Things to do and places to see in Belgium and Luxembourg

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noy91

noy91

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Hello all,

You seem a well travelled bunch so I was hoping to get your insights on the 'must sees' in Belgium and Luxembourg.

I have three days and two nights there over new year with a provisional itinerary as follows:

Tuesday 30th:
Dover-Dunkirk Ferry (around midday).
Dunkirk to Ghent. Look around Ghent.
Ghent to Waterloo. Overnight in Ibis Brussels Waterloo *** £54

Wednesday 31st:
Waterloo battlefield key sights.
Brussels - Autoworld, Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, general city centre architecture.
Brussels to Luxembourg City. Overnight in Sofitel Luxembourg Europe ***** £99

Thursday 1st
Luxembourg City - casemates, viaduct, general city centre architecture.
Lux City to Remich - look around.
Remich to Bastogne - look around.
Bastogne to Leuven - look around.
Leuven to Dunkrik - 10pm ferry.

Are there any particularly good sights I've missed? Am happy to roam quite a way, especially for fortifications and motoring themed attractions, or striking architecture. Nothing is open on the 1st so that has to be mainly outdoor viewing.

Maastricht would be in reach, as would Antwerp - would you take these over Leuven?
 
Bruge is lovely - it's like they've taken every pretty building of that style and jammed them all into a walking tour.

Yes, it's a tourist trap but if you're in full-blown tourist mode it's great. Only thing the shops sell is beer, chocolate and lace. Or occasionally a chocolate beer served on a lace beermat. A day or two is enough (IMO) but well worth a look :)
 
Antwerp centre is quite beautiful, as is Ghent (on your list). Brussels city centre also splendid. Waterloo was a bit of disappointment (don't eat at any cafe by the visitor centre), and while Luxembourg is fine it is not a must see.

I'd probably add on Ypres (if you can tolerate the fact it is an immense cemetery).

I love Belgium, I have great friends in Antwerp, but hate the driving standards there. Major motorways are fine, the small ones are lousy and generally entirely free of fuel and loo stops.
 
Stadihaus square Bruge is stunning ice rink will still be there and some great restaurants and architecture close by as well as some of the worlds best chocolate shops
 
A few suggestions:

The Atomium in Brussels. This was recently fully refurbished and looks great again. It houses a good exhibition about its history and you can get some good views across the city from it on a clear day.

The Albert I monument at Nieuwpoort.

Trench of Death (Dodengang) just outside Diksmuide.

The Menin Gate and Cloth Hall at Ypres. Also, on the northern outskirts of Ypres, Essex Farm cemetery, a field dressing station during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 where Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McRae of the Canadian Expeditionary Force penned “In Flanders Fields” on May 3rd 1915.

Tyne Cot Cemetery at Zonnebeke. The largest British war cemetery in the world, it includes 11,956 burials and on the wall at the back are engraved the names of almost 35,000 soldiers with no known grave who fell on the Ypres Salient during WWI from 16th August 1917. It is thus a continuation of the memorial list on the Menin Gate.

Langemarck German Cemetery. If ever a graphic illustration of the difference between the victor and the vanquished were needed, then this is it. Presenting a stark contrast to the CWGC cemeteries and memorials, the only German cemetery in the Ypres salient contains 44,294 burials of which some 25,000 are in a communal grave. Every bit as moving as Tyne Cot.
 
Having lived in Belgium for two years, I would 2nd Ypres - lovely architecture in the centre and the Menin Gate is a very touching memorial.

I would visit Bruges - just to say you have been there, avoid eating in the main square - a real tourist rip off! I do prefer Ghent, just as good architecture with out the great rip off.

As said the Grand Place in Brussels is pleasant and if you must - the "Mannekin Pis" is close by.

Leuven is fine but really only the home of Stella Artois!

Namur is very interesting and worth a visit.

Steve
 
Gary-W said:
Only thing the shops sell is beer, chocolate and lace. Or occasionally a chocolate beer served on a lace beermat. A day or two is enough (IMO) but well worth a look :)
Click to expand...
We found a shop selling Schott jackets too, as I really needed a coat when we went a couple of years ago (i left it on the ship by mistake and it was really cold in Bruges that day!)!! Lovely steets and nice cafes - well worth going to. :)
 
I was going to suggest the Menin Gate and Cloth Hall in Ypres but st13phil beat me to it. Nevertheless, I'll give them another mention. The Menin Gate is spine tingling, especially when you realise the names are 'just' those with no known grave. The Cloth Hall looks like it has been there for many centuries but has been completely rebuilt after being destroyed in World War 1

If you do end up visiting Ypres, try to see the Last Post Ceremony. It takes place every evening at 8pm and is very moving.
 
Richiebuoy said:
I'll second it for Brugge, absolutely beautiful place with loads to see and do.
Click to expand...

Bruges is beautiful if the weather is warm but in the winter, it's freezing and there are not many indoor places to seek refuge unless you are going to eat or drink something indoors.
 
Thanks guys, knew you'd come up trumps!

I've actually done Bruges three times before, so will probably give that a miss this time, but agree its a lovely place, albeit not the best dining experience.

Ypres, Langemarck and Zonnebeke seem good shouts - will allocate at least a half day. Suspect it will leave a far more lasting impression, and especially appropriate given the year. Really should have thought of these.

As for Waterloo, I am prepared to be underwhelmed, but equally feel I really should see it, and as this will be a solo trip probably easier to do it now than trying to convince others.

Will work on the schedule and see what I come up with.
 
I find this is the best thing to see whilst travelling through Belgium :thumb:
Personal opinion of course ;)

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ChrisA said:
I find this is the best thing to see whilst travelling through Belgium :thumb:
Personal opinion of course ;)

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Ha, I am with you on that tbh, but considering the amount the time I've spent on the Belgium motorway network I figured I should actually stop somewhere one day!
 
