Hi, We are a family of 4 , and trying to see Bruges, Ghent, Bruessels with a day trip to Ypres ( I am seeing a lot of posts about Quasimodo for a tour our of Bruges).
We will be coming from Nijmegen, Amsterdam and heading towards Paris afterwards. We are traveling by train.
I am thinking of basing ourselves in Ghent, as it seems to be in between it all. Does this seem reasonable? I think the less we have to unpack and pack is better, as we are trying to cover a good amount of ground, of course, while in Europe for a month this summer.
Thanks!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7286 posts
This is fine, daytripping is easy by unreserved train in Flanders. See if you are interested in Antwerp as well.
There are five or more trains an hour during the business day between these cities. There can be lines for ticket purchase. You might use Google Maps to check your hotel distance to the train station. You will have to go to Antwerp or more often, Brussels, for the train to Paris. Consider advance purchase non-changeable discounts for the long jumps.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
449 posts
Hello,
I'm doing the exact same thing as you are -- staying in Ghent and day-tripping to Bruges and Ypres -- this September. I did a lot of research and determined that Ghent was the best place to base. Having visited Ghent before, it'll be a pleasure to return. I know you'll have a fantastic time there.
-- Mike Beebe
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6525 posts
The Quasimodo tour was very informative. We were picked up at our hotel about 9am and dropped off about 5:30pm, so it is a full day trip. It was well worth the money. Believe it only operates from Bruges, so you’d need to get there early. We spent 3 nights in Bruges, 2 in Ghent, and 2 in Antwerp, in March 2018.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
In the fall it worked well for to home-base in Brugge/Bruges and day trip to Ghent (DIY) and via Quasimodo to the Ypres battlefields (Quasimodo picked us up close to our Brugge hotel). Don't let Quasimodo's website turn you off, they're worth the slight extra effort, you can't reserve or pay for the tour on their website, you call them the day you get there and then you pay the day of.
However, I got the impression Quasimodo operates out of Brugge, and I don't know if they'd pick you up in Ghent for an Ypres tour because Ghent is in the opposite direction.
We didn't day trip to Brussels because we were flying out of their and wanted to be there, nearer to the airport, so we just spent the last couple of days in Brussels.