Brussels vs Bruges vs Ghent

"We love old world architecture, village life, scenery, castles, ruins, etc."

Allow me to compare and contrast. Both cities have plenty of interesting architecture, but Ghent is a little more diverse in styles. Neither city has much in the way of "village life". Both cities have very scenic canals, and Ghent has a very pleasant park near the train station. The old center of Bruge is much larger and easier to access from the train station... in Ghent, you have to go through many blocks of a fairly uninteresting modern city to reach the historical center. Bruges has no castle, whereas there is an imposing medieval fortress in the center of Ghent. In the Groenengen (sp?) Museum, Bruges has one of the most interesting small art museums in Europe. Ghent has a very respectable municipal art museum. Ghent has a large student population, Bruges is usually filled with tourists. You can get more than enough good beer, frietjes and chocolate in either city, but in my opinion, the waterzooi in Ghent is better.

Karen, we'll forgive your sin of omission (you didn't tell us about the other components of your itinerary), but all is forgiven since you made it very clear that "We love old world architecture, village life, scenery, castles, ruins, etc.". It's hands down Bruges. Brussels is a wonderful capital; Ghent is a sizable city with much to offer, but Bruges has all of the charm one could possibly ask for in one day and one night. Go slow and enjoy it all; and, save room for deserts.

Hi Craig,

After our day in Bruges we're headed to Bastogne, Luxemburg City, Verdun, Baden Baden, Black Forest High Road, Stauffen, Colmar, Alsace Wine Road, German Alpenstrasse, Bad Tolz, Lenggries, Gmund am Tegernsee, Munich, Nurnberg, Bamberg and flying back out of Amsterdam. All in two weeks! It's our fifth trip back to the Black Forest and Bavaria and we absolutely love it. We've never been to Bruges, our the WW battlefields or Bamberg. Those are the new additions.

Karen

If you are really trying to see all of the places you have listed, you will spend ALL of your time traveling. As someone who goes to Europe every summer for a month, I try to stay at my stops for 2 nights (95% of the time) if I am traveling about. Otherwise, I spend 5 to 7 nights in one place and do day trips from that "home site". Happy travels.

Tell me how this works for you. I plan on a brief visit to Bruges and then two nights in Ghent (slightly favor the student crowd). I've heard good things about Bruges and Ghent. Praise for Bruxelles is conspicuously absent...

"Praise for Bruxelles is conspicuously absent..."

I'm probably one of the few defenders of Brussels on this website. I admit it isn't the most immediately pretty city in Europe, much less Belgium, but the more I explore it, the more I find it fascinating. It takes a little more effort and exploration to appreciate, but well worth it in my opinion. Bruges to me, although definately one of the most charming cities in Europe, is somewhat mummified and touristic (well, at least the historic center... few tourists venture outside this area). Repeat visits here haven't really added anything for me, but I find something new and interesting everytime I go to Brussels.