Having now done this, a weekend break in Belgium is a fantastic way to see new scenery and architecture with a shared culture on a low budget. The Belgian towns were some of the most important in Europe in the Middle Ages and they are largely well preserved and beautifully walkable. Brussels is less so but still worth seeing.
| Holiday Ratings | |
| Recommended days | 3 |
| Budget | £ |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Natalya had finally made the decision to move to Brussels, after previously living in Tokyo, Vienna, Berlin and Hamburg. We loaded the car with far more stuff than I expected and then drove to Dover, staying at the Holiday Inn overnight. This was a great location as it was a 5 minute diversion off the motorway to reach it and then about 15 minutes drive to the car ferry port in the morning.
The crossing to Calais took about 90 minutes and we were the first car on the ferry! I had chosen mid morning crossings so we weren’t as rushed but in hindsight an earlier crossing and return would have given us a lot of more useful time. We booked with Direct Ferries as I used to use them a lot when I was working on the Scottish Islands and Ireland so it was easy to have plenty of options. This crossing was with DFDS and it was fantastic with the sea being blissfully calm so I didn’t need the Kwells I’d bought! The 90 minutes crossing went quickly and it was lovely to see the White Cliffs at Dover, even as we were going the wrong way, they are just iconic.
Brussels
We drove through waterlogged countryside, the infamous Flanders mud, along excellent motorways until we reached Brussels a couple of hours later. Brussels itself seemed to be a lot of tunnels under the city and then narrow roads with tram ways and lots of one way streets. I was very lucky to find a parking space outside Natalya’s so we had 15 minutes to unload the car for her to carry it upstairs while I found a proper car park.
The area where they live (St Giles) was quite decent with some pretty art deco buildings combined with dull concrete ones and lots of graffiti. It is definitely somewhere to walk though rather than driving, it took me 15 minutes to get to my hotel, 5 minutes walk away, due to traffic and road restrictions.
Brussels accommodation – Pentahotel
The hotel is easy to find, being on a main street and has a big public car park next door. This seemed very secure and I had no problems leaving the car overnight. Check in was efficient and my room was on the 5th floor. I liked that there were actually stairs as an option, rather than having to rely on lifts. The room was quite noisy, being on a main street but was a good size and had everything I needed. Sadly I didn’t find the heater controls behind the net curtains until the morning I left so it was a very eco friendly and chilly night! The internet speed was very slow with lots of buffering and drop outs while streaming. Breakfast was fabulous with a wide choice of food and a really good buffet. A good value stay.
Hallepoort
I walked the 10 minutes from the hotel to the city gate but I got there too late to go in. There is a museum inside and you can actually climb to the roof too. The gate is one of the last remnants of the extensive 13th century fortifications that have been thoroughly demolished although it is a rather fanciful nineteenth century remodelling of the original medieval tower.
Dining at NYYO
After returning to the hotel to drop off my camera I walked down to Nat’s so we could have a walk around before meeting Paul for dinner. It was a pretty area and very busy with lots of cafes and bars, which I guess is the attraction for them.
We had dinner at NYYO, a Vietnamese restaurant, on the Friday evening. The menu was great with some interesting options and the food was excellent. The items arrived in a random order so you need to allow plenty of time for the meal if you order a large selection. The idea is that the portions are quite small so you order several and share them. Service was friendly but they really do need to learn how to pour a pint, we had several drinks and they arrived half full with the rest being froth. Nice atmosphere and not cheap at all but an interesting experience.
Ghent
After a lovely refreshing shower I went downstairs for breakfast. The buffet was excellent with lots of fresh and healthy options so I ate loads! After breakfast I walked to the Hallepoort again, I’d forgotten how horrible cities are, with high buildings obscuring your view and just a sliver of sky visible! After a quick circuit of the tower I continued on to Nat’s. We chilled for a bit and then the three of us went for coffee before Nat and I collected the car (eventually – our tickets and another guy queueing couldn’t open the pedestrian gate) and then drove to Ghent.
Leaving Brussels was horrible but the road to Ghent once out of the city was flat and simple. We parked in Ramen, a few minutes walk from the old town centre. Ghent is a beautiful medieval town, helped by a cloudless blue sky and sunshine. The last time I visited was 2017, by train, so it was great to be back.
We walked past Gravensteen, the Castle of the Counts and continued on through the town, stopping at St Nicholas Church to listen to the organ music before continuing to the Belfry.
Ghent Belfry
Most normal people would have taken the lift to the top floor but that would have required reading the signs, so we trudged up several hundred steps on a narrow spiral staircase, apologising as we had to squeeze past people coming down. The Belfry is a 14th century creation that was both a bell tower and a watch tower and was in use until clocks and watches made it redundant in the nineteenth century.
The first floor has one of the original stone lions of Ghent as well as a fire breathing dragon that used to be mounted on the tower. Apparently the dragon used to project molten tar during festivals, which seems ironic for a watchtower built to warn of fires in a medieval wooden city!
