please empty your brain below
Bruges is lovely.

Anon | 19.06.17 - 7:03 a.m. | #

Sint-Truiden, to have a go at dodgy Charlton owner Roland Duchâtelet.

Or Liège, which is worth it for a look at the stunning railway station alone. (Might be a bit tight for a day trip, though.)

Darryl | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 7:07 a.m. | #

I was also going to suggest Bruges. It is a pity you are only allowed one station as after visiting Bruges it is not far along the line to Ostend.

John | 19.06.17 - 7:08 a.m. | #

Is Belgium's least-used railway station within one hop of Brussels?

Joff | 19.06.17 - 7:10 a.m. | #

Ghent. It's a bigger city than Bruges, and more of a living city and less of an open-air museum. There are a lot of attractive old buildings, but also more other things to do. And you can always buy another train ticket and pop over to Bruges for a day.

Mike Scott | 19.06.17 - 7:13 a.m. | #

Waterloo station. Yes, really. http://www.belgianrail.be/en/stations-and-train/search-a-station/19/waterloo.aspx

Mike P-J | 19.06.17 - 7:14 a.m. | #

For a great Belgian walk you could catch a train to Eupen (capital of German Belgium) and take a bus to the High Fens (Haute Vagnes). Great upland nature reserve with amazing views down to the Rhine and the North European Plain.
Or for a transport experience you could catch the coast tram from Oostende to take in all of Belgium's coastal resorts in one trip.
Enjoy whatever you do.

Philb | 19.06.17 - 7:18 a.m. | #

I've always been fascinated by the Coastal Tram - obviously if you go then I won't have to.

Dan | 19.06.17 - 7:21 a.m. | #

I would suggest Liège-Guillemins station, that's really astonishing and either Knokke or De Panne stations, then you could take a Kusttram along the Belgian Coast. Also, Antwerpen Centraal is supposed to be nice.

Simon Hellinger | 19.06.17 - 7:21 a.m. | #

Oostend and Bruges are lovely. Brussels is not so much

Rachel | 19.06.17 - 7:24 a.m. | #

2nd vote for Antwerp. Apart from the City, you could spend a couple of hours just exploring the station with tracks on three levels

100andthirty | 19.06.17 - 7:28 a.m. | #

Waterloo is nice. The visitor centre is worth a look too.

Rob Healy | 19.06.17 - 7:30 a.m. | #

Kortrijk

I has to be Kortrijk

Madison | 19.06.17 - 7:35 a.m. | #

If you are only going to one city then I would recommend Ghent. There is much to see and it is not as touristy as Bruges.

Don't forget that there is nothing to stop you from going out to one city and coming back from another, although you will, of course, have to pay to cross the gap. Travel around the Flemish part of Belgium will cost you from EUR6.00 per day with a De Lijn bus pass (including the Coast Tram) and around the Walloon part from EUR8.00 with the equivalent TEC pass.

Happy exploring.

James Bunting | 19.06.17 - 7:36 a.m. | #

I second Bruges, though fancy doing the coastal tram myself at some point.

For the record, does anybody know the rules on breaking journeys on and "any Belgian station" ticket? The Man In Seat 61 indicates that you can pause in Brussels for a while on both the outbound and inbound legs, but doesn't say whether or not you could break your journey further, to visit more than one Belgian city.

Robert | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 7:37 a.m. | #

Go to Bruges a beautiful mediaeval city, and travel on the canals. Eat lots of chocolates!!

Sara | 19.06.17 - 7:40 a.m. | #

Antwerp every time, fantastic city.

Burntweenie | 19.06.17 - 7:40 a.m. | #

For Flemish cities I'd recommend Gent above Brugge, for the reasons stated, plus Gent has trams. No city with trams can be entirely bad.

Robert Butlin | 19.06.17 - 7:41 a.m. | #

Weelde Station - from there it is a hop, step and jump to Baarle-Hertog / Baarle Nassau. Fascinating place. If you haven't heard about it, the Wikipedia article is pretty good starting point, also Google Maps...

