Hello! My husband and I (late 40's) will be on a tulips and windmills viking cruise in April with a stop in Antwerp (the only Belgian stop). We have the entire day there (8am-11pm). We are considering forgoing Antwerp to take the train to Bruges and spend the day there instead. We have never been to either city. We gravitate to the "old town" part of European cities, prefer historical structures to modern architecture. We are comfortable navigating public transportation. So I believe we could manage the trip but am wondering would it be "worth it?" Are Bruges and Antwerp very similar? Anything we would miss out on in skipping Antwerp? Thanks in advance for your advice.
Posted by
Chicago
640 posts
The train station in Antwerp is gorgeous. But if you went to Bruges you'd see it anyways.
In my opinion, Antwerp is a city. Bruges is a town.
Ghent is another option, and is worth considering as it is closer to Antwerp. It might allow
you to do both places in one day, at some level.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6407 posts
Bruges is lovely, that would be my choice. As the previous commenter stated as well, we changed trains in Antwerp. We had enough time to admire the station and take photos.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2080 posts
If your main focus is architecture and like Gothic architecture than Bruges is the place to go. There are a lot of neo-style buildings from later periods, but nevertheless enough original “stuf” to enjoy there.
Antwerp, especially around the main square is more Renaissance and further more a mixed bag with styles from later periods. Nevertheless there are Gothic style buildings too, but not so much like in Bruges. However the Gothic style Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp is the most impressive church anyway in Belgium, certainly worth to see. The Zurenborg district with it’s Cogels-Osylei street is very lovely and known for it’s turn of the century architecture. Easy to walk from Berchem train station, just one stop from Antwerp Central.
As shoeflyer already said Bruges is a town and Antwerp a city and means a different vibe. Ghent is a bit in the middle, but leans to my opinion more towards Bruges. So the cities offer a more intimate experience and that is actually my personal preference too. If this is what you prefer I would go to Bruges.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
1450 posts
I like Bruges, in the spring it's a very attractive town and the local flea market is always worth a hour or two.
But I prefer Antwerp, because I've worked seaports and find them interesting, and there's more to see in Antwerp. Plus I can look for locations that were involved in the battle for the town during WWII.
If you only have one day Bruges is probably better. But take into account the time lost traveling.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7867 posts
It's unfortunate that no one at home will ask you if you saw Antwerp, but many will ask you if you saw Bruges. There is much more to see in Antwerp, but it takes much more effort (and on a river cruise, planning) to see it. But you would get 3+ more hours in Antwerp. You have to be sure you don't miss the ship departure.
I have spent many weeks in Antwerp (with my wife's business trips, so all my time was free-time), so it is unfair for me to answer the question for your circumstances. I happen to prefer the art in Antwerp to that in Bruges, but Bruges is very pretty. The medieval areas in Antwerp are smaller and scattered around. But it takes several days to "see" Antwerp fully. Antwerp is extremely popular with Europeans.
Bruges suffers immensely from tourist crowding, but it's also true that Antwerp has some of Amsterdam's big-city drawbacks.
Day of the week and museum closing days?
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
285 posts
What time of year will this shake down?
You may have less time than you think with train transfers. Not sure when you have to board the boat.
Having been to Antwerp and Bruges (and Ghent and Brussels), I encourage you to research both. Antwerp will give off a larger city vibe but it has a lot to offer. It is a bit more spread out as stated by another poster. Bruges is more compact and it is more “atmospheric “ but it is also a bit more touristy feeling and it will be packed with more people. We were there in the offseason and were tripping over people everywhere we went.
Ghent was my favorite Belgium city. Nice mix between Antwerp and Bruges. A little smaller than Antwerp and a little more real than Bruges. Maybe not quite as “atmospheric “ as Bruges but more than Antwerp. Nice castle and a fine, fine piece of art ( that has been stolen many times for good reason).
You win no matter which you choose. Choose the one that, after some research, your heart tells you to go to. Rick says Bruges but the maestro has his opinions and is not always right, in my opinion.