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Belgium Itinerary


I had an issue with my flight where it was canceled and I had to fly into Belgium a day later. Because of that, I didn’t get to visit Antwerp like I originally planned but I am including some research I did on Antwerp below my itinerary. I didn’t really want to go to Brussels since I don’t like big cities, but I included some notes on that as well. I really loved Bruges which I used as my base. I also wanted to check out somewhere that seemed less touristy, so I picked Dinant and was really happy I did. Since I was going to be so close to Luxembourg, I thought that would be fun to see as well. I included other optional things to do at all the cities I visited at the end.

DAY 1- DINANT

  • Flight arrives in Brussels at 8:45AM

  • Pick up car rental from Sixt

  • Drive one hour from Brussels airport to Dinant

  • Walk the town and go into the Notre Dame

  • Take the cable car up to the citadel

  • Explore the citadel

  • Dinner at Chez Bouboule by the water (loved this place! They had the absolute best mussels I’ve had in my life)

  • Stay at Ibis Dinant Centre hotel

DAY 2- LUXEMBOURG

  • Breakfast at hotel

  • Drive to Chateau De Vianden in Luxembourg

  • Drive to the Casemates du Bock and explore in Luxembourg

  • Take in the views at Chemin de la Corniche

  • Stay in Luxembourg (or find a town right outside Luxembourg to spend the night since Luxembourg is an expensive place to stay)

DAY 3- BRUGES

  • Drive three hours from Luxembourg to Bruges

  • Check-in to Hotel Prinsenhof

  • Waffles at Chez Albert (basically eat waffles at Chez Albert as many times as possible)

  • Walk around the main square

  • Go up the 380 stairs to the Belfort tower

  • Take a horse carriage tour around the old town

  • Go inside the Church of Our Lady and take pictures from the Bonifacius Bridge right before the sunsets, otherwise it will be really crowded

  • Dinner at Restaurant Diligence

DAY 4- Ghent

  • Walk to the train and take the train about an hour to Ghent

  • Visit the Gravensteen Castle

  • Buy chocolate at the Temmerman

  • Visit the Great Butchers’ Hall to see random hanging meat from the ceiling

  • Cross through the Sint Michielsburg Bridge and explore that area

  • Take the elevator to the top of the Belfry (this has better views of Ghent than the Belfort did of Bruges)

  • Visit Sint Bavo Church and Saint Nicolas Church (next to the Belfry)

  • Take the train back to Bruges

  • Dinner at Breydel-De Coninck (the food was so good here, I went back twice in a row)

DAY 5- BRUGES

  • Breakfast at That’s Toast

  • Canal tour through Bruges

  • Brewery tour of De Halve Maan (this has the best view of Bruges)

  • Visit the swans by the canal and make your way over to Minnewater Lake

  • Waffles at Go.Fre

  • Head back to the square to have beers at the Bruges Beer Experience (not really worth the tour, but worth doing a beer tasting)

  • Visit Basilica of the Holy Blood (this church supposedly has the blood of Christ in a vial, which you are able to see)

  • Visit the Choco Story Bruges (this is the chocolate museum—lots of chocolate tastings and the best chocolate I tasted in Belgium as well as some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had)

DAY 6- FLY HOME

Here are some other suggestions for places in Belgium:

BRUSSELS

  • Royal Palace

  • Manneken Pis (peeing boy)

  • Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (boutiques and restaurants)

  • St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral

  • In August-every other summer, the square transforms into a huge flower carpet where hundreds of thousands of flowers are packed tightly together in commemoration of major events, coat of arms of a city, etc. For best viewing spot, the balcony of the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall, €5pp) offers a great wide-angle view of the square (buy tickets ahead)

ANTWERPEN

  • Grote market (Main market square) to admire the architecture of the town hall and the stunning Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady). From the Grote Markt, continue a little further to the Scheldt waterfront to view Antwerp’s bustling port and Het Steen castle. Eat at De Foyer, Plantin Moretus House (print house)

  • Het Steen (small castle)

  • city brewery de koninck

  • Rubens House

  • Groenplaats (a square)

  • MAS rooftop terrace (Museum aan de Stroom)

  • Antwerp Port House, Chocolate Museum.

LUXEMBOURG

  • Enjoy the view from the Viaduc (Passerelle), stroll through the pedestrianized Old Town, visit the lovely Notre Dame Cathedral and admire the architecture of the Palace of the Grand Dukes (Palais Grand-Ducal). Hop on Hop off Bus. Le chemin de la corniche and place de la constitution has best views (Europe’s most beautiful balcony)

  • Chocolate House for the famous hot chocolate and desserts

  • Outside of Luxembourg, visit Beaufort for castle ruins. Mullertha trail also offers some nice nature vibes

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