We are making a trip to Europe in Nov/Dec. we will be traveling from Amaterdam to Paris. It's was recommended to us to take time to visit Antwerp/Ghent/Burges. Would you recommend it? How long would you give yourself? Would you base in one city and make day trips? Which city? (Ps. We are 53 yo parents traveling with our 16 & 17 yo sons)
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
You'll probably like Gent as your base: not too big and enough choice for sleeping and eating. Close to Antwerpen (1 hr) and Brugge (45 mins) on very frequent trains (schedules and prices on www.belgianrail.be/jp/sncb-nmbs-routeplanner/query.exe/en). Each city has enough to see and to do for one day.
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
1937 posts
I agree that Ghent makes a good base, but a lot depends on how much time you decide on. When I was in Belgium this past May, I spent three nights in Ghent and two nights in Antwerp. I flew into Brussels and spent about 5 hours there before heading to Ghent, and I didn't feel like 5 hours was enough, so I went back for a half-day to visit some of the museums. I also took a day trip from Ghent to Bruges. I didn't have time to see anything outside those four cities, but if you're only interested in those four cities, 4-5 nights are sufficient.
I was glad I stayed in Antwerp and didn't just visit on a day trip, so it's something to consider if time allows.
Also, if you have time, a stop in Delft is definitely worthwhile. In addition to being a lovely place to visit, it's easily accessible to both The Hague and Rotterdam, which I think are also worth seeing.
Of course the weather in November/December will be very different from May, so that might be a factor to consider.