Belgium – country, towns and waterways

[CPT Trips]

On 3/20/2022 at 4:24 AM, Canal archive said:

Now I have to send all this information to our friends fellow narrowboaters he is the master at sourcing exceptional beers this lot will get him hopping. By the way narrowboaters have been accused of navigating by pubs ( sellers of particularly beer)

Oi, I just got it. He is a man who enjoys IPA with high IBU for sure.

[Canal archive]

We’re all off in May to the Canal du Nivernais self cruising now the debate is about Scotch. French beer and of course wine we can deal with but we’re not all fans of Brandy so do we take some especial Scotch with us?

[CPT Trips]

On 4/5/2022 at 4:27 AM, Canal archive said:

We’re all off in May to the Canal du Nivernais self cruising now the debate is about Scotch. French beer and of course wine we can deal with but we’re not all fans of Brandy so do we take some especial Scotch with us?

Seriously? 🙄 You need to ask?

[Canal archive]

I do appreciate a second opinion thank you.

[CPT Trips]

All about beverages of choice. https://www.afar.com/magazine/belgian-beers-explained-from-trappist-ales-to-fruit-beers?utm_campaign=tw_fb&utm_content=1649248812&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=Daily Wander (Have opened newsletter before)

[Canal archive]

Oooooo thank you CPT Trips have sent it off to our partners in barging through France.

[CPT Trips]

Avec plaisir 

[notamermaid]

Bruges, a popular excursion on river cruises and a very popular town as such. Can there be such a thing as off the beaten path in such a place? A contributor on travel weekly tried to find a quieter side of Bruges: https://www.travelweekly.com/Europe-Travel/On-a-quest-to-find-the-quieter-side-of-Bruges

 

notamermaid

 

[doreman]

WE are considering a pre cruise side trip to Brussels before our Amsterdam to Basel cruise next June. Can anyone suggest a good hotel close to things for a 2 night stay? Also is Brussels a better place to stay than Antwerp? I guess we'll ride the train to our boat on our departure date. Also , any suggestions of things to do and see in Belgium? I would like to go to the Waterloo Battlefield.
 Thanks in advance for any input.

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, doreman said:

WE are considering a pre cruise side trip to Brussels before our Amsterdam to Basel cruise next June. Can anyone suggest a good hotel close to things for a 2 night stay? Also is Brussels a better place to stay than Antwerp? I guess we'll ride the train to our boat on our departure date. Also , any suggestions of things to do and see in Belgium? I would like to go to the Waterloo Battlefield.
 Thanks in advance for any input.

I like Novotel Brussels off Grand Place.  Close to the Grand Place and main train station.  Can't help you with the rest, sorry.

[jpalbny]

The Rocco Forte Hotel in Brussels was great for a few nights. It was called the Hotel Amigo. Location was great; also right off Grand Place, and an easy walk to/from the train station. It (was, may still be) an AMEX preferred hotel so we got a bunch of nice perks while staying there.

 

We had plenty to do in Brussels itself for 2+ days. There are some pictures in my SmugMug gallery from that trip (January 2018; link below).

 

Antwerp is very pretty too, but we only spent an hour or so there at a later time while on a cruise stop. I can't say which is "better" between those two. Of course Bruges is famously pretty, and a must-see while in the area. We visited Bruges from Antwerp.

[CPT Trips]

Antwerp is an interesting city. The Grote Markt, pedestrian tunnel, Red Star Line Museum, and the MAS will definitely keep you occupied. Just remember, there’s a drought!

[notamermaid]

On 8/24/2022 at 9:48 PM, doreman said:

Also is Brussels a better place to stay than Antwerp? I guess we'll ride the train to our boat on our departure date.

I have been to Brussels but not Antwerp. I have heard so far one comment personally that Antwerp is a somewhat more interesting and nicer place. I know for sure that the cities differ in their feel and architecture, Brussels is in the middle of the country, Antwerp is on the coast. Just one difference but a major one. I suppose it depends on what you want to see, is there something outstandingly attractive/of interest to you? Well, you have partly answered that already:

On 8/24/2022 at 9:48 PM, doreman said:

Also , any suggestions of things to do and see in Belgium? I would like to go to the Waterloo Battlefield.

