Advantages: Scenery, Great hotels, food and shopping
Disadvantages: Can be crowded in Summer

...I have visited Brugge or Bruges to the French, in the Flanders region of Belgium many times. I have to say it is probably my favourite European city. There are two parts to Brugge, the new and the main residential exterior area, and the old walled medieval town and haunt for the many tourists that are drawn to it. Brugge dates back hundreds of years but detailed history of it starts around the 13th century, hence there is some marvellous architecture to observe, including the 272 foot high Belfry, located in the central Markt and main square. If you fancy the exercise, scale the 370 odd steps to gain a superb view of the town. There are great and inexpensive places to eat and drink in Brugge. If you like Belgian beer, try the local golden ales, that in some cases will literally blow your head off. The beers are served to you... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning buildings, lots of bars and two breweries to visit.
Disadvantages: Gets VERY busy and be prepared to pay tourist prices!

...During our excellent trip to Belgium in June this year we had a day out in the beautiful city of Bruges. As with our other trips the main motivation was to sample beer and to go on a glorified bar crawl ~ but we did have a wander round the city and had ample opportunity to buy chocolates and look at the scenery. ~~~WHERE IS BRUGES? Bruges is in the small European country of Belgium and can be found in an area in the north called West Flanders. The main language in this area of the country is Dutch (French is the dominant language in the Southern regions ~ Wallonia), although English is widely spoken and also German. Belgium is part of the E.U. so the currency is the Euro. Bruges is known for its canals, earning it the name of “Venice of the North” and you will find lace and chocolates are the main items for sale in the tourist... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: quaint, plenty to do
Disadvantages: pricey, popular with British SAGA tours

...If you have read my Review on Bruxelles, you will know that my style is to try and describe the atmosphere rather than list specific attractions, and this applies here too If you have NOT read my Bruxelles Op, WHY NOT!!! I always imagined Brugge to be a quaint little town that was probably over-rated and infested with coach tours on their way back to the channel ports. On the latter point there is a grain of truth, it gets very popular in the summer and is quite compact Brugge is in the Flemish part of Belgium so if you've been to quaint Dutch towns you will notice a resemlance It is a working town though, although it relies on tourism it is home to a train manufacturer which (fascinating fact) has built all the Virgin Voyager trains and others supplied to UK rail companies. You are unlikely to se smokestack industry though I have... 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 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... Read review

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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 university town Ghent. Brussels is bustling, theres a fair amount 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... Read review

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Advantages: Very comfortable hotel, good bar
Disadvantages: Need a car or taxi to go into the city centre

...On my recent trip to Belgium I stopped at the Holiday Inn in Gent. It was not the first time I have stopped there and probably will not be the last. As I have written in my reviews of Gent and Bruges this is a nice part of Belgium to visit and I am lucky to be able to go there on business. The hotel is modern and could not be called beautiful. It is though very comfortable and used by both business guests and tourists alike. It is very handy for those who like me drive over to Belgium as it is well situated just off the E40 motorway which runs from the ports to Brussels and also the E17 which heads North towards Antwerp. However this close proximity to the motorway means it is not that handy for the town centre. There were some disappointed coach passengers who found they could not feasibly walk into the town from the hotel and had... Read review

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Advantages: Pretty and unspoilt
Disadvantages: Can get crowded in the summer

.... The local brewery Straffe Hendrick runs regular tours (in a number of languages, including English), which include a glass of beer at the end! The tourist information office (in the main square) is informative, and will supply you with a free map and hints on what to do. THINGS TO BUY CHOCOLATE - Belgium is famous for its chocolates, and Bruges has a large number of shops to tempt you. There are the more well-known brands (Godiva, Leonadis, etc) plus MANY more. Expect to pay about half the UK prices. All shops accept credit cards, and most will also accept sterling and other European currencies. BEER - Belgium is equally famous for its beer. There are many bars where you can enjoy a glass or two, and specialist shops where you can buy the souvenir packs and glasses to take home. I have found that it is cheaper to avoid these shops... Read review

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Advantages: Good location and relaxed atmosphere
Disadvantages: None i can think of

..., with several families staying there while i was there. There is plenty to do in the city of Bruges, like a horse and carriage ride around the city, or a trip down the canals, walking to the top of the Belfry or just shopping. This is ideal for anyone who wants to get away for any reason, whether it be a romantic weekend away, to visit a city steeped in history or someone who just wants to fill up on Belgium Chocolates! Here you have it all, the history, the food and most of all (for women everywhere) the shops!... Read review

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Advantages: Good base for exploring, good selection of shops, bars and restaurants.
Disadvantages: Not as pretty as some other places. Building work is a problem at the moment.

...We have just got back from a wonderful trip to Belgium. Our holiday was based in Ostende and before we set off I hadn’t really heard much about it and found getting a guide book on this area very difficult. So I thought I would relate my experiences of the place and what we found to see and do while visiting. We were only there for four days and spent most of the days out and about, but we did have a chance to explore Ostende and to use the local transport frequently. ~~~USEFUL INFO. Ostende is located in an area of Belgium known as West Flanders, not far from Bruges and Gent and around 70 miles from Brussels. It is a coastal resort, located in the centre of Belgium’s coastline, which also has ferry and Hovercraft terminals, a train station, a tram link and a fishing port. There has been a link between Dover and Ostende for over... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Very pleasant, easy to visit, excellent food and beer
Disadvantages: None

...Bruges is a delightful city in the North of Belgium in the part of the country known as Flanders. The first habitants called it Bruggia or Burg and it literally just means borough. However in the 13th century the Counts of Flandres built parts of the town and it became a centre for trade and the arts from the 13th century. It is that town that it is possible to see today. I recently visited the city again. As regular readers of some of my reviews know I often travel with my job in Northern Europe and was visiting the Gent and Brussels areas again this past week. Like many Belgian towns and cities Bruges has a splendid Market Place surrounded by old impressive buildings. In the Bruges Market Place there is the Provincial Palace along one side and the Belfry at one end. Around three sides of the square now there are shops and bars... Read review

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