We'll be going to Bruges from Brussels and trying to decide on stopping in Ghent on the way there or on the way back to Amsterdam? Spending 1 night in Bruges for sure, maybe 2 - or would it be better to stay in Ghent, Antwerp, Rotterdam, the Hague & staying in one of those on the drive to Amsterdam for a late afternoon flight? 4 of us all together, we'll have done a lot in Germany prior to this weekend, few days. Biking, castle touring, etc, Not interested in museums, just sightseeing and getting a feel for the area. Recommendations? We have a car, our son recently moved to Duisburg, Germany- but he's not traveled there extensively yet. Thank you! ~
Posted by
Central NJ
3 posts
Ghent is definitely worth a stop either coming or going. Summer is the time when there are a lot of festivals and events, so look for a calendar online and see if any of the days cross your itinerary. There is a great brewery in Ghent called Grut. Their beer is quite unique and likely to be different from anything you've ever tasted. Ghent is a beautiful town just as charming as Bruges, and only lacking in the number of chocolate shops.
Posted by
94 posts
We loved Brugges. We spent three nights there and I could have stayed at least one more. We also did a day trip to Ghent and really enjoyed it. I would probably go to Ghent on the way to Brugges, but get an early start. Ghent deserves it! While in Ghent, we did the Rick Steves walking tour which was fun. It took us into a couple of the cathedrals, went up the Bell Tower, and saw the Ghent Alter Piece, which is way more interesting when you understand it's historical significance and what a game changer it was for art (I'm not an art person, so this was new info to me). The only thing we wanted to do but didn't have time for was to actually go inside the Fort/Castle.
Posted by
Chicago
8178 posts
i really preferred Ghent and Antwerp.
In Brugges there where too many bus tour groups walking down the side walks gawking at the buildings looking like they were pretending to agree with the hype
Posted by
Nederland, CO
1530 posts
We did Ghent on an arrival day before going to Brugge for 2 days. Ghent was nice and I'm glad we went but I prefer brugge for overnight. Brugge is probably more touristy, but for good reason!
Posted by
21 posts
Gent was a nice city. We stayed overnight in Brugge, took the train to Gent for the day and took the train back to Amsterdam that evening. I'm sure Gent is a beautiful old city but it was kind of hard to tell as a music festival just ended the day before we arrived and crews were busy tearing down venues and cleaning up garbage. We went to the Castle of the Counts and it was a nice visit. We went to the top of the towers and got nice pictures of the city.
Brugge was also a beautiful city. We stayed overnight at a B&B. We did a free walking tour (Legends of Brugge Free Walking Tour) during the day. If we weren't so tired we would have done their night tour too! We went back to the Burg and the Markt at night and we got so nice pics without all the crowds. Be sure to check out The Old Chocolate House - might be a little pricey for hot chocolate but totally worth the experience!