Funny you should mention that, I have a brochure here at home which I looked at a couple of days prior to your post. Quite detailed info in there, I have learnt that there are several sights and all can be reached by public transport, train or bus. I would like to see the battlefield and the museums. There are also hotels nearby.

http://www.waterloo-tourisme.com/de

 

From Brussels I recommend the Thalys train to Amsterdam: https://www.thalys.com/be/en

 

Antwerp is the city of diamond trade, that is a unique attraction. Here are some suggestions from the tourist board: https://www.visitflanders.com/en/stories/destinations/only-48-hours-in-antwerp-make-the-most-of-every-moment.jsp

Brussels I like for its famous Art Nouveau architecture: https://www.visitflanders.com/en/stories/arts-and-heritage/brussels-cultural-crossroads.jsp?country=en_US

Brussels is the city of comics and cartoons: https://www.visitflanders.com/en/themes/comics/index.jsp

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Tonight, a German river cruise ship is sailing towards Brussels, the Arosa Aqua. Her track looks unusual to me so I have checked her itinerary:

 

She has come from Vlissingen and that is indeed a port stop on an itinerary she does a few times. It is called "Rhine Experience Netherlands and Belgium": https://www.arosa-*****/river-cruises/rhine/cruise/rhine-experience-netherlands-belgium-2024-pre-7-nights-river-cruise-northern-rhine.html

 

This would be an unusual route for an American river cruise ship but on the German market this is typical. Companies very often operate out of Cologne or Düsseldorf or just start the "Northern route", meaning the Lower Rhine with the Netherlands and Belgium, from there. This itinerary takes you through three countries but hops from one to another: Cologne, Willemstad, Ghent, Vlissingen, Brussels, Gorinchem, Emmerich, Cologne. Notice also in the description that times in ports are given in detail. And another thing is different from most cruises on the international market: you pay for all the excursions individually, the prices are given in the description. But check with the company if you are interested in such a cruise, there may be differences in how they handle "international" itinerary dates.

 

Like all* river cruise ships the Arosa Aqua will need to turn around in Brussels and go back towards Antwerp. There is no other way out of Brussels for her. My asterisk means that the term "all" is both correct and incorrect. All river cruise ships of normal size cannot use the other direction out Brussels, a vessel has to be of dimensions close to a small barge to sail South towards Charleroi and that arguable makes it a converted barge or bike & barge boat. But we will have a look at that another time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Let us see what route the Arosa Aqua has taken back from Brussels. She returned to Antwerp without stopping and then her track looks like this:

 

A Netherlands and Belgium itinerary without Amsterdam, Antwerp or Rotterdam - how different from what we are used to seeing.

 

For a different itinerary and return to Germany it is possible to turn East at Antwerp. We have talked about the Albert Canal to Liege before.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[jpalbny]

We'll spend a few days in Brussels this December, before flying to Helsinki for a cruise. We might take a day trip to Bruges if we get ambitious! Lots to see in this area. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

We'll spend a few days in Brussels this December, before flying to Helsinki for a cruise. We might take a day trip to Bruges if we get ambitious! Lots to see in this area. 

Ghent and Bruges are lovely!  But not a clear culture-link to Finland...

[Canal archive]

If your going to Bruges try not to miss the Procession of the Holy Blood an amazing event in an already historic city, then buy some exquisite Bruges lace. I can make lace but theirs is really special.

[jpalbny]

7 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Ghent and Bruges are lovely!  But not a clear culture-link to Finland...

 

No, just "on the way" for us.

 

The cruise is Helsinki-Helsinki on Ponant. And because the cruise leaves on a Wednesday we have a few days beforehand, since we'll fly in on the weekend. But we've been to Helsinki twice in the recent past and didn't want to spend the whole time there. It's a lovely city but we wanted to visit another area.

 

So we had to break up our flights. We're flying RT JFK-Paris to get to Europe the weekend before and after the cruise. But Paris-Helsinki on AF was expensive, and Amsterdam-Helsinki on KLM was really cheap; I got 2 RT tickets for just some old CC points that I had lying around!

 

But now we have to get from CDG to AMS by land.

 

Thus the plan to land at CDG, hop a train to Brussels, and spend a few days there before getting back on a train to Schipol and flying into Helsinki the night before the cruise. We have been to Brussels and Bruges before but the latter was only in the Summer so it should be pretty in the Christmas season.

 

Coming home we'll get a train from AMS to Rotterdam and spend a day/night there before we go back to Paris on Saturday evening for our Sunday morning flight. Rotterdam will be a new city for us.

[notamermaid]

That is some interesting planning. With train travel so convenient in the area it is always worth checking on alternative flights and airports, especially for a river cruise.

 

I went to Bruges in winter many years ago and enjoyed it. The only drawback was that the canal boats did not run. I am sure the city has both changed since I was there (crowds...) and has stayed the same (the architecture). Would like to see it again.

 

Likewise, Brussels I visited many years ago. I know that it has changed since I was there [not for the better]. But I would go there again for the architecture and the comic book museum.

 

notamermaid