Belgium Travel Thread

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BusinessSloth said:
Planning on a Belgium trip sometime between late September to mid-October. Would be happy to meet up with any TB'ers. Haven't finalized anything yet or bought tickets, but probably going to hit up Antwerp, Brussels, (Fantome brewery to meet Dany) and Ghent at a minimum. If anyone needs something muled back around that time, PM me and we may be able to work something out. I'm likely going to bring 2 wine check bags with me, fill them up, and just pay the baggage fees.

EDIT: Looks like late September is Autumn season in Belgium and the weather is cool, yes?
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The weather is usually pretty nice in september (indian summer and all) but plan for rain because it's still Belgium we're talking about.
 
BusinessSloth said:
Planning on a Belgium trip sometime between late September to mid-October. Would be happy to meet up with any TB'ers. Haven't finalized anything yet or bought tickets, but probably going to hit up Antwerp, Brussels, (Fantome brewery to meet Dany) and Ghent at a minimum. If anyone needs something muled back around that time, PM me and we may be able to work something out. I'm likely going to bring 2 wine check bags with me, fill them up, and just pay the baggage fees.

EDIT: Looks like late September is Autumn season in Belgium and the weather is cool, yes?
Click to expand...


It is September/October. Chances are it will be nice. But over here... It can rain even on the sunniest of days. Temps are usually around 65-70ish on a nice day. Maybe a bit warmer.

Since you are visiting at the end of September. I highly recommend looking at Borefts Beerfest in Bodegraven Netherlands. One of the best that you could go to anywhere. It can be found here on facebook and their website. But the website is under construction.

Also, if you are in the Brugge area. Make sure to spend a night in Oostvleteren and stop by Westvleteren (In De Verde) to drink a westy 12 and get a sandwich. Then run over to De Struise. Before you know it, it will be dinner time. Then go across the street to Molenhof. Fantastic food and awesome beers. From there, have your DD drive back to where ever you came from. Or stay the night at one of the local BnB's. Just make sure it is on a Saturday that you do this ;