Ideas in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp....

In Ghent, we saw the Altarpiece, but note that you need timed tickets as they do sell out. The tour is VR and really well done.
We also did a Ghent city tour with Charlie's Chocolate tours- great fun!
I'm so jealous- I just finished the last of my Belgium chocolates from April.
Safe travels!

In Brussels, the Musical Instruments Museum is in an art deco building. You get an audio guide which plays music from the instruments. And many of the instruments are beautiful works of art, too. We also enjoyed sitting on the upper floor of the cafe next door with a view out over Brussels.

For Ghent, it looks like there are tickets to St Bavo's available on the website. Our main day in Ghent included a canal tour, St Bavo's, and the Belfry. We also visited Castle Gravensteen another day and enjoyed the views and walking through the castle but the audio guide is more humorous than mystical. There are plenty of chocolate shops to stop at.

There’s no need to reserve your tickets for the altarpiece in advance in September. And if you still want to do so for your own peace of mind, one day in advance is more than enough.

The café/restaurant at the Musical Instrument Museum is closed and will be repurposed entirely in the future.

If you want to explore Ghent on your own, this might help you https://visit.gent.be/en/see-do/ghent-city-walk-quirky-charm

... and for Antwerp (€6 cost) https://visit.antwerpen.be/en/a-walk-to-learn-about-antwerps-illustrious-history

As locals, we often see groups “with the red umbrella” popping up. Legends Tours are apparently popular https://www.legendstours.be/

Of course, official city guides are also available in each of these cities, but this can sometimes make it more expensive for an individual.

It’s hard to make suggestions for events if you don’t specify exactly when you’ll be in Belgium...

FYI
Belgium is divided into three official regions: the Flemish Region (Flanders) in the north, the Walloon Region (Wallonia) in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region in the center.
According to your itinerary, you will not be visiting the Walloon Region.

Thank you all for the helpful replies. Pat I will look up the Charlie Chocolate Tours-thanks for that and may your chocolate cup refill soon!

PlannerMom thanks for the mention on the musical instrument museum, how you did your day in Ghent, and the castle. I also like humor so if I can't have mystical I will take that :). And a canal tour would be nice to do as well.

Windyram thank you for the helpful info/regions and the links. I will look them through today and make some plans. I will be there soon-Sept 11-17. Traveling with a friend during the weekend either locally or to France but otherwise up to explore and just take in the vibe of the places I am in just to see different ways than my own. I could also do a day trip to the Walloon region if you have recommendations there as well.

Thank you!

I love old, mysterious and magical places that have fun nooks and crannies of creative energy.

No idea if the Voodoo Village Festival in Humbeek (20 Km from Brussels) would be something for you and your friend?
This electronic music festival is known for its unique, intimate location in the middle of the forest, where the natural, mysterious surroundings are an integral part of the experience.
https://www.voodoovillage.be/

Sunday 13 september is Heritage Day Flanders. Many monuments are open to the public for free during this time, including, for example, castles that are otherwise closed to the public. Of course, this also means more crowds, which apparently isn’t really your thing. It’s also geared more toward the local population, so it might be less interesting for non-Dutch speakers.
https://www.openmonumentendag.be/english

Jikar,
Regarding Charlie's tours (Chocolate tours)-
Make sure you book directly with the company. The guide told us that although they must work with the third party vendors to stay in business, the third party sites gets almost 30%. The guide we had was excellent, and then there was the chocolate!
I'm sure the guide will show you the cannon, and tell you why the open barrel was boarded up with a plastic sheet.....
PS it's a college town.

Good quality chocolate chains in Belgium are Neuhaus, Galler and Corne Port-Royal. Leonidas and Godiva are lower quality.

Individual chocolate shops to visit in Brussels are Pierre Marcolini, Atelier Sint Katelijne, and Laurent Gerbaud. In Antwerp and Bruges look for Chocolate Line, and in Antwerp Elisabeth.

Damon in Bruges is the smoothest milk chocolate. They also have a dark chocolate orange bar, with slivers of orange peel on the outside. IMHO, of course!