Got to go to Bruge.
The historic center of Bruges is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is teeming with places of interest. With the city center closed off to cars, all the stunning beauty and culture of this unforgettable city can be easily explored on foot, by boat along quiet canals, or by horse-drawn carriage on cobblestoned streets. Although Bruges is a small city, it is filled to the brim with architectural and artistic treasures, folklore, chocolate shops, lace boutiques and fine restaurants. Two popular places in the city are The Beguinages (on the UNESCO World Heritage list, it is the home of the nuns of the order of Saint Benedict) and the Halve Maan Brewery, a family-owned brewery and creator of the famous ‘Brugse Zot’ beer. (copied from my tripadvisor review!)
 
Bruxelles Saturday night great city apart from the European parliament
Happy memories worked there for 6 months
the square is AWESOME
celtica o' Reilly's nice
 
Have just arrived in the Double Tree Hilton, Luxembourg City - good run down from Brussels including a new personal best, very little traffic once off the ring road and some light mist to complement the snow covered verges.

Came across on the DFDS to Dunkirk yesterday, which was smooth but fundamentally dull. An expensive return trip at £137, especially as I've done it before in the first week of January for around £40 return.

Headed straight for Ghent, arriving at dusk. The city comfortably exceeded expectations, with my impression being that, the centre at least, had all the beauty of Bruges, but actually catered to people other than tourists. There were plenty of places to eat, and good food could be had in the sub EUR 15 range.

I parked about 1km from the historic centre in a chain multi-story - was showing as having eight places when I entered, but most of the top level was empty so managed to get a place without anyone either side. Having said that, the places were at least 10 foot wide, so there would have been no issues with that anyway. I purposely chose this one as figured it would be less busy than the one at the actual centre, but up walking to the central one, it showed 100+ places free. I presume more shoppers than tourists this time of year?

Exiting the car park was rather more difficult than entering it however; the down ramps were built right next to each other, meaning the turning circle between levels was about two thirds of the length of the CL, effectively necessitating a two point turn before attempting each ramp - pretty sure I wasn't missing anything, but would be chaos when busy. Cheap at least at EUR 2.50 for three hours.

I then proceeded down to Waterloo, staying at the Ibis. Cheap, clean and free Internet that was uploading at 20+mbits/s, so points for that. I ate in the attached Italian restaurant which was serving Pizza Express / Zizzi / Prezzo style meals, but double their portion sizes. I started with a beef cannelloni and then had a truffle risotto washed down with a tap water. Totalled EUR 23, and would say they could have charged EUR 30 without the food seeming bad value. Guess the setting wasn't great however.

Waterloo as a town is dominated by light industry and car dealerships, so not a destination in its own right but the battlefield visitor centre is worth a stop, as much for the ability to survey the field and see the three farm houses from the Lion Mound.

I then did a bit of a drive round to see La Haye Sainte (can get very close, but not into it), La Belle Alliance, and Papelot, the latter being a horse riding school these days. The lanes between them were an interesting challenge, being paved with cobbles that have subsided at either edge leaving quite a raised ridge in the middle - I had the ABC at its highest setting for these, as when you combined the subsidence with a pot hole it really was rather pronounced. Quite a few deep puddles as well; could see one over the axles in the mirror. Good fun though, and the first time I'd really had to do anything like that with the CL.

From there went into Brussels and parked up with ease on the street. Took a walk through a park to the Autoworld Museum which was excellent. Highlight of the trip so far. They had a guest exhibition of Aston Martin's including some very rare early ones. There was a decent selection of Audis as well as an intriguing selection of pre-WW1 and interwar cars, especially French and Belgium marques that never reopened post '45. My only criticism would be that was minimal explanation with each one; some required no introduction, but it would have been nice with some others.

Opposite is the National Army Museum. Given this gets rave reviews I was a little disappointed in that it covered the Napoleonic and Great War eras well, but seemed to skip Congo, the Second World War, and Belgium's more recent deployments, especially as they have FN. They did however have an excellent hall dedicated to the evolution of medieval and early modern armour and edged weapons, and an exhaustive flag collection.

I then thought I would drive a little further into the centre, but this proved a lazy mistake as 90 mins later I was hopelessly stuck in heavy traffic, the OBD showing 12mpg with no chance of turning left as inevitably required. Sharing the road with trams is also surprisingly stressful at times! Anyway, I gave that up as a bad job and continued on to Lux, frustratingly not quite having the range to cross the border before refuelling, but am back on the orange light now so will fill here tomorrow. 98 is below 1 EUR per litre here, compared to EUR 1.40 in Belgium.

The attached restaurant was offering a 'special' NYE cold buffet for EUR 55, which I politely declined, and now have a beef tartar, weiner schnitzel, fries and salad being sent up for 28 EUR - much more like it! Would defo recommend the Double Tree for anyone saying in Lux - pleasant woodland setting, spotlessly clean, and even the basic room is what I would describe as a junior suite.

Day 1 saw a reported 24.5 mpg at an average speed of 54.
Today saw 20 mpg with an average speed of 41, which I though was excellent recovery considering I was down at 12 mpg and 16 mph at one point.

The CL has performed excellently throughout on pretty much every surface and traffic condition going. I do wonder the drivers side windows aren't 100% aligned or if there's an issue with the rubber trim (nothing visible on a casual inspection), as wind whistle at speed is disappointing, and I'm sure a non-pillarless S class wouldn't suffer the same noise.

Am just waiting for pictures to upload and will then add in a few links.
 
Glad you had a good memorable trip.

Steve:thumb::D
 
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