Paul Parkinson | 19.06.17 - 7:42 a.m. | #

Yes, Bruges is beautiful.

Antwerp is very cool with a great mix of Dutch / Belgian culture, some super interesting architecture (old and new), an insanely huge port, a massive river, the train station is quite something and hey, there's a huge zoo next door.

Ghent is often overlooked but it is also really very pretty, full of very old buildings - Grass Quay in particular is lovely. No cars are allowed in the city centre so it's a really nice town to walk around.

Those are in Flanders, looking south to Wallonia the cities are not so hot, it's more about the countryside down there as you get into the Ardennes.

So yes, Antwerp or Ghent as everyone else is suggesting - also as it'll be quick and easy to get to either from Brussels.

| 19.06.17 - 7:54 a.m. | #

Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp are all recommended.

For a rather different experience, there is Ieper (Ypres), especially if you have the means to get to some of the memorials outside the town.

timbo | 19.06.17 - 7:55 a.m. | #

I think you would like Liege, I was there for the day two months ago, and not just for the new train station, fascinating though it is.

You could start your visit at Palais Station, two stops from Guillemins, and do a one way walk back there for your homeward journey.

By chance we started by stumbling onto an entrance to the Citadelle (great views) from Rue Pierreuse, that led ultimately to the base of the 374 Stairs of Mount Beuren (wow!).

After that, you're on your own. The City has a mix of everything you like!

Ken | 19.06.17 - 8:00 a.m. | #

Yes, Bruges is beautiful.

Antwerp is very cool with a great mix of Dutch / Belgian culture, some super interesting architecture (old and new), an insanely huge port, a massive river, the train station is quite something and hey, there's a huge zoo next door.

Ghent is often overlooked but it is also really very pretty, full of very old buildings - Grass Quay in particular is lovely. No cars are allowed in the city centre so it's a really nice town to walk around.

Those are in Flanders, looking south to Wallonia the cities are not so hot, it's more about the countryside down there as you get into the Ardennes.

So yes, Antwerp or Ghent as everyone else is suggesting - also as it'll be quick and easy to get to either from Brussels.

Kevin | 19.06.17 - 8:01 a.m. | #

Ostende is worth a look. Quite a nice seaside. Leuven and Antwerp also worth an exploration.

Toby Jenkins | 19.06.17 - 8:04 a.m. | #

Another vote from me for the coastal tram.

Toby Jenkins | 19.06.17 - 8:06 a.m. | #

When I first went to Bruges I loved it but I took a friend there a couple of years ago and he took a completely different view due to the fact it was hard to move for tourists. He had a valid point.
I would also probably be more inclined to say Gent or Antwerp (I can't comment about Kortrijk).
I once had to go to Charleroi to pick up another friend at the airport, and we took a trip into the town: it'd be no loss if I never saw that place again.
Pretty much anywhere in the Ardennes region is scenic and steeped in history, but it's a bit of a distance to squeeze into a day trip.

RogerW | 19.06.17 - 8:11 a.m. | #

If you want to visit just one station I don't think I have ever been more impressed than by Antwerp's cathedral-esque offer. Yes, Bruges is worth a visit too, and you'll enjoy both cities without a doubt...but...

Please return one day to Ypres ... perhaps on a bleak, November morning, attend the Remembrance service, listen to the last post under the Menin Gate, and later visit the surrounding fields ...

We will remember...

PJS | 19.06.17 - 8:12 a.m. | #

I would also endorse Gent even though it is not close to Brussels. Very easy to get around with a tram ticket and it is lovely having lunch outdoors in the pedestrianised (except trams) centre of the city.

The other thing about Gent is that there is enough to do to occupy your time without there being so much that you wish you had planned this as a weekend.

And if you had the weekend available then I would recommend Monschau in Germany. Get the train from Brussels to Eupen and catch one of the four buses a day (weekends only) over the border.

Pedantic of Purley | 19.06.17 - 8:18 a.m. | #

+1 for Gent, have been there several times, same standard of architecture as Bruges, but, as others have already said, it's actually a living city.

