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
462 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
2253 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.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you so much for the honest confirmations and thoughts.
Posted by
Arizona
644 posts
I have been to Bruges twice and loved it. Yes, a bit touristy perhaps but I would happily go back again. I haven't been to Ghent yet.
Posted by
Belgium
379 posts
The advantage of staying in Ghent is that you can reach Bruges by train in just 25 minutes. If you arrive at Bruges station around 3 pm, you won’t notice much of the crowds. And the last train back to Ghent leaves just before 11 pm.
Do bear in mind, however, that Ghent railway station is located just outside the city centre and it takes 20 minutes to reach it by tram (numbers 3 or 4 from the Koophandelsplein stop).
Posted by
The Netherlands
2208 posts
You don’t have to decide now. If after 1 day in Ghent, you feel like seeing another city, head to the train station and hop on the next train to Bruges. If you feel like you want to see more of Ghent, just stay there.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
All great comments and ideas. Thank you all!
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2369 posts
Bruges is beautifully illuminated (Ghent too btw) after sunset and surprisingly peaceful. If you can spend the end of the day there, with dinner at a romantic spot, you can have a memorable experience there. But as said before do what feels best, there is enough room for flexibility, you can decide once staying in Ghent.
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
36703 posts
having visited both places a lot (best choccie in Gent though IMHO) I'll say I was not nearly as impressed by the boat ride in Gent. It spent a fair amount of time around the university which while nice was not what most would think of as cute - the boats in Bruges (it doesn't matter where you board, they all go on the same route and return to where you boarded) are more crowded but go by more continuously scenic buildings and views.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you again to everyone!