ABS. The only thing is that as you will be buying a single ticket from Paris to Brugge, you will still have to buy a ticket from Brugge to Brussels or wherever you are continuing your journey from (Antwerp?).
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Raileurope adds sometimes significantly to the cost of the ticket. Check the website seat61.com for advice on buying rail tickets without using raileurope. I bought mine from Thalys.com with the option of pickup in France and then picked up my ticket in Paris from an SNCF office, no problem. You do need to show the exact credit card you purchased the ticket with. As previously suggested, you do not need to go Thalys from Brussels to Amsterdam, but the advance purchase price may in fact be competitive with the IC price. You certainly do not need to purchase Brussels to Bruges ticket from Raileurope, worst case scenario you buy it when in Belgium. I didn%26#39;t stop in Brussels, but I loved, loved Bruges.
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I%26#39;ve been to both destinations and liked the equally..Bruges is easier to get around as its heaps smaller.
For additional info on Bruges and what to do for a day click on the thread below.
tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i19667-Getting_…
Happy Travels,
EM.
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With just one night I wouldn%26#39;t visit both Brugge and Brussel but stay Antwerpen. Our favorite Belgian City (with Gandt).
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We spent a week traveling through Belgium a few years ago. If I had 1 night and 1 day it would be Brugges. Its absolutely lovely and evenings when the daytrippers go... magical. Easy to walk around, gorgeous, great food, beer, friendly folk.
Check www.flickr.com type city name in search feature. You%26#39;ll be amazed at how beautiful Brugges is. Also try Brugge night.
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