I also like the idea of the coastal tram, although be aware that some stretches of De Kust feel like the Belgians built apartment buildings all the way along the coast between the tram and the beach.

Eupen and the Hautes-Fagnes (Hohes Venn) are very pretty and one of only a few parts of Belgium that don't feel like a suburb of Brussels.

Finally, if you decide on Antwerp, don't miss the Middelheim Museum.

Peter M S | 19.06.17 - 8:25 a.m. | #

Tongeren (Tongres) - Dates from Roman times...

Southern Heights (Light Railway) | 19.06.17 - 8:43 a.m. | #

I would have put Bruges, Ghent and the Coastal tram on my list. I would have followed them with Charleroi, which is a terrible post-industrial dump, but has an interesting tramway/metro history of Grande projets, which ran out of cash.

But for unusuality, which normally appeals to DG, why not book your ticket to the place called Hever? You could see if they have got a castle there. And even try and book a through ticket from Hever, Kent.

Petras409 | 19.06.17 - 8:44 a.m. | #

Antwerp 1st choice - masses to see, incredible history.

Ghent 2nd choice - still quite a bit to see, and pretty canals.

Bruges is (IMO) overrated. Yes there's a very pretty area, but it's also a very small area swamped with tourist parties. All the shops in the main square sell overpriced tat for tourists, all the restaurants are overrun by tourists. Antwerp & Ghent are living cites.

Ed S | 19.06.17 - 8:52 a.m. | #

You could go to Knocke and back from De Panne (or v.v.) and do the Kusttram in between. You probably won't have much day left after that.

| 19.06.17 - 8:59 a.m. | #

I reckon the coastal tram is too much for one day, also presumably wouldn't count as one station.
Antwerp is lovely, very underrated. The brewery tour is now an 'experience' and a bit crap. There is a sewer tour.

John Styles | 19.06.17 - 9:06 a.m. | #

I too would suggest the Kusttram - for a completist like you it covers the whole North Sea coast of Belgium in one go.

But I also wonder if you and we, your readers, would love Baarle as suggested by Paul P further up,

Stephen | 19.06.17 - 9:07 a.m. | #

My tips are in defending order: Bruges, Antwerp, Liege, Ghent.

Michael | 19.06.17 - 9:10 a.m. | #

I vote for Ghent -- as nice as Bruges in my view and not as far; and some great artworks.

Peter Cameron | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 9:10 a.m. | #

But for Baarle it looks like you take an hourly bus from Turnhout, not Weeide

Stephen | 19.06.17 - 9:13 a.m. | #

Ghent is great overall, Liege station is impressive, De Panne is downright weird (and therefore essential - you need to head west from the town centre along the beach and then return through the leafy backstreets - amazing contrast of property)

Jonathan Turton | 19.06.17 - 9:14 a.m. | #

If Antwerp is your choice, challenge yourself to get to the 'ghost town' of Doel http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/doel

Paul Crosland | 19.06.17 - 9:16 a.m. | #

The important thing to remember about a day trip to most European cities is: DON'T GO ON A MONDAY.
I was in Antwerp recently and all museums except one were closed.

jack hopkins | 19.06.17 - 9:27 a.m. | #

Antwerp. The Art-Nouveau quarter has street after street of amazingly beautiful houses.

| 19.06.17 - 9:28 a.m. | #

Charleroi-Sud. Take a look at the major boondoggle that is their so-called metro system.

Michael | 19.06.17 - 9:32 a.m. | #

If you can't speak French don't go to Wallonia.

Mike | 19.06.17 - 9:52 a.m. | #

If you've *never* been to Bruges, it sort of has to be done. There's a reason it's crammed with tourists. If there's time, pop over to Oostend just to see what a Belgian seaside town is like. I wouldn't recommend it as interesting enough on its own, but once you're sick of the tweeness of Bruges... Or if you've got a thing for industrial landscape, there's Zeebrugge instead. But I think it's very difficult to get around there.

But once is enough. After that it's Ghent, then Antwerp.

