I travel from Liverpool, via Birmingham, before continuing my coach journey down to Dover, where I catch the early morning ferry to Calais. From Calais I continue on my journey down through France, before reaching my destination, Belgium. I use the quaint town of Bruges as a base, whilst ... Read review
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Advantages: Beautiful, Cheap Disadvantages: Some places very touristy
I travel from Liverpool, via Birmingham, before continuing my coach journey down to Dover, where I catch the early morning ferry to Calais. From Calais I continue on my journey down through France, before reaching my destination, Belgium. I use the quaint town of Bruges as a base, whilst I take in the sights, tastes, sounds and culture of Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp.
***Getting To Belgium***
Belgium is a very popular place ... ...to the country. I travelled with Banks Sadler European Study Tours, as part of a group and £185 got me free coach travel; free ferry tickets, three nights in a nice hotel, free breakfasts and free day excursions. SN Brussels Airlines, Ryanair, and British Airways also offer daily services from most major UK airports to Brussels Charleroi Airport, costing from £20 to over £150 return. I would recommend coach travel, not only because it is cheaper, ... more
I travel from Liverpool, via Birmingham, before continuing my coach journey down to Dover, where I catch the early morning ferry to Calais. From Calais I continue on my journey down through France, before reaching my destination, Belgium. I use the quaint town of Bruges as a base, whilst I take in the sights, tastes, sounds and culture of Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp.
***Getting To Belgium*** Belgium is a very popular place to visit but there are not many package holidays available to the country. I travelled with Banks Sadler European Study Tours, as part of a group and £185 got me free coach travel; free ferry tickets, three nights in a nice hotel, free breakfasts and free day excursions. SN Brussels Airlines, Ryanair, and British Airways also offer daily services from most major UK airports to Brussels Charleroi Airport, costing from £20 to over £150 return. I would recommend coach travel, not only because it is cheaper, but you get to see many sights once on the continent, but it does take over eight hours compared to just over one hour on a plane.
Everything from the hotel, excursions and the coaches where arranged for us by the operator but if you are prepared to do everything yourself, a good place to start would be National Express and Euro lines, costing just £65 return, including ferry tickets. You should expect coaches to be pretty bog standard on a national operator but as we where using a private company, legroom was better and all refreshments from the on board kitchen were free of charge.
You can also travel by rail. The best route is by getting to London and from London to Dover, catching a ferry and once in Calais, using either SNCF or B-Rail to travel through the continent to either Brussels Central or Bruges. Be warned though, this may not be the cheapest option and delays OFTEN occur.
***The Country*** The country is actually called the Kingdom of Belgium and is sandwiched in between France, Luxembourg, Germany and The Netherlands. The country dates back to the early tenth century and nowadays still has a lot to show for its history. Over eleven million people live in Belgium. 57% are Dutch Flemings, 32% are French Walloons, 9% are Bilingual and only 0.7 are strictly German.
The country is renowned for its lace and chocolates as well as its beer but the country is rich in minerals such as Coal and other rocks and the Schelde River, which passes Brussels and Antwerp is still a strong trade route for these items and the imports of palm oil and other items.
The capital of the country is Brussels, and is also the largest city with over 10% of Belgium’s population living there. The country is split up into several different provinces such as Wallonia and Flanders, of which Bruges is the capital.
***Accommodation*** I am using Bruges as a base and I am staying in the centrally located, 128 room Ibis Brugge Centrum Hotel. Hotel chains such as Ibis and Novotel are popular sights in Belgium and are generally located in places of interest. My hotel was located near to the canals, the Beguinage and the Gruuthuse and it meant that I was able to explore the history of Bruges without going too far from the hotel.
My hotel was just 1500 metres from the railway station, had three disabled bedrooms, an underground car park, and a 24 hour bar and restaurant. I could not have wished for more. All rooms had a telephone, for which you are billed at the end of your stay and all rooms also had a television, either a double or two single beds and en-suite facilities. I did notice a lack of drinks facilities though.
Rooms start at around £39 per night but can go as high as £70 in peak season. Breakfast is included but if you prefer a different hotel, you can choose the Novotel across the road or one of the hundreds of other hotels in the town.
***Itinerary*** Day One is spent travelling, checking in and exploring the surrounding area by the hotel. I would recommend that in a country with such a diverse range of languages, you get to grips with who speaks what and where, although you will find that almost everyone speaks English.
