Okay,
We are going to Antwerp - I believe staying there as a base and then possibly day-tripping to Ghent and back. We are eventually going into France. We are tying to decide what to do - we will likely have three days between Antwerp and Ghent. Do we do two in Antwerp and one in Ghent? We think it is simple enough to go to Ghent and then go back - instead of lugging our stuff around - even if we eventually head that direction as we head to France at the end. What are people's thought? - three days is a good amount? Should we do both cities? Thanks - I love this site!!!!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Yes, you can do a day trip from Antwerp to Ghent easily, so there's no need to change hotels. Stay in one or the other for all three nights. I loved Antwerp (of the "big four" of Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels, it was my favorite, and I liked the others in descending order, with Brussels very much being the least-liked). But if you do a search on this Helpline, you will find lots of debate on this subject. If you get tired of Antwerp and Ghent, you can also do daytrips from Antwerp to Lier, Mechelen (both have interesting beguinages), Brussels (just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that there isn't a day's worth of sights), Bruges, and lots of other places. Trains within Belgium are cheap and frequent, and no reservations are needed, so you can just decide on the day what you want to do - no advance planning is needed. If you do go to Brussels, my favorite thing there, by far, was the Art Nouveau tour by ARAU. These are irregular, so check their website for the schedule: http://www.arau.org/en/tours Rick Steves Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges now includes both Ghent and Antwerp, so that's a good start for more information.
Posted by
Orlando
516 posts
Trains run several times a day back and forth and easy to use. I wouldn't miss Brugge with any trip to Belgium. I would use Antwerp as a home base instead of Gent.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7885 posts
Antwerp is superbly located for training to Gent or to Bruges. Gent is halfway to Bruges, but I don't recommend trying to do both in one day. You have to choose which art and architecture you have time for. Please do not ask here which is better, Gent or Bruges! There is much more to do in Antwerp, but maybe less art since the big museum is closed for renovation. There are many other museums in Antwerp, all of them good, but you can't see 30 Rubens paintings together right now, and James Ensor and Rik Wouters are hard to find.