Chz | 19.06.17 - 9:55 a.m. | #

Bruges is stunning but far too touristy now. I would choose Antwerp. Ghent second.

daveid76 | 19.06.17 - 10:32 a.m. | #

Bruges gets my vote...yes, very touristy at weekends but if you are used to central London then it is not a problem. Plenty of bars with beer menus, at least one brewery worth a visit, plenty of other things to do, if visiting on a Sunday you can watch a game of footy, bookshops, great medieval architecture including a cathedral etc. The central area is small enough to explore on foot.

Doug | 19.06.17 - 10:39 a.m. | #

The new(ish) Waterloo battlefield visitor centre is definitely worth a visit, but it is a bit distant from Waterloo station - you may need a bus connection.

Jon B | 19.06.17 - 10:51 a.m. | #

I'll nominate Liege. Passed through on the Thalys recently and it was rather good.

EonLeader | 19.06.17 - 10:51 a.m. | #

Resist the temptation to avoid Bruges simply because it's popular !

Go on, the forecast looks good so go with the flow just once by enjoying an indulgent alfresco lunch and a few Becks, then go off piste exploring the rest of this great city.

Gerry | 19.06.17 - 11:06 a.m. | #

Add me to the list for Antwerp - pedantically because you asked which *station* you should go to. And architecturally there is arguably no finer railway station in Europe, or maybe the world. (Closest rivals in Europe? St Pancras, of course, Milano Centrale, Roma Termini, the old part of the main station in Kiev perhaps).

Outside the station, it's an elegant, if slightly serious (more Manchester combined with Liverpool than London) city with a range of interesting things to see - I'd single out the Rubens Museum.

Purely on atmosphere of city, I think I'd say Ghent, then Bruges. Baarle-Herzog/Baaale-Nassau is fascinating as a curiosity, but in truth there's not a great deal to see there. Bus 460 from Turnhout I think was or is the way to get there if you're tempted.

Dominic H | 19.06.17 - 11:11 a.m. | #

Waterloo

| 19.06.17 - 11:17 a.m. | #

Some seaside resort (e.g. Ooostende) and the tram would nicely fit into the seaside series on DG. But it cuts 3 hours travel time out of the 10 you are in Belgium - so I don't think its the best idea.

MK | 19.06.17 - 11:26 a.m. | #

DG I'd go to Ypres. It's 100 years this year since the 3rd WWI battle there, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

The In Flanders Field exhibition in the Cloth Hall is a "must see" and if the train connections permit, you should stay for the Last Post Ceremony at 20.00 at the Menin Gate. An incredibly moving experience.

IanD | 19.06.17 - 11:28 a.m. | #

I vote for Leuven, a compact university town, sometimes called 'Oxford at the Dijle'. It's not far from Brussels with good train connections. You can rent a bicyle at the train station and cycle through the city, visit colleges, beautiful churches, the Groot Begijnhof and then to the Arenberg Castle just outside the city centre.

Katrien | 19.06.17 - 11:40 a.m. | #

I would say Bruges but I don't think one day would be enough to do it justice, plus as others have mentioned it is probably full of tourists at this time of year. We went in a February and it was busy enough then.

My personal choice would be Ostend, purely because it looked like a place I'd like to come back to when I passed through several years back.

If you do go to (or pass) Ghent check out the cycle park by the station

Tim | 19.06.17 - 11:53 a.m. | #

Bruges is a beautiful city, but I think I would choose Ghent as my choice.

Ghent is a student town, and that means its slightly livelier and not nearly as touristy.

There are lots of museums and churches to visit, and it's a very photogenic city, reachable fairly quickly from Brussels.

I'd recommend the Design Museum, and even the graffiti alley. Just opposite the train station is Citadel Park, home to the Kuipke - somewhere that cycling fans head to each November for the famous Six Days event.

Adam Bowie | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 12:01 p.m. | #

Antwerp or Ghent.

In Antwerp there's the wooden escalator under the river.