Day Two begins early with breakfast and then a day trip to Interbrew in Brussels. There is also chance to explore the city before returning to the hotel. That night is spent “on the tiles”.
Day Three is another early start and involves another day trip to Brussels, but this time to Chocolaterie Duval, located on Rue Des Chardons, in a small shed-like factory. The tour begins with a history of chocolate and then a chance to taste and get involved with what goes on. Afterwards you can shop. Admission is usually about £2. Later on the group enjoys the farewell meal at the local Irish public house.
Day Four is the last full day and involves a day trip to shop in Antwerp city centre. We also visit the famous oil refineries before heading to Calais to do some last minute shopping. We then head home.
***Day One – Bruges*** Bruges is located in North West Belgium and is a small town with about 200 000 people. It is the capital of Flanders province and is renowned for its lace shops. Canals to Zeebrugge, Ghent and Oostende connect Bruges and if you are lucky, you will see one of the low floating barges making its way through the canals.
I am located on Katelijnestraat, one of the main roads into the town and here you will find great places to eat, as well as a few small gift and food shops. You should expect to pay about five euros for a baguette and a drink, which is standard fayre in Belgium although hot meals are available from Pizza Hut and other fast food restaurants in the area. You will not find a McDonalds in Belgium, they are unheard of.
The nearest large supermarket is on the outskirts of the town and is called Lidl, which can be found in the UK as well. Prices are much cheaper wherever you go and beer can be bought from just 50p a bottle. You will find many of the local high street shops in Bruges, such as C&A, H&M and the Carphone Warehouse, which is aptly named The Phone House!
Bruges itself is a historical town, which has been ruled by French, German and Spanish Rulers throughout its history. It used to be a busy port town but when the River Zwin silted up hundreds of years ago it hit the lace trade hard. Sometimes you get the feeling that the only thing keeping Bruges alive is tourism.
There are many sights to see, such as Canal trips, the Old Hospital, The Burg, Government Buildings and the Marketplace and Beguinage. A guidebook is available in most hotels called Bruges on Foot and is available for about EUR 1.50. I would recommend buying this as it also has a map of the town.
There is no Metro system in Bruges, as it would disturb the flow of the canals but there are several bus routes operated by the national bus company, LIJN. Tickets are cheap and the rest of Belgium is accessible from the local train station. Bicycles are very popular all throughout Belgium so if you are driving, be careful, or if you wish, you could hire a bike for about EUR 5 a day.
***Day Two – Interbrew and Brussels*** Day two meant we were up early for a traditional breakfast of baguettes, cheese, salami, ham, croissants and chocolate, coffee and juice. We were on the coach by ten in the morning and arrived some two hours later in Brussels.
Interbrew operates from a large factory in the centre of Brussels and brews flavoured beers as well as famous brands such as Stella Artois. Admission is about EUR 10 and the tour includes audio-visual presentations and a tour around the brewing caskets as well as information about the history of the original factory, some of which remains on the site and the bottling and tasting process. After the tour, you are lead to a pub where you can have a free drink and a free glass.
After the two-hour tour, we were driven into the centre of Brussels and the whole group kept laughing at stupid companies like EuroMut and believe it or not – Carpet right! We parked in a busy coach park near the Manequin Pis – a statue of a boy having a wee! My and my friend walked into the centre of Belgium and shopped at places like H and M and C and A. There are many large shopping malls in Brussels and they are absolutely packed to the rafters with gifts, toys, sweets and best of all, Belgian Waffles!
Brussels is the main city and is accessible by Rail, Road, Canal, or Plane. Brussels is the heart of the European rail network and the main station is Bruxelles Central, the main airport is Brussels Charleroi and roads and canals link almost every part of Belgium. Getting around is easy, with a Metro system, bus system and tram network.
There are many sights to see but be sure to get a map, because the Old river, the Senne was clogged up with sewage so orientation can be a bit difficult with the absence of the east and west riverbanks. There are many museums in the city, such as The Bellevue Museums, The Army Museum, The Jewish Museum, and the Musical Instruments Museum.
I visited the Army museum and found it to be very informative, with audio-visual tours and presentations. The Atomuim is also another good sight, based in Heysel Plateau, just over 4 miles Northwest of the centre of Brussels. The structure is basically in the shape of an atom, but a bit bigger! It consists of 9 spheres connected by tubes for access and was designed for the World Exhibition in 1958. It is an interesting sight and the entrance fee costs between EUR 3 and EUR 6 depending on the age of the visitor.