Once you get to the top there are, as you’d expect from a watchtower, impressive views across the town. The other two towers of the town, St Bavos Cathedral and St Nicholas’ Church, are either side of the belfry. The walkway was nicely enclosed up to about chest height so I didn’t feel too much vertigo. The low sun meant half the town was in shadow and half in glaring sunshine but it was beautiful to see proper colours again after so long shrouded in grey. After leaving the belfry we walked past more beautiful buildings and canals and stopped for another coffee before going to see the Van Eyck Brothers statue, then Nat went shopping whilst I went to the castle.
The Castle of the Counts, Gravensteen
The castle dates back to the 12th century and was the home of the Counts of Flanders for two hundred years. After the Counts moved to a more palatial building the castle was repurposed as a prison before the nineteenth century gothic remodelling was undertaken.
Although busy it was very well organised with a numbered route to follow and information in every room. I didn’t get the audio guide as I can never be bothered to hold them whilst trying to take photos but I had a good wander through the rooms and up onto the battlements. The medieval weapons and armour were fascinating and the state rooms with proper fireplaces were very impressive. I left the castle and walked around the outside, where I could, before meeting up with Nat and ambling back to the car.
Oudenaarde
We then drove about 40 minutes to Oudenaarde, our overnight stop. I couldn’t find anywhere to stay in Ghent and didn’t want another night in Brussels so this pretty little town seemed a nice option.
Oudenaarde accommodation – Hotel Leopold
The hotel was easy to get to and with a huge and free car park. It was located about 2 minutes walk from the town square which had a few restaurants and some beautiful architecture. The check in was lovely and the room a good size although I always find the warm air heaters a pain to actually warm the room up.
The bed was fantastically comfortable, the best sleep I have had for a long time! The room was very quiet too and had a good sized desk and decent wifi. We didn’t opt for breakfast as we felt €22 each was too expensive.
We relaxed for a while before walking to the square which was just beautiful. It was damned cold and very clear but the buildings looked so pretty when lit up.
Dining in Oudenaarde – Brasserie De Cridts
We stopped here for dinner on Saturday night, mostly because it was the only place we could see that was open. It’s a pleasant restaurant with plenty of space between tables and was quiet, even though it was almost full by the time we left. The menu had some interesting choices and portions were certainly generous. The food was nice and service decent and it was a pleasant experience.
It was so peaceful and quiet in Oudenaarde I actually slept until 7AM! We drew the curtains back to see a heavy coating of frost and when we went outside to look for a breakfast venue it was definitely chilly! The town was beautiful in the winter sun but also deserted. We saw no cafes open and after taking a few photos we walked back to the car, pausing to listen to the amazing bell ringing.
Return to Brussels
After grabbing our bags we drove to Brussels. The motorway was lovely, very quiet too but Brussels was the usual horrible experience to drive in. We couldn’t get to where we wanted to park due to road works and diversions but found an alternative so walked past the beggars and litter to the Grand Place.
This is the highlight of the Brussels tourist scene and was suitably crowded in the sunshine. We had a quick look around and then went for breakfast. I ought to do some research on what to see here as my total list could be done in an afternoon, including walking between the destinations. We then met Paul and he and Nat headed home while I got the car to drive to Calais.
Calais
The countryside on the way to Calais was utterly flat, I’m not sure why I expected anything to have changed in 48 hours! After a bit of confusion from the sat nav taking me to the port and then a succession of road works and diversions I parked outside Richelieu Park and checked in to my hotel. I had intended to visit some of the impressive Atlantic Wall batteries nearby but these were closed until Feb 7th.
I was actually surprised by Calais. It had lots of pretty buildings and was quite pleasant to walk around. The area by the train station wasn’t as nice but I didn’t see anything that caused concern. I’m not sure I’d want to walk around at night though.
Calais Citadel
Taking advantage of the sunshine I then walked to the Citadel of Calais, built by the French after the capture of Calais in 1558. It was then occupied by the Spanish for 40 years before being returned to French control. It was actually a vast fortress and also saw action in 1940 and was also used to execute captured Resistance fighters in 1944. Now it hosts a huge sports complex inside the walls and there were several joggers and families strolling.
From the citadel I walked to Rodin’s sculpture of the Burghers of Calais but this was obscured by a funfair and quite crowded so I skipped that. I got lunch from the only place I saw open – a cake shop – and then back to the hotel to chill before my ferry the next morning.
Calais Accomodation – Hotel Richelieu
The hotel is in a great location next to a park in a nice area of the town with free on road parking just outside.. The ferry terminal is about 5 minutes drive. All communications, entry codes etc were done via Whataspp and worked faultlessly. The room was a good size and nicely laid out, everything worked, the wifi was excellent and the shower decent. There was a lounge with coffee machine etc and extra seating. The room was quiet and the shutters helped keep both the noise and sunlight out. Fantastic value.
The next morning I had a short drive to the port and then another problem free boarding. The crossing was, again, perfect and I was able to see how impressive Dover Castle was before we docked. The drive home was surprisingly hassle free and I was home by 3PM.
A lovely weekend break in Belgium and eye openingly easy so it may be something we do a lot more of as there is so much to see. Having my own car was a lot more convenient than a hire car although I am not sure if it worked out any cheaper by the time you add in the driving to/from Dover, fuel and ferry cost.
Sounds a great trip and there is clearly a lot more to Belgium than I thought. So much history to explore !