And thinking of crossing rivers, rather than a Hudson River ferry, you can even get a tram to Hoboken.

ap | 19.06.17 - 12:06 p.m. | #

Silly.

Somewhere a bit off the wall, but a place unlikely to have been written about by others.

Silly can be reached by train from Brussels Midi about half an hour and there are two trains per hour. Silly Station is in the middle of nowhere, the village/town is about 2 km to the south west. Although there is a bus stop at the station I can’t get the TEC website to admit to a bus to take you there if it is not walking weather. If you decide to explore when you get there the village has a brewery - http://silly-beer.com/en/ , an extremely crowded and soulless cemetery, a square and not much else to the untrained eye, probably meaning that you would find lots to look discover. The website is: http://www.silly.be/

James B | 19.06.17 - 12:08 p.m. | #

Out of all the Belgian towns and cities that I've visited, Ghent is still my favourite. So much so that I usually visit it about once a week just to enjoy the feel of the place which I've yet to find elsewhere in Belgium. The students in the city give it a life that other Belgian cities lack. You're only 35-40 minutes away on a non-stop train from Brussels.

Avoid Bruges unless you want to end up in a tourist hellhole where you'll be lucky to hear anything but English being spoken. The last time I went there I walked from the station to the main street (there isn't much else there) and remembered how crap it was so I turned back.

Tetramesh | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 12:12 p.m. | #

And don't visit the coast, it's horrific.

Tetramesh | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 12:16 p.m. | #

I hope this isn't a poll. They've not gone so well of late.

wolf | 19.06.17 - 12:28 p.m. | #

Bruges... Hire a bike, do a lap of the town on the outside of the wall/canal/moat and then carry on cycling up to Zeebrugge.

Marc | 19.06.17 - 12:30 p.m. | #

I used to visit Verviers years ago ,and for some reason, found it a charming place. No idea what it is like now, plus IMHO it is too far for a meaningful day trip.
Liege is worth a visit but, realistically, I go with the Gent vote. All my thoughts have been expressed in previous comments. Lots to see, trams, interesting buildings,canals etc..

baldrick | 19.06.17 - 12:31 p.m. | #

Bruges, without a doubt. It's stunningly pretty and small enough to be seen well in a day.

pkoconnor | 19.06.17 - 12:53 p.m. | #

Comments from people who don't know me very well:
» "enjoy an indulgent alfresco lunch"
» "hire a bike, do a lap of the town"
» "small enough to be seen well in a day"

diamond geezer | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 1:02 p.m. | #

Happy to endorse any of the first 4 popular options. Done all of those in the past. I've also done Charleroi and Anderlues solely because of the tram and remnants of the old interurban tram routes. Quite industrial and run down so perhaps not a tourist highlight but fascinating in terms of decline, mad spending on wholly unnecessary transport infrastructure (bits have never opened) and stumbling across a lovely vintage tram line between Lobbes and Thuin.

I love Belgium as a country - completely underappreciated.

PC | 19.06.17 - 1:09 p.m. | #

Ghent.
Although I would like to hear about Antwerp as I have only seen the beautiful railway station

Martin E1 | 19.06.17 - 1:15 p.m. | #

I think you'll seek out the least visited station and go there.

Jimmy | 19.06.17 - 1:26 p.m. | #

Antwerp

Lioness | 19.06.17 - 2:00 p.m. | #

Agreed with the general consensus-- Antwerp is very interesting, and Bruges is rightly famous, but I'd say Ghent is the pick of the lot.

Jameso | 19.06.17 - 2:18 p.m. | #

Ghent

Tim | 19.06.17 - 2:55 p.m. | #

@ Comments from people who don't know me very well:

But that's the whole point, be different for just one memorable day ! Go on, break all your rules - you might even find that you enjoy it...

If not, send me the bill !

dg writes: Comment from person who doesn't know me very well

Gerry | 19.06.17 - 2:58 p.m. | #

Ghent would be my choice. Interesting buildings, plenty to see. Bruges is very pretty in a chocolate box way. I couldn't take to Antwerp, though worth a visit if you like shoe shops.

