Options from Brugge

[mskaufman]

We are trying to decide whether to stay in Brugge or venture to Ghent or Brussels.  Thoughts?

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

We are trying to decide whether to stay in Brugge or venture to Ghent or Brussels.  Thoughts?

Stay. I have been to both Ghent and Brugge and Brugge is nicer. I haven't been to Brussels, but people say it is just a city.

[John Bull]

31 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Stay. I have been to both Ghent and Brugge and Brugge is nicer. I haven't been to Brussels, but people say it is just a city.

 

Agreed.

 

But you don't berth in Bruges, you berth about 8 miles away at Zeebrugge.

From there to Bruges by

- taxi. Pre-book to ensure availability. Ask to be dropped at the Grotemarkt.

- independent shuttlebus. Sorry, don't know the details cos it started after our visit, but it sounds like the best bet.

- ship's shuttlebus to Blankenberge station & hourly train from there to Bruges. But you can't plan to arrive at the station at the right time for the train, so you could have a wait of anything between 5 minutes and 55 minutes

- ship's "Bruges on your own" tour. Probably the poorest choice - over-priced, a set time to return, and like the independent shuttle and the train you have a 15 minute walk to the centre of Bruges because large buses aren't allowed in the cobbled city centre.

 

JB 

 

[kctwinmommy]

I haven't been to either of the other cities, but we loved Bruges! Just get off the ship, hop on one of the shuttle buses there (we bought tickets from them right at the side of the ship) and venture into town. It's easy to walk around and see lots of things, eat good food, and enjoy the day. We came back in the late afternoon just because we were tired and it was getting really busy & crowded! It was probably my favorite city of our stop!

[markeb]

I'd also stick to Bruges, and I've been to Brussels many times. There are very historical areas in Brussels, but it will take time to get there, and I think Bruges is just more user friendly for a day trip. Brussels can be a very congested city and I find it easier to see when you're there for some other reason and you explore after you've conducted your business in town.

[dani negreanu]

I've lived in Brussels for 5 years, and traveled the country extensively.

Stay in Bruges.

Looking forward to revisit Bruges on my next Apex cruise 😁.

[Chocolate Teapot]

Bruges is always worth a visit. Ghent is more of a working city, but has similar architecture, and Brussels has the lovely Grand Place. There are regular train services connecting the 3. 

 

 

[mskaufman]

We are also thinking of doing a pre-cruise in Brussels and take the train to the other places.  Sounds like we can spend another day in Bruges in addition to the cruise stop.

[markeb]

17 minutes ago, mskaufman said:

We are also thinking of doing a pre-cruise in Brussels and take the train to the other places.  Sounds like we can spend another day in Bruges in addition to the cruise stop.

 

You can definitely do that. I know Bruges is trying to crack down on "day tourists"; people who come in for the day and don't spend money on a hotel or dinner, etc.

 

There is a lot to see in Brussels. I've been there enough that I'm just comfortable there, especially around the Grand Place or Grote Markt. I've usually flown in for business and flown home, but I have been to Bruges from there, and also Yper (site of some of the worst trench warfare of WWI, and the site of the first use of chemical weapons...). I'm thinking of going over next year with my wife just to explore!

[Bob++]

7 hours ago, markeb said:

Yper

Sorry to nitpick but in case anyone searches they should look for Ypres to find the memorial site

[markeb]

3 hours ago, Bob++ said:

Sorry to nitpick but in case anyone searches they should look for Ypres to find the memorial site

 

True. Although I find Ypres to be spelled so many different ways. Ieper is the official name, in Flemish, but the French Ypres is most commonly used in the English speaking world (at least according to Wikipedia). And you'll also find Yper online (although my use was a typo).

[John Bull]

43 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

I find Ypres to be spelled so many different ways. Ieper is the official name, in Flemish, but the French Ypres is most commonly used in the English speaking world.

 

That gave me a load of grief some years back.

I always knew it as Ypres

I knew roughly where Ypres was but just couldn't find it on my map..

Figured it was somewhere near a place on my map called Leper.

Or mebbe Leper was a different spelling for the same place, but I could find no other references to Leper

 

Eventually cottoned-on that the "l" of leper Ieper wasn't a capital "L",  but a capital "i"  

Not my fault - I blame the Romans 

The Tommies in WW1 called it "Wipers". Much more sensible 

 

JB 

 

 

[markeb]

6 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

That gave me a load of grief some years back.

I always knew it as Ypres

I knew roughly where Ypres was but just couldn't find it on my map..

Figured it was somewhere near a place on my map called Leper.

Or mebbe Leper was a different spelling for the same place, but I could find no other references to Leper

 

Eventually cottoned-on that the "l" of leper Ieper wasn't a capital "L",  but a capital "i"  

Not my fault - I blame the Romans 

The Tommies in WW1 called it "Wipers". Much more sensible 

 

JB 

 

 

 

Yes, but it's an interesting commentary on English history that you'd prefer a French word to a Flemish word! 😁

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

Yes, but it's an interesting commentary on English history that you'd prefer a French word to a Flemish word! 😁

 

Nah, I prefer Wipers. 

I speak decent French and a smattering of German. But the one guy I asked for directions on my first visit to Belgium was Flemish & I couldn't understand a word he said  

 

Actually it's a commentary on historic languages generally.

In parts of North Wales folks' everyday language is Welsh,, but the vast majority of Welsh folk speak English & most of them know only a little Welsh.

Ditto with Gaelic in Scotland.

And even more obscure is Cornish.

And the Bretons have their own language too, though I've never had a problem speaking with them in French.

 

All of those languages are the devil to spell, and I daren't try to pronounce their words for fear of tying my tongue in a knot.

It's no surprise that sign-writers sometimes get their translations badly wrong 

https://www.cyclingwales.co.uk/badlytranslated.html

 

JB 

 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We docked in Zebrugge this May and spent the day in Brugge.  It was lovely, very walkable with lots to see.  We took the ship shuttle, which dropped off at a building where we bought round trip bus tickets for $20pp.  The bus dropped us off at a parking area maybe 20 minutes walk from the center of town.  The walk in was very pretty.

 

We wandered all over, had a great Belgian waffle, and took the bus back around mid-afternoon.  Just be sure to know when the last bus leaves so you don't miss the ship.  

 

I'd love to see Brussels and Ghent, but it all seemed like too much of a hassle.  The train would be cheaper, but takes a little more research to figure out how to get to the station.  The station in Brussels was quite near where we got off the bus, so walking distance to town was similar.

[kctwinmommy]

40 minutes ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

We docked in Zebrugge this May and spent the day in Brugge.  It was lovely, very walkable with lots to see.  We took the ship shuttle, which dropped off at a building where we bought round trip bus tickets for $20pp.  The bus dropped us off at a parking area maybe 20 minutes walk from the center of town.  The walk in was very pretty.

 

We wandered all over, had a great Belgian waffle, and took the bus back around mid-afternoon.  Just be sure to know when the last bus leaves so you don't miss the ship.  

 

 

 

Yep! That's what we did as well. There's a lot to see and it doesn't require a lot of hassle to see it. We saw a lot of different things when there. And of course, also did a Belgian waffle!! YUM!!

[mskaufman]

On 8/26/2019 at 11:29 AM, kctwinmommy said:

 

Yep! That's what we did as well. There's a lot to see and it doesn't require a lot of hassle to see it. We saw a lot of different things when there. And of course, also did a Belgian waffle!! YUM!!

 

Nice