travel to and through Belgium

[ellie1979]

I am 63 and planning a solo trip through Belgium in 2008. will probably stay a week. thought i might want to go to Brugge, Gent and Brussels and perhaps Antwerp. Don't want to rent a car but just take the train whenever the mood hits me. Since Belgium is such a small country i thought it would be easy to just "wing" it with the train travel. does anyone have any suggestions on train travel, B & B's available in Belgium, cities to visit, etc. thanks for the info.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

I love Belgium. It's really easy to get around by train.

If you're arriving by Eurostar, remember that your ticket to Brussels includes free onward travel to any rail station in Belgium. (You can also travel free to Brussels Midi, from any rail station in Belgium, on the date of your return travel).

If you're flying with Ryanair, you'll land at Charleroi. You can buy a 'bulk ticket' at Charleroi ticket office for �10.50, which will take you to any rail station in Belgium. (It includes the bus to Charleroi Sud rail station). You can buy your return ticket at the same time. (It won't matter if you'll be returning from a different point. You simply fill in the station you're travelling to, or from, together with the day & date of travel on the ticket).

Another bargain is the Belgian Rail pass. You get 10 single journeys, anywhere in Belgium, for just �69. (That's about �5 per journey). Just make sure that you understand how to fill in the pass! See here for details:
http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/passes/rail/ index.php

I suggest basing yourself, for a few days at least, in Brugge (which is a beautiful city).
http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm

[Buenchico]

You're only about 15 minutes away from the lively resort of Oostende, which is well worth a visit. (It's not just a young person's place. I'm nearly as old as you and I keep visiting Oostende on day trips from Suffolk, via Stansted & Charleroi, because I love the place so much!).
http://www.toerisme-oostende.be/index.phtml?la nguageid=3

There are also plenty of other resort towns which are accessible by train from Brugge, either directly or by using the excellent coastal tram service.
http://www.visitbelgium.com/belgiancoast.htm

Travelling in the other direction from Brugge, you'll soon arrive at Gent-St-Peter train station.
http://www4.gent.be/gent/english/tourism/index .htm

Brussels is also less than an hour from Brugge by rail.
http://www.brusselsinternational.be/

Chris

[BBWCHATT]

http://www.couchsurfing.com/


http://www.hospitalityclub.org/


BBWCHATT
The old lady in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

[JK2]

Buenchico - or Chris - it's a real pleasure to read one of your clear, spare, informative and genuinely helpful posts again after some of the endless, lengthy waffle we've been faced with for the last few weeks from another member.

Keep up the good work!

[ellie1979]

to: Buenchico
so much info, so much to read. i really appreciate the large amount of info and links you gave me. this will keep me reading for a while. it also has given me many more ideas on where to go and how to travel. thanks a bunch.
ellie1979

[ellie1979]

to BBWchatt:
checked out your links. very informative. added to my other info it gives me some very good ideas. thanks for the info.
ellie1979