After looking at our itinerary, we have a few days in between visiting Paris and London and chose Belgium to visit. I was hoping that some suggestions of places to visit and stay could be provided. I have read that Ghent and Brussels are beautiful cities to explore. For hotels, looking to spend about $100-$150USD per night.
Looking forward to your suggestions.
Depending on what you want to see in Belgium, Gent, Brussels, or Bruges are all good bases, you'll get recommendations for all three based on personal preference. Some people here don't like Brussels much and prefer staying in a smaller, more compact city like Gent or Bruges. From any of these you can do short day trips to any of the others and also to Antwerp. I stayed in Brussels and visited Bruges, Gent, and Antwerp in 3 days. Hotels in Brussels can be a little more expensive but there are definitely some good options with good central locations. I stayed at the Hotel a La Grande Cloche which was between two of Brussels' train stations and just a few minutes walk to the Grand Place. Last year it was about $90 for a single but with the better exchange rate to € this year it would probably be less. I'm sure you'll get some good recommendations for hotels or B&B's in the other locations.
Thanks Nancy. I appreciate the reply. After doing some additional reading here on RS, I think I would choose to stay in Gent and take a day trip back to Brussels before departing for London via train. One thing I am looking for are Castles, old churches and both cities have those. Gravensteen Castle, St Peters and St Abbeys in Gent as well as all of the many beautiful locations in Brussels. Looks like a photographer's dream!
Your welcome Mike. I think you've probably made a good choice. I really enjoyed Gent a lot and if I were to return I would probably choose to stay there or Bruges rather than Brussels. I hope you get some recommendations for places to stay in Gent. Enjoy your trip.
