We are planning a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. We are a family of five (two adults, three teen children) and for the most part we are planning on using public transit (trains, buses, etc.). We will be taking a train from Leiden to Bruges, and my question relates to our Bruges/Ypres segment of the trip. We are spending a couple of nights in both Bruges and Ypres, for a total of four nights, and we'd really like to explore this area of Belgium. I'm thinking a car rental would be the best way to go? Should we rent a car for all four nights we are in the area, or just the two nights we are in Ypres? (We will be taking a train out of Bruges back into the Netherlands once we are done in this area, so we will only have a car for a few days.) I'd really appreciate any advice people have about the most convenient place to rent a car in Bruges, nearby sites to visit, and their experiences with similar travel. Since we are a family with kids we tend to travel at a slower pace and enjoy the countryside attractions away from crowds. Thanks so much.
Posted by
91 posts
I would rent it as you are leaving Bruges. You're taking the train from Leiden to Bruges, so you'll really just have 1.5 days in city. In going to Ypres, I guess you want to explore battlefields? They're pretty spread out, so a car here is a plus. Then return it to Bruges.
We did our pick-up in Ghent after taking the train from Bruge, and then went onto Ypres, turning the car in @ Brussels, two adult daughters in tow. I think you'll have a great time.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16616 posts
Hi Carolyn. :O)
I guess my first thought is that two nights in Bruges and two in Ypers will barely give you time for just for those two locations. You'd only have 1 full sightseeing day for each of them, and I guess I don't know where you'd fit in much at all for exploring between the two. So, other than any sightseeing in Ypers that might be a challenge without a vehicle, like the battlefields, I'd stick to the trains. You definitely do not want a car in Bruges; the best of the sightseeing is in the historic center, and best done on foot.
We've yet to visit Ypers but spent 4 nights in Bruges (1 day trip to Ghent) without running out of things to see. You don't need 4 nights but, well, there's more ground to cover that I think can be done in one day + some odd hours unless the city's attractions are not of interest.
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
4627 posts
I think Americans need to see Ypres to get a better idea of what a catastrophe WWI was for Europe. Prior to my trip, I thought of WWI as being in the same "minor war" category as the Mexican-American and Spanish-American! And my high school history class was pretty good-in 10th grade, we had to read the thousand-page "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and write a book report.
Posted by
1 posts
Hello, did you end up booking a car rental in Bruges? If so, where from?
Posted by
OP
3 posts
UPDATE: We ended up using the Ypres/Ieper bus system to visit war memorial sites. We stayed at Main Street Hotel is Ypres/Ieper and it was a wonderful hotel. Bus line 90 had a stop right in front of the hotel as well as the town square (maybe 0.5 miles up the road). Bus route 90 has a stop right in front of the Passchendaele Museum in Zonnebeke and a stop approx 0.25 miles from the Tyne Cote memorial. Both are well worth a visit. The bus stops all have a QR code that will tell you the direction of the bus and how many minutes it away from your stop. Buses ran frequently and mostly on time. In the end I was happy with not having a rental car, especially in Bruges. Driving/Parking in the city center of Bruges would have been a nightmare, although the drive and parking in Ypres/Ieper would have been fine.