senorsoupe Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Belgium is a decidedly underrated country IMHO. Ghent and Brugge are beautiful towns, there is some really nice countryside in the Ardennes, the beer is excellent and the people are friendly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Watson Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Belgium smells, fact. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tongue_tied_danny Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 1 hour ago, senorsoupe said: Belgium is a decidedly underrated country IMHO. Ghent and Brugge are beautiful towns, there is some really nice countryside in the Ardennes, the beer is excellent and the people are friendly. I'd agree with that. I've never been to brugge but I love Ghent and Antwerp. I thought Brussels was a bit of a concrete jungle though and the less said about Charleroi the better. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Thought Brussels was pretty meh for a major capital (apart from the beer which is excellent but pricey). Brugge was nice in a sort of mini-Amsterdam stylee. Like many we flew into Charleroi by Ryanair. Don't think the airport would exist otherwise, and it closed about half an hour after the 9pm arrival with buses to town only once an hour. Would like to have caught some Belgian football but never managed that yet. Main reason for visiting other times was by car to all the WW1 sites in the West near Lille. Ieper (Ypres), Poperinge, Passchaendaele etc. Tremendous country and the people are great. Though after about 5 days of cemeteries, battlefields etc, we were all grieved out and went to Ostend beach for a change. If you drive over, say Hull-Zeebrugge, you can fill the boot with beer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Rover Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 I've just today driven across Belgium, returning from the Netherlands via the Tunnel. Each time I've done that trip I've encountered monster traffic jams, particularly around Antwerp. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch Stanton Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 I always remember the advice from the /time Out Guide to Brussels, Brugge, Ghent. It said something like "Brussels is bi-lingual so a bit of French will get you by. North of Brussels speak only English or your best pidgin Dutch. Speaking French here will at best have you ignored or at worst punched in the face" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senorsoupe Posted June 19, 2017 Author Share Posted June 19, 2017 5 minutes ago, Johnny Däpp said: The French speaking side of Belgium is just a no go zone. Not seen Brussels properly but got off at Brussels Midi once and thought I had got off in Beirut in the early 90's... I didn't experience that, although I wasn't in Brussels. The area in the Ardennes (around Spa) is really nice, Spa is a particularly nice town. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeveGotMcginn Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Managed to secure tickets for Tomorrowland festival in July #result. Any P&Bers ever been to the festival? The plan is to stay in Brussels near the centre for decent shuttlebus transport to the festival then spend another day or so exploring the main square. Had a look at the Brussels thread from a few years ago so have a rough idea of pubs etc but any other recommendations would be welcomed 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Managed to secure tickets for Tomorrowland festival in July #result. Any P&Bers ever been to the festival? The plan is to stay in Brussels near the centre for decent shuttlebus transport to the festival then spend another day or so exploring the main square. Had a look at the Brussels thread from a few years ago so have a rough idea of pubs etc but any other recommendations would be welcomedMy mate goes every year you should stay in Leuven thats were he stays.Its a cracking wee town with a square full of pubs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Antwerp old town is fucking beautiful and has many a good boozer and cafe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarapoa Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 When I worked in Eindhoven, I’d occasionally drive over to Belgium and generally found the country a bit of a mess. Lots of places that ran into each other in a fairly untidy unthought type way.There are of course some nice cities, but can confirm that the location of Waterschei was not one of them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 07/02/2019 at 09:41, Ross. said: Antwerp old town is fucking beautiful and has many a good boozer and cafe. Do you remember where you stayed? Thinking of going for a few days in September. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tongue_tied_danny Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 14 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Do you remember where you stayed? Thinking of going for a few days in September. What sort of accommodation are you looking for? My mates and I stayed at the Hotel Billard Palace. It's a bit of a shit hole tbh but it was cheap and located right next to the railway station and a short walk from the old town. It's perfectly adequate for a couple of days, particularly if those days involve heavy drinking. But it may not be suitable for a romantic getaway with the missus 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 4 minutes ago, tongue_tied_danny said: What sort of accommodation are you looking for? My mates and I stayed at the Hotel Billard Palace. It's a bit of a shit hole tbh but it was cheap and located right next to the railway station and a short walk from the old town. It's perfectly adequate for a couple of days, particularly if those days involve heavy drinking. But it may not be suitable for a romantic getaway with the missus That's pretty much what I'm looking for, cheers. Also checking out Air BnB for places you can smoke, looks like only the posh hotels in Antwerp have smoking rooms. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, welshbairn said: Do you remember where you stayed? Thinking of going for a few days in September. Will double check later and come back to you... ETA: We stayed in the Hotel O Kathedral. Wasn’t exactly luxurious, but due to the location also wasn’t the cheapest. Very much right in the old town, which is what we wanted. If you google it, ignore the pictures of the bar, it looks much bigger than it is. Only other thing I can really remember about it was the ludicrous artwork on the wall behind the bed. Not everyday you waken up and see naked cherubs floating over your head. Edited April 23, 2019 by Ross. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 16 minutes ago, Ross. said: Will double check later and come back to you... Cheers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 1 minute ago, welshbairn said: Cheers. Was updating my response as you posted this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) 30 minutes ago, Ross. said: Was updating my response as you posted this! Thanks for that, thinking about going for Budget Flats Antwerp, a mile or so away from your place but about half the price, and it has a kitchen . I get bored of eating out all the time. Area looks a bit dull though. And I hope they've put a new telly in. Edited April 23, 2019 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 19 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Thanks for that, thinking about going for Budget Flats Antwerp, a mile or so away from your place but about half the price, and it has a kitchen . I get bored of eating out all the time. Area looks a bit dull though. And I hope they've put a new telly in. Aside from sleeping we spent next to no time in the hotel. Location was handy for dropping stuff off after shopping and getting a change of clothes. Most of the time was spent walking around and nipping in and out of the cafes, bars, restaurants and pubs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, Ross. said: Aside from sleeping we spent next to no time in the hotel. Location was handy for dropping stuff off after shopping and getting a change of clothes. Most of the time was spent walking around and nipping in and out of the cafes, bars, restaurants and pubs. I'll probably complete my shopping for 2 kilos of Drum tobacco in the first 10 minutes of arrival. The rest of the time I intend to waste like you, although the walking into town might do me some good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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