Victoria | 19.06.17 - 3:46 p.m. | #

Bruges is indeed quite nice but I suggest Aalst just because I used to go there a lot and wonder how it is these days......

NiC | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 3:52 p.m. | #

Bruges is the obvious first place to go but although it is undeniably pretty I found it quite underwhelming.

There isn't a huge amount to see at Waterloo and the battlefield is a fair trek from the station.

Ieper is definitely recommended but it is a long way from Brussels and there is a lot to fit in if you are only there for a few hours.

I don't know enough about elsewhere in Belgium to comment but the station in Liege looks absolutely stunning in the pictures I have seen.

whiff | 19.06.17 - 5:03 p.m. | #

Ghent is a nice city, very vibrant and lively with lots of bars. I also think there's a big festival around june/july that's free and takes over the whole town. There's also a bar near the river that sells every flavour schnapps you can imagine, and just over the river is the bicycle bar, run by a hoarder whose price for beer varies on how much he likes you, what bills he has to pay and various other factors. Don't bother with bruges, the whole city shuts at 7pm.

Jed | 19.06.17 - 5:25 p.m. | #

What kind of day do you want? I suspect you'll be tempted by the seaside tram, but Waterloo might be a good idea: the infrastructure should be in good fettle, shortly after the 200th anniversary. And I'm sure Ypres would be an unforgettable experience.

Andrew | 19.06.17 - 5:44 p.m. | #

Nobody has mentioned all the Belgian beer cafes. I'd dearly like to read your report of a visit to one in Bruges, or elsewhere, and the reaction when you ask for a Becks.

Dave | 19.06.17 - 6:09 p.m. | #

The write up of wherever you go will be interesting and I'm sure I'll learn a lot about what seems to be Europe's most dysfunctional country, but after reading the Waterloo chapter in Les Miserables I'd like to read your take on the battlefield as it is now.

Philip W | 19.06.17 - 6:11 p.m. | #

Bruges is beautiful and you would enjoy seeing the settings for the movie "In Bruges". However the must-see is probably the Ghent Altarpiece. Under no circumstances linger in Brussels itself!

| 19.06.17 - 7:15 p.m. | #

Echoing similar comments here Bruges is lovely but Ghent has more to offer and is a more interesting destination. If you do decide to go to Bruges make sure you watch the film 'In Bruges' from 2008, featuring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson - one of the funniest films ever, and will make you think of Bruges in a completely different light!

Bill | 19.06.17 - 7:19 p.m. | #

Someone else read my mind about 'In Bruges'. Regarding Brussels itself, it is worth a visit and has some nice bars but watch out for pickpockets at stations.

Bill | 19.06.17 - 7:22 p.m. | #

I would vote for Antwerp (or Anvers if you speak French!)
Nice Flemish architecture, newly renovated railway station, new port museum. Also you are the diamond geezer - you can pick up some serious bling!

kissenme | 19.06.17 - 8:13 p.m. | #

Bruges. Just make sure you're not at the top of the bell tower at midday!

muninnhuginn | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 8:19 p.m. | #

Loving that when a London-centric blog asks for Belgian destination ideas the comments explode! Ghent or Bruges are great (though I would guess you'd find, as a city dwelling chap, Antwerp an overall, more interesting destination.) Have a good trip wherever you head to.

Kevin | 19.06.17 - 8:22 p.m. | #

Tournai. One of the oldest cities in Belgium, has an interesting connection to Henry VIII and is generally quite pretty with a nice main square and a unique water bridge.

Rob | 19.06.17 - 8:33 p.m. | #

Like many have said, Ghent is a really great city - not visited as much as Bruge, but just as pretty.

Or for an interesting small market town, try Oudenaarde. Amazing market square, with wonderful town hall building that is a World Heritage Site. And it's home to the Liefmans Brewery, famous for their fruit beers.