For Ghent, I highly recommend the augmented reality tour of theSt Bravo Altarpiece. I also enjoyed the Gravensteen Castle, a canal boat ride, the MSK fine arts museum, and just walking around.I learned on a Legends walking tour that the Granvensteen audio was done by a popular local comedian. I did the Legendes' night time walking tour in Ghent which focuses on the darker more ghoulish side of the middle ages. The tour was a fun way to spend an evening, though I ended up not sure how much was legend versus more fact based.

In Bruges, I thought the Groeninge Museum (art) was very good and a very manageable size. I also saw the Michealangelo sculpture in the nearby Our Lady church. I found lots of places to sit in a cafe and people watch in Ghent, Bruges, and Antwerp. I used RS self-guided walking tours in alll 3 towns. In Antwerp, I especially appreciated the Rubens altarpiece paintings in the Antwerp Cathedral of Our Lady.

jlkar,, Meise Botanic Garden, just outside Brussels (30-45 min by bus), is a great fit, 92 hectares around a 12th-century castle, glasshouses, and a boardwalk garden that sits right on the water. Peaceful, not touristy at all.

For natural springs, look up the town of Spa itself (2 hrs by train, one change) literally where the word comes from. You can drink from mineral springs right in town and there's a nice quiet, walkable vibe.

And for your Walloon day trip with your friend: Dinant + the Caves of Han is a good match for the "old, mysterious, nooks and crannies" feeling a citadel town on the Meuse river, plus dramatic underground caves nearby. Reachable by train (line 162 toward Luxembourg, off at Jemelle, then a short local bus) or via direct day-tour coaches from Brussels.

Belgian trains are easy to navigate solo, small country, frequent trains, lots of English signage. You'll do great!
Enjoy your trip!

If you like natural settings you might think of taking Tram 44 from Montgomery metro out to Tervuren. It's Brussels' prettiest tram ride, and at the end there is a massive park and the Africa Museum. Nowadays this museum is quite a sobering experience as Belgium had a bad track record in its colony (the Belgian Congo) and it would not be a modern and respectable museum if it did not interrogate this history. But if you are not up for this, the park at Tervuren could be a pleasant way to while away an afternoon. Closer into Brussels there is the massive park the Bois de la Cambre, with lakes and forests. On one of the lakes is a nice restaurant, Chalet Robinson. I think that would be a nice way to pass the time (tram no. 8 or 93 from Louise to Legrand) And if you are thinking of chocolate shops, there are two areas in Brussels that could appeal - one is the Galeries Royales de St.-Hubert (this is heavily touristed), and the other is Place du Grand Sablon - at one end there is a cluster of high-end chocolate shops. On Saturdays and Sundays there is an antiques market here, and there are a few cafés such as Au Vieux Saint Martin where you could camp down and people-watch. That is just a walk from the centre. Just a few ideas, hope they help.

Lavandula

Thank you everyone! I am not only more excited now with all of these great suggestions and helpful tips I am also feeling very grateful for the community here and the level of kindness that has come with all of these replies. And the detail is beyond what I expected and incrediby helpful.

The dark chocolate with orange sounds right up my alley, Pat! And Philip thank you for the specific brand mentions. I do love dark chocolate around 80-90%.
Thanks again WindyRam for the links and the mention of Heritage Day.

CD I was not aware of RS self-guided walking tours so I will look into them and also the Legends walking tours that you and WindyRam have mentioned.

KnightRd, the town of Spa sounds amazing as do the caves and the botanic gardens outside of Brussels. This would fill me up on the natural elements for sure. And I appreciate the mention of ease of transportation and getting around.

Lavandula thanks for the mention of the park and the museum in Tervuren. The Bois de la Cambre sounds lovely. My friend will love many of these places as well so I have a lot to now bring to her when she has a little more time either on this trip or a return.

I feel in a short time I have the makings of a pretty wonderful and memorable trip to Belgium. Thank you very much!!

jlkar, you are so welcome, and I hope you and your friend have a truly wonderful, safe, and memorable trip !

Maybe too obvious, but ../ Do get the hard copy of the Rick Steves’ Belgium book to take with you. It’s excellent for all these cities. I thought it was especially good for Bruges