Brussels or Bruges

[888sally888]

A friend wants to go to either one for her anniversary - which is the nicer town and can anyone recommend any really nice hotels with leisure facilities in case the weather is bad.

Thanks!!

[jno]

Brussels is bigger but a bit boring. It has a wonderful art gallery with lots of Bruegels and its central square is great, but really not too much else. Bruges is small and pretty, a nice town for wandering round. I can't help with hotels - Brussels will have the usual big chains, Bruges less so. I've been to both in the rain, andd both get rather grey and drab. For sightseeing generally I'd say Bruges; for indoor facilities, Brussels. If she's going on Eurostar to Brussels, remember she can continue on to Bruges at no extra cost, just show the ticket on the connecting train.

[Whickerman]

I'd suggest beautiful Bruges, as the transport is fantastic and you could visit Brussels. It's also handy for Antwerp and Ypres

[vehelpfulguy]

I agree with jno, Brussels is one of the most boring cities in Europe.

I have been all round Europe on business, visiting most of the capitals and large cities, and Brusells was the most boring.

Bruge is nice but rather small. Bruge is fine in Spring or Summer but I would not go in Autumn or Winter.

To be honest your friend may be far better going to Paris (even if they have been there before) or Amsterdam or Milan or Barcelona and a host of other places rather than Brussels.

Review of Brussels

http://realtravel.com/brussels-journals-j27409 52.html

[naomi24]

I agree with vehelpful. Paris!!!! If you're in the southern half of England, just a few hours on Eurostar straight to the centre of Paris. Wonderful. And in Paris, who cares if it rains!!

[Whickerman]

There's actually a weekend's sightseeing you can do in Brussels though, but their main plus is the beer - thousands of brands!

[Dee Sa]

stick to Bruges, you can take a boat trip around the medieval town, a horse drawn carriage trip, its got lots to see and dont leave without trying the waffles [preferably with hot chocolate sauce].
Lille is another nice old town this time of the year, especially near xmas they have a olde worlde xmas market in the town square.
Sorry but Paris is not my favourite place, been ripped off to many times, the other two I have been welcomed.

[cml]

Why not visit both - they're only 40 minutes apart by train ?

I have to defend Brussels following the earlier comments. I visited Brussels and Bruges in June and found both to be very pleasant. Bruges is more compact and is certainly very picturesque but Brussels is also impressive, with many fine buildings and monuments. The town hall square and the Palais Royal are wonderful, the futuristic Atomium is worth seeing and the arch at the Parc du Cinquantinaire is simply magnificent. One thing though - you will almost certainly be disappointed with the Mannequin Pis - only about 18 inches high and on an otherwise unremarkable street corner. To think people used to come from far and wide to see this piece of tat having a pee !