Brussels is also the headquarters of NATO and the EU and tours of both these facilities are available, as they are in the courts of appeal.
In Brussels you will find many nice cafes and small food shops and restaurants but it is very busy and is easy to get lost, so be careful. Security is generally good for a large city but there are still pickpockets.
That night, back in Bruges, it was time to hit the tiles. We decided to go for a meal first and headed towards the main square. You will often see waiters plying their trade on the doorstep of their restaurant, so we chose our favourite and went inside. All restaurants are quite cheap here but it is an idea to leave a tip for about 10% of the total bill. We ordered a traditional fish dish and a glass of beer each, costing EUR 15 altogether. We left a tip for EUR 2 in the ashtray.
Restaurants and clubs do not have a specific opening and closing time and as there are no restrictions in all of Belgium, it means that anybody can order Alcohol. In Bruges, there are a wide variety of themed pubs from Irish Pubs, American Diners and Fast food bars to Luxury Traditional restaurants. You will also find a large number of clubs and bars, from regular elite bars, to lesbian and gay clubs and mad discotheques. Nightlife does not exactly buzz in Bruges, but it is still there – just look!
***Day three – Chocolaterie Duval*** Day three was just a repeat of day two, with the regular routine of getting up early and travelling to Brussels again! This time though we headed into the suburbs of the city, looking for a very small chocolate factory.
Chocolaterie Duval is located on one of the hilly areas of Bruges – with two four tonne coaches it was hell! Entrance is usually pre booked and costs EUR 3 for a tour of the history of chocolate. The talk moves onto how chocolate is actually made and then for who, whether it be small orders or large companies! You are also given the chance to buy chocolate and taste it. IT IS CHEAP SO STOCK UP!
There are many other chocolate manufacturers in the area, which are listed in many travel guides. This one was the cheapest.
Upon returning to Bruges, there was literally nothing to do – NOTHING! My friend and I ended up going for two-hour walk around the town, which was absolutely beautiful – although I was still suffering from Coach/Ferry Lag! You can see the beauty of the city and why everybody is so civilised. I love it!
That night all people in our group had to get dressed into our glad rags and meet in the reception area immediately. We were told that we could go for a meal free of charge at the local Irish Pub, located opposite the Burg. Everyone ran, excited at the fact that the whole pub had been reserved just for us. We enjoyed a lovely meal, although two people got badly drunk and jumped into a canal and one girl set her hair on fire!
***Day Four - Last Minute Shopping, Antwerp and Calais*** On Day Four everybody was allowed to sleep in until ten in the morning. Once awake, we had breakfast and went out shopping for last minute clothes and to get some Euros from the cash machine for the duty free later. We had an hour to shop and it was like Supermarket Sweep – Euro Stylee!
My mobile phone rang. We had to get back to the coach, so savouring the moment – I walked slowly don the road to where the coach was waiting! As we pulled out of Bruges I felt really emotional, as I thought that it could possibly be the only time I would ever get to go to a place as beautiful.
Within an hour and a half of leaving, we found ourselves looking at the oil refineries of Antwerp and we parked by the River Schelde. We were allowed to go sightseeing for an hour and boy did I enjoy it. My friend and I began shopping for last minute gifts for friends and family and we also took some great photos of the TUI building and the subway, which you can see through the large vents on the street. After buying a takeout lunch from one of the many baguette shops, I had to speak French in a Pharmacy - My bilingual skills need brushing up.
Antwerp is a large cosmopolitan city, which has built itself up around the ports and oil refineries. There are many old buildings but you can see some beautiful modern ones too. It was time to go back on the coach and as we pulled out of Antwerp I knew my holiday was well and truly over and it was just a case of getting home now.
I fell asleep and woke up as we parked outside Cheers – a duty free alcohol shop! We had twenty minutes to buy a maximum of three crates of beer, but I only bought wine and alcopops as well as a sandwich for the coach. I was worried you see because, being only 16 at the time, I was not strictly allowed to import these goods into the UK, but what the Hey!
On the ferry I fell asleep in the sports bar and woke up in about five minutes when the thing swerved so violently to one side that I fell off the couch. I stayed awake and in the end had yet another baguette. Two hours later we were making our way from London to Birmingham and at 0600 on the Friday morning, my Holiday had ended.
***Information*** · Most Credit and debit cards are accepted abroad.
· The emergency numbers are 100 for police and 101 for fire and emergency health care. You should take an E111 form with you, stamped by the post office for free medical care whilst abroad.