Andrew | 19.06.17 - 9:07 p.m. | #

If you are the kind of trainspotter who goes in for unusual tickets, you could stack it with one of the €25 "any Dutch station to Antwerp" deals that turn up periodically on http://www.spoordeelwinkel.nl/ and visit somewhere random in the Netherlands. I've used this the other way to cross the border and then use the cheap(er) SNCB ticket machines to go onwards from there rather than suffer the eyewatering fares usually charged by https://www.nsinternational.nl/.

Sadly, the deal this month costs a further €10 and includes a ticket for "Comics Station Antwerp". This might however suggest somewhere to check out if you do choose to visit Antwerp.

Peter | 19.06.17 - 9:23 p.m. | #

I suggest Schaerbeek. It's in the suburbs of Brussels so, in a sense, you will not be doing much for your money. Like some suburban stations in London it has a not-particularly-frequent train service. The old station building is home to part of the Belgian Railway Museum "Train World" http://www.trainworld.be/en; the museum extends to a few huge tin shed warehouses out the back. Lots to see and it can fill the day. You will also be able to visit (in model form) Antwerpen-Centraal and Liège-Guillemins.

John Morgan | 19.06.17 - 9:30 p.m. | #

University city Leuven is worth a trip. Not far from Brussels by train. The Rock Werchter festival in early July gets some big names. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/belgium/leuven

Ghent and Bruges both good, but an easy drive from Calais. Antwerp is probably the sensible option.

An off-piste idea is to get your free ticket for the furthest station towards Luxembourg City

David | Homepage | 19.06.17 - 9:31 p.m. | #

Bruges is a must

Bohica | 19.06.17 - 9:49 p.m. | #

Wetserlo is nice (nearest station Geel) maybe make a journey explore surrounding towns too

Euan | 19.06.17 - 10:05 p.m. | #

Blankenberge. Gorgeous little seaside town. You can visit this place http://newcrossoftencross.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/the-mystery-of-corner-house.html

Chris | 19.06.17 - 10:08 p.m. | #

No one else has suggested Mechelen, so worth a look by definition

https://toerisme.mechelen.be/en/wintertuin

Max Roberts | 19.06.17 - 10:24 p.m. | #

Because of the comprehensive train services, you could easily work it as a round trip.

For instance, have St Niklass as your nominal destination and out via Ghent and back via Antwerp is feasible. (No ticket barriers to contend with).
Similarly, if you head for Liege go out via Leuven and back alongside the river via Namur and/or Charleroi.
Don/t be distracted by 'nearest stop to Luxembourg' - far too time-consuming.
And don't fall for Holland - again too risky on a day trip. The non-Thalys trains can be a bit flaky. You can't afford to be held up across the border.
And forget the mundane single deck units - you want to be upstairs on a double deck M6 set. There are a lot of them, and you won't want to get off. The vernacular architecture of ordinary buildings and houses is so varied.

If you do go to Liege or Bruges/Ghent/Ostend, then the InterCity I11 hauled stock is rather impressive. Soooo roomy and comfy.

Enjoy.

Peter Cummings | 19.06.17 - 10:46 p.m. | #

Bruges and bring back some great photos

Dave B | 19.06.17 - 10:48 p.m. | #

Liege? Le Musée du Luminaire (MULUM)

Antwerp? Museum Plantin-Moretus

Ghent? The history of science museum

Charleroi? Le Bois du Cazier (an easy bus journey away)

Waterloo? the Panorama

Brussels? Train world.

Ralf | 19.06.17 - 11:40 p.m. | #

Thanks everyone...
...so many comments...
...who knew Belgium was so interesting?!

I haven't made my mind up where to go yet, but I have dozens of great suggestions.

(it won't be beer- or train-related, though)

diamond geezer | Homepage | 20.06.17 - 1:12 a.m. | #

If you go to Eupen, you could walk to a spot where three countries meet on land. Also you could climb up to the highest point in Belgium, and visit the nice town too.

Jimmy | 20.06.17 - 6:45 a.m. | #

"Under no circumstances linger in Brussels itself!" Anon.

