Preparing the trip

Preparing a trip can almost just as fun as the trip itself. For this trip too, it was great fun researching what we were going to do on our destination.

Internet

The following sites were helpful for orientation on these two Flemish cities:

www.brugge.be useful guide by the city government on accommodation, sights,tours etc.
www.gent.be website by the City of Ghent with tips for tourists and links

Also the usenet newsgroup rec.travel.europe has been a source of information, provide you ask the right questions.

Guide Book

We are devoted fans of the Rough Guide. In comparison to their competitor Lonely Planet, we find them more clearly structured (more so since the 2002 restyling), but more importantly they are less budget oriented. With regard to restaurants and accommodation they have made broader selection in price and comfort. In addition to that the Rough Guide has a more European perspective on things and the writers are lesse hebben ze qua prijs en comfort een bredere selectie gemaakt. Also Rough Guide has a somewhat more European angle on things and the writers do not impose their views to the reader as much as LP does. Others may very well appreciate the budget orientation or the more personal style of LP better. There is a (mini) Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent (2002), but we already had a 3rd edition of the Rough Guide to Belgium & Luxembourg (2002).

The Rough Guides website contains large parts (if not all) of the book contents. Very helpful while preparing your trip before you have bought the book. The site also contains updates with information that came up after the publication of the book.

Back

Accommodatie

Bruges has many hotels, B&B's and hostels, who fill up to capacity during the summer months. Bruges is certainly not cheap, not even in low season. We chose Ibishotel. Not spectacular, solide though and smack in the centre.

Back

Reis

We took the train to Bruges. From Rotterdam the journey took about 2 hrs and 40 minutes. Not much slower than a car ride. In Antwerp we had 7 minutes to change trains. The connecting was ready on the opposite side of the platform. Big advantage was that we did not have to worry about parking in Bruges and Ghent. There are 4 Intercity trains every hour connecting Bruges and Ghent. The journey takes 22 minutes.

Back