We are planning our 6-7 nights in Belgium in July before heading to Amsterdam. Visiting breweries and beer tasting is on my husband’s bucket list.
So my questions are:
Spend entire time in Bruges or Ghent, or split the time between the two cities and do day trip(s) to the other.
Anyone have any good recommendations for apartments in either?
Other good day trips?
Thanks for your help
Consider making Ghent your base and you can easily take the train to Bruges or Antwerp.
There may be other towns/cities of interest. And if you decide to spend more than a day in each town, your location can easily handle day trips. Can recommend the Hotel Carlton in Ghent; a family-run establishment offering quality service, including information on the local sights, including Bruges. They are located within easy walking distance from the train station and their breakfast is outstanding.
I'm not a big one for changing hotels, but I'd split between Bruges and Ghent. I stayed in both on a Rick Steves tour last April and was surprised at how different they felt from each other. I preferred Bruges but I know many others prefer Ghent. Bruges has a very different feel in the evening or early AM when there are no day-trippers.
There is a company that does a WWI battlefield tour from Bruges if you are interested.
Many on the tour used the hotel's bikes and rode out to Damme, I think. I had thought about taking a day trip to Ostend and then along the Atlantik Wall (WWII fortification) but decided to enjoy my full day in Bruges seeing the museums and enjoying the sights there.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/day-trips-from-brussels
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/where-in-wallonia
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/to-the-west/biking-in-the-belgium-countryside
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/belgium-itinerary-help-please
Another vote for splitting your time. They are both worth a couple days, and I feel can be enjoyed more in the evening after the day trippers have departed. I’d do Bruges first, then Ghent, and you can always take a day trip to Antwerp if you wanted.
Second the “stay in Ghent” option as Antwerp is well worth a visit. It has a spectacular gilded town square and superb cathedral.
These 2 locations are only 30 minutes from each other. Last year we slept in Brugge/Bruges, and day tripped to Ghent which is 30 minutes down the train tracks. Worked for us.
