Cheers, Belgium!
Brugge, Belgium
I never thought I would find myself in Belgium, but I am so happy I did! And there really isn’t any place better to eat chocolate, waffles, and drink beer. All foods that I thoroughly enjoy. But outside of the food staples, Belgium is a country with a long history, beautiful gothic architecture, and diverse cultures. Their language and population consists of German, Dutch, French and English which opens the country to people from many different cultures. We had some really great middle eastern food in the neighborhood we stayed in, there is a big Turkish and Moroccan community a little outside of the main city of Brussels. My YouTube vlog is now live if you’d like visuals of everything we did!
We toured three cities in Belgium in our 4 day trip and I’ve shared all the amazing details below for your trip (or returning trip) to Belgium!
Train Tips:
Depending on where you’re coming from, Belgium is pretty central and easy to get to by train. The trains in Europe are so efficient and accessible, you can literally get anywhere via the train and it’s way more comfortable, and quicker than flying.
The trains usually have Wifi so you can get some work done during the ride, but don’t rely on the signal being strong. It’s also a great time to relax, read a book or watch a movie. We love to watch a movie that takes place in the country or city we are visiting. It’s a tradition we have, and it gets us excited for our trip but we couldn’t find any that we recognized based in Belgium. So if you have any, feel free to share them!
Definitely bring snacks for the ride, it will be about 2 hours long. The train does have a cafe if you forget to buy some, but I like to have food I know I’m going to enjoy and then rely on the train for beverages.
Stay:
We stayed in a Kindred about 10 minutes outside of Brussels. If you' aren’t familiar with Kindred, it’s an apartment swapping platform where you can list your apartment or house and earn credits for every day it’s listed and rented out by someone else of the platform. You can then use those credits towards stays in other cities, countries, that have Kindreds available. It’s kind of like Airbnb but nicer because people are more courteous and considerate of your belongings.
The apartment was very nice, clean and well decorated. It actually gave me a lot of inspiration for our Miami apartment lol. The only downside is that it was a 6 story walk up, not ideal when you have 200lbs of luggage to carry.
If you aren’t on Kindred, I’m sure there are plenty of airbnb’s to choose from if you’d prefer to do that over a hotel.
Cities:
Brugge - This was by far my favorite city in Belgium! The ancient city is so beautiful. The images honestly don’t do it justice. The city is covered in ancient buildings with gorgeous and detailed architecture, preserved churches and forts, canals that run through the city that you can explore via boat.
There are also many bars, restaurants, bakeries, chocolate shops, and boutiques to explore. The beer is so delicious, and the best I’ve had. It’s silky with a depth of flavor that is very easy to drink. I had a beer with almost every meal and loved every minute of it.
Restaurants: You can really just walk around and stumble upon great restaurants and bars around the city. Everywhere we looked had great reviews and it’s very fun to randomly come across a small Belgium restaurant. Make sure to get Mussels, they are kind of known for them and they are super fresh.
Attractions:
Canal Tours - I’m pretty sure you can book this on the spot but it’s also available to book ahead of time on Viator.
Belfort (Belfry and Carillon) - This is an ancient church in the heart of the city that has been around since the 13th century. You can tour and climb to the top of the bell tower where you’ll find amazing views of the city!
Shopping - There are so many high end, affordable, and boutiques around the city for shopping. You’ll find staples all over the city.
Brussels - This is the capital city of Belgium so it’s more of an international hub than the other cities. Brussels is also way busier with locals living their everyday lives. It is very cool and has incredible, gothic architecture that is more expansive than Brugge.
You can easily spend more than a day in Brussels because it’s more of a metropolitan city (but with old preserved buildings like every other city in Europe).
Restaurants: Brussels is the same as Brugge for restaurants, you can find a good restaurant by just stumbling upon it. The food in Belgium is a mix of German and French, it wasn’t necessarily my favorite. Although the food is good, it wasn’t memorable so I didn’t save many options.
Le Roi de la Gaufre - this bakery is divine! You must go in and get the waffles, they are by far the best I had in Belgium, and I ate a waffle everyday we were there.
Maison Dandoy - This one is a popular waffle spot that I found on TikTok. The reviews weren’t good enough for me to go but people seem to enjoy their waffles!
Panos - This is a chain similar to a Pret a Manger or Panera Bread, but it is better in my opinion. The bread and pastries are so good for a grab and go spot and the prices are very cheap.
2. Activities:
The Royal Palace of Brussels - the monarchy still lives in the Palace and holds important government meetings here. Part of it is still under renovation.
There is a park across from the Palace that you must check out. It is stunning and feels a little like the Boboli Garden in Florence Italy.
The Central Train Station is a site to see, the architecture is beautiful, gothic and doesn’t feel real. Definitely check it out if you don’t come in via train.
Antwerp - Antwerp is known as the diamond district of the world. You will find all sorts of retailers that sell every kind of diamond you can think of. Outside of that, the shopping is pretty good and the food scene is pretty much the same as the other two cities.
I was a bit underwhelmed by Antwerp, I thought it would be less commercial than it was. It very much felt like Brussels to me, where it’s a smaller metropolitan city with a good amount of things to do, beautiful architecture, but that’s about it. If you’re in Belgium, add it to the day trip list but I wouldn’t make it a priority. Unless, you’re there for diamonds.
Another city in Belgium we wanted to visit was Gent. Gent looked like it would be very similar to Brugge, where there is an ancient city filled with culture and history inside the main modern one. I think we will make this city a priority if we go back to Belgium, but if you’re planning your trip, I’d see this over Antwerp. And I’m giving this recommendation selfishly because I would love to hear how it is.