My wife and I will be spending a few days in Bruges next month and were wondering if a day trip south of the city was worth the time. We'll have a car and I already plan on spending a day doing the Fields of Flanders. Has anyone driven the Atlantic coast south of Bruges and taken in Dunkirk, Calais and the surrounding counrtyside? Is "Batterie Todt" worth the time? What highlights do you suggest? Thanks!!!
Posted by
St. Louis, MO USA
1976 posts
I haven't been to the Belgian coast, but Ghent is a really nice city and only about an hour from Bruges. There's a castle you can tour and a lot of wonderful late medieval / early modern architecture. Views from St. Michael's Bridge are pretty.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
You'll probably want to spend some time in Ieper(Ypres) and the Westhoek area. Even without the WWI history, its still a pretty nice city. Either a car or bus tour would be necessary to explore some of the war remnants in the surrounding countryside. I really like the Belgian coast, mainly because it reminds me of the southern Jersey shore (where I spent most of my summers growing up). Think dunes and wide sandy beaches. The largest town on the coast is Oostende, but I like De Haan (slightly to the north) better.