Opinions valued - Bruges or Ghent???

Both are stunningly beautiful, ideally you should visit both. But if I had to choose just one it would be Bruges because there is simply more to do there: more museums, more holy places, more shopping, more chocolate:) Some folks are gonna say Bruges is not a "real" place and more like a theme park.....they probably haven't walked more than a couple of blocks north or east of the Grote Markt and explored the beautiful residential areas beyond the tourists zone like here: http://g.co/maps/zgn3t

Michael, thank you. I was leaning slightly toward Bruges, so I am glad to read your thoughts.

Hi Margaret. I liked Ghent better. Sint-Baafs-kathedral is a cool place where you can see Jan van Eyck's "Ghent Altarpiece", if you're interested in art. I liked the Klein Begijnhof, the Graslei and Sint-Michielsbrug (St. Michael's Bridge), Sint-Niklaaskerk (St. Nicholas Church), and Gravensteen Castle, which you can tour on your own (it was originally built in the 12th century but was rebuilt several times, most recently by the unreliable Victorians who "restored" it to what they thought a medieval castle should look like).

Margaret, I was in both places a few months ago and while both are beautiful cities and share some similarities, my preference was definitely for Bruges. This question seems to come up on a fairly regular basis, and there always seems to be lots of opinions on the subject. Happy travels!

Ghent. The historic center of Brugge is slightly more scenic, but Ghent gets the vote because it's core is more of a thriving city than a moth-balled museum (like Brugge). The municipal art museum in Ghent is also more extensive and interesting than any of the smaller museums in Brugge.

Margaret, I'm glad I could help you see the forest :) I have that problem on occasion as well. I'm a big fan of slow travel, generally. But I have also had some really fun days in Europe squeezing a lot into one day, so I try not to discount that possibility when it seems reasonable. The distances in Belgium are quite small and the two cities have a direct connection, so... Bruges has plenty to do for those who enjoy lingering. But we had a list of things we wanted to see & do (including climbing the tower, taking a canal tour and seeing the art museum) and we were pretty much done in about 6 hours. We wound up spending the rest of the day riding bikes to nearby Damme, which was very nice. So you really can do quite a lot in a short amount of time. Have a great time & make sure those camera batteries are fully charged :) PS: see the movie...

They both have their appeal, as manifested here many times previously. I will agree that Bruges has more chocolate. But it is clear to us, after many years doing "scientific" analysis in both places as well an many others in Belgium including the big "names" in Brussels, that there is a place in Ghent which makes the very best. We'd prefer better over more. We used to always favour Bruges. For several years we preferred Ghent. Now we tend to visit both as we pass through.

Without a doubt Ghent. I found Brugge touristy. Ghent is just as pretty but with better restaurants and bars and it has a castle. Loved sitting out by the canal with a beer. loved the STAM Museum and the Interior Segment Museum (while I skipped Brugge's French Fry Museum). We stayed at the NH in Ghent - great location and deal and breakfast.

Wow!! What great, quick input....thank you!! Oh how I wish I could visit both. On Christmas Eve, I was asking my sisters et al what they had heard about each.......and, James, I think I even mentioned a RS poster (you quite some time ago) had referenced the Fairyland thing. Since I was totally clueless about the humor in your post when I read it then, my sister (who is a huge movie fan) filled me in.........I now "get it" and feel so previously clueless...LOL. I'll also try the Helpline archive search again....must have done something wrong when I tried before, or maybe I just looked in the Graffiti section. But, HUGE thanks to all for your opinions. Sounds like I can't go wrong either way, but I hate having to choose just one :o As always, so much to see/do, so little time. Happy New Year, and safe travels to all.

Gent is much bigger city than Brugge with a beautiful historic center and some canals. Brugge as a city is smaller but actually its historic center seems bigger than Gent center. Brugge is more touristy- for a reason. I also visited an old brewery there. If I could go for only one town it would be Brugge. More picturesque, more canals, it's like belgium Venice.

One of Rick Steves' favorite sayings; "Assume you will return." With that in mind, I would visit Bruges first, since that will satisfy the natural need to know what all the fuss is about. After all, generally speaking, places are popular for a reason. Upon your eventual return, you can choose Ghent instead and draw your own contrasts and be your own judge. By the way, the two are only 27 minutes apart by train. Are you sure you can't see a bit of both? If the "group travel" you refer to makes this impossible, that would be a strong reason to avoid group travel, in my opinion.

Randy, I had not even thought about taking the train. Duh!! Simple solution!!!! (I'll blame it on post-holiday brain...but I must admit there is the chance I may not have thought about the train anyway). Perfect!! I will have an early-fly in day, plus the bulk of a second day in Brussels before our tour begins, so taking the train to Ghent the morning of the second day will work. Then I will enjoy Bruges on the group land/river tour. Perfect. Thank you for helping me to "see the forest", despite the trees :) Saw a CNN piece a day or two ago, listing the Top 10 go-to places for 2012. The Netherlands is in the Top 10, because of the Floriade this year. Glad I booked early. Again, thanks to all. Helpline is amazing because of its helpful contributors.

Margaret, Just curious, which "group tour" are you taking?

Margaret- My parents and I are going to both places in June. We decided to stay in Ghent since it seems less touristy and it also has a castle near our hotel. We will be staying at Hotel Waterzooi and taking a day trip to Bruges. Both look incredible.

We just did Belgium for our honeymoon this past thanksgiving. We spent 8 nights; 5 in Bruges and 3 in Ghent. From Bruges,we did a disappointing sidetrip to Antwerp. It was our second time to Bruges; our first time, we spent 2 nights and fell in love, proclaiming that if we had to live anywhere in Europe, it would be Bruges. 5 nights in Bruges was fantastic, just settling into the fabric of the city. Everyday was magical, just walking through the town was enough site seeing for us. Plus we love the town's art museums: the memling and the Groening Museum gave us our Flemish primative epiphany. We loved dinning and drinking at Cambrinus, a restaurant with over 400 beers to chose from. Plus, the Bruges xmas market was charming. Our B&B hosts, Benno & Frieda, at Absoluut Verhulst, made an impact on our trip too. They are the most friendly people ever. We really didn't like Antwerp so we feared that we would hate Ghent. Loved it. What a sleeper belgian hit. Our B&B gave us a direct view of the castle. The town is beautiful. Great museums, fabulous churches. I really couldn't choose between the 2. Good luck on deciding, i would hate to be in your shoes:)