Belgium

Three Cities in Four Days

Belgium is a country I underestimated until I went. It's small, the trains across it are short, and every city manages to be a real, distinct place. The route below covers the three I'd recommend in order — Brussels first, Bruges middle, Antwerp as a finisher.

Route, day by day

Day 1 — Brussels. Grand-Place at golden hour. The Mont des Arts and the comic-strip route. Dinner around Sainte-Catherine for moules-frites.

Day 2 — Brussels → Bruges. Hour by train. Bruges in a day is enough; the centre is small. Climb the Belfry, walk the canals, sit in the Markt for a long lunch.

Day 3 — Bruges → Ghent → Antwerp. Optional half-day in Ghent on the way to Antwerp. Ghent is what Bruges would be if it weren't quite so on the tourist trail.

Day 4 — Antwerp. Cathedral of Our Lady, MAS museum, the diamond district for a curious walk. Antwerp is the city my designer friends rave about — they're right.

Practical notes

• Trains: the SNCB Eurail-equivalent week pass pays for itself if you're doing all three.
• Languages: Brussels is French-leaning, Bruges and Ghent are Flemish, Antwerp Flemish with more English. Start with bonjour or goeiedag and the rest is fine.
• Beer: any specialised bar will have 100+ varieties; ask for a Trappist if you want the canonical experience.
• Chocolate: Pierre Marcolini and Neuhaus are the names. Skip the tourist-row shops near the Grand-Place.

What I'd write more about

• Why Antwerp gets the design-world buzz that Brussels doesn't.
• A Trappist-beer day, structured like a tasting menu.
• The Bruges-vs-Ghent decision for first-timers.

Note: Working draft based on memory and a route I'd recommend. I'll expand each day with photos, specific places, and longer reflections as I revisit my notes.