· The main bank is Fortis Bank and there are Western Union and Travelex Money Transfers available in every city.
· You must legally wear a seatbelt on a coach or otherwise while driving through France.
· You must be 17+ to import cigarettes and alcohol into the UK.
· I only took £100 with me, transferred into Euros and still came back with money.
· Be respectful and polite. Belgian people are really friendly and unlike elsewhere, do not form opinions.
· Canals are very deep and gates do not guard some. Be careful and also watch out for fast busses travelling though the narrow streets.
· You can drink at any age in Belgium.
· Always buy maps.
· GO passes are available from B Rail for EUR 40, which allow ten railway journeys.
· You can take a mobile phone if it is set on roaming. You will be linked to the Eurobell Proximus Network or BelgaCom
***Upcoming Opinions related to this travel guide*** · P and O Ferries
Advantages: Small, english speaking, easy going, flat Disadvantages: Not sure i can think of one
Spent several weeks in Belgium and found myself having a whale of a good time. Got to know local folks when in Bruges and saw many sights and drank much beer.. My first taste of was here, at a time when you wouldn't have found it in London.
Bruges is a fab town; lots of lace, chocolate, a couple windmills and winding cobbled roads. For such a small town it has a lot of nightlife and kicking too! Apparently another town with good nightlife is the ... ...to see and good food and beer also. Most people speak English (low country residents have that knack) and usually another few languages too. We also spent some time at a seaside town, Knokke(?). With a flat, long white sand beach (slightly little reminiscent of the Costa Del Sol)! Beaches aren't the first thing that spring to mind when one thinks of Belgium, though certainly worth a look.
Belgium is also in another sense. The southern contingent ...
boilot 10.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Belgium
Advantages: Easy to get to, easy to travel around, fantastic food and beers! Disadvantages: The Francophone Belgians can be difficult to get on with...
Well, I'll admit that my view of Belgium might well be a bit biased, coloured by the fact that I still have relations living in Antwerp and as such I do feel quite an affinity for the country. I first visited at the age of 11, when I spent a week at the seaside with my family in Wenduine, a summer holiday town just down the coast from Oostende, and I have nothing but great memories of that time, sitting in the sun, swimming the in the North Sea and ... ...You can still have a fantastic time at the beach, enjoying the surprisingly warm sea and sunning yourself, and the beauty of Belgium is its size, for no one town is particularly far from anywhere else! Nieuwpoort, a fishing port that you would otherwise probably overlook, boasts a great selection of good value restaurants on its main road (just off the coast road from Oostende as you cross the harbour bridge) which are well worth a visit, while Brugge ...
JVL 12.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Belgium
Advantages: English speaking,friendly people,beautiful! Disadvantages: Pickpockets
Having lived for 2 years in Belgium I thought I must write a review on this place.
I adore Brussels and Belgium in general, and now regard it as my home away from home.
I first went to Belgium on a school holiday with the History and Geography sector, but I didn't think too much of it back then in 1994. But how things change!
I was offered a job in Belgium, just outside Brussels in August 2000 to work as a nanny in a French family, and have loved ... ...as I can as I still have very close friends living there, it's great to have somewhere to stay when visiting. Very practical indeed!
I have just spent the past 4 months living back in Belgium, and I still love it there as much as I ever did. Belgium is a very multi-cultured place to visit, with people visiting constantly from all over the World.
All kinds of people from businessmen, musicians, childcarers, just like me, you find them all, It is ...
MOOPINK 15.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Belgium
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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Advantages: yummy waffles, delicious chocolates and jupiler beer Disadvantages: it rains occasionally
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=VALUE FOR MONEY =
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= THE STARBUCKS EXPERIENCE =
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I have now lived in Antwerpen for the past 2 years and in that time I have
discovered basically everything there is to know about this great city! I will
try and explain to you why you should include Antwerp in your tour of Belgium.
I now live in a Hall of Residence in England and I'm very nostalgic! Living here has shown me how ignorant people are of little Belgium. When I first came and everyone was asking the same questions (where do you come from? What do you study? etc.) I told them I lived in Belgium and memorably one boy asked "Is that in Ireland" (he was quite embarassed affterwards). Anyway enough little anecdotes, let me enlighten you about Belgium in general and Antwerp in particular.
Antwerp is in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, and the city is called
"Antwerpen" by the locals, in the French part of Belgium it is ...
ali3986 14.01.2005 (26.01.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Antwerp (Belgium)
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