My husband and I are 76 and 63 respectively. Traveling to England, Amsterdam, and Belgium late April, first week of May. Belgium will be our last two days. It will be our first time. Booked to stay in Ghent at The Post 1898 Hotel for 2 nights (May 9-11) before one last night in Brussels (May 11). Wondering if we would be silly to skip Bruges and stay the 2 days in Ghent for ease of travel. Have been reading about how touristy Bruges can get and how Ghent offers some of the same charm? Thank you for your thoughts and experience.
Posted by
MPLS, MN
459 posts
You would not be silly to miss Bruges. I prefer Ghent to Bruges. The inner core of Ghent is so beautiful and there is so much to see and do. Don’t get me wrong, Bruges is lovely too but I find Bruges to be most enjoyable in the AM up until 10am and at night. In between, the volume of tourists arriving via tour busses for their 8 hour Bruges vacation can be a bit suffocating in my opinion. You will love Ghent.
Posted by
Chicagoland
2113 posts
It would only be silly if you end up kicking yourself for not going to Bruges.
Just like skipping dessert, do what works for you.
That said, I think a lot of the folks (even here are on the RS forums) who say Bruges is too touristy were day trippers. That makes a huge difference in many places. I can name loads of towns that are too "touristy" between 11 am and 4 pm.
Don't worry, you'll have a lovely time in Ghent.