What? Shocking. Lived in Brussels in my early teens, thought it was a great city. Pretty sure dg has already been (I vaguely remember a report from the Atonium) and the point of this excercise was to identify recommendations outside Brussels anyway.

Very much looking forward to the outcome of this. I'm always surprised at how much dg manages to fit into one day so this will be a great trip.

I suspect some of the suggestions, such as the Kusttram may prove impractical due to time constraints, but would love to read about such a visit (going off to look now & see if anyone has written about this). IIRC there used to be a flight from Southend to Oostende which may have made such a trip easier.

I'm afraid I can't add to the very comprehensive list of suggestions, but my vote would go with Antwerpen and Brugge. The last time I visited Brugge it wasn't overrun with tourists, but this was early January about 20 years ago.

Lorenzo | 20.06.17 - 10:33 a.m. | #

Kust tram from Knokke to Ostend.

A couple of points though: it's darned hot on the tram when the sun is shining through all that glass. And because the tracks pass behind the dunes and well inland in some locations, there isn't as much sea view as you might hope for. Bags to look at nonetheless.

At Ostend there was time for friets met mayo, a Gueuze beer and an ambulant ice cream.

I was glad not to have continued tramming it down to De Panne; the clock would have become dominant and that's not what a day out is about.

I don't think any one has mentioned the Atomium in Brussels: a superb piece of 1950s oddness. Creaky narrow escalators taking you up and down the legs of the metalwork, exhibits long given up trying to be relevant. It's a cast-off Tardis with a fixed itinerary. For those who were entranced by its Sputniky image when it was first built, it's now a lovable well-worn junk shop item.

dg writes: The Atomium's in Brussels, which is the one station I definitely won't be terminating at. Also, I've been.

Pimlico Pete | 20.06.17 - 11:28 a.m. | #

Ostend is beatiful

Philip G | 20.06.17 - 3:45 p.m. | #

...over 100 comments?!

Grumpy Anon | 20.06.17 - 4:12 p.m. | #

For various reasons I've not looked here for 3 days. Damn, excellent idea mate. I would have said Blankenberge/the coast tram. But I want to come up with something no-one else has, so -

Trois Ponts.

It's in a beautiful gorge, proving that Belgium isn't all flat. The railway follows the river. It's historic, featuring in the Battle of the Bulge (real version, not the film). You can drink a real beer, not your usual bottle of Becks. And lastly you can note it shares the same name as Three Bridges in Sussex. A novel kicker!

Sorted. A day too late....

Chris | 20.06.17 - 5:23 p.m. | #

(no, not today)

diamond geezer | Homepage | 20.06.17 - 8:38 p.m. | #

Ghent for sure, then Brugge, which is a must, but only to witness why Ghent is better.

Jag | 20.06.17 - 9:24 p.m. | #

Get the train to Turnhout - then it is about 25 minutes by bus to Baarle-Nassau, a town just over the border in the Netherlands but which has random bits of land which are Belgian exclaves (there is more on my homepage link). The bus from Turnhout runs hourly - De Lijn, route 460.

Malc Mc | Homepage | 20.06.17 - 10:47 p.m. | #

@ Lorenzo - years ago there was a hydrofoil from Dover from Oostende. It started early and ran late in Summer which is how I explored the Belgian seaside and Brugges on Saturday daytrips. A great way to get across the channel quickly and have a really different day out. All long gone - sadly.

PC | 21.06.17 - 12:05 a.m. | #

I vote for the Kusttram too.

Ian Brooker | 21.06.17 - 12:19 p.m. | #

Worth reading the latest novel (2013) by Stefan Hertmans, called War and turpentine.

| 24.06.17 - 12:25 p.m. | #

Yes, Bruges is definitely a tourist trap.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/27/the-chips-are-up-bruges-cafes-charge-tourists-extra-10?CMP=twt_gu

Tetramesh | Homepage | 27.06.17 - 6:17 p.m. | #

Mechelen, a great little gem, then either Antwerp for the station and Architcture and Leige again for the station

Mark NOrrington | 28.06.17 - 10:56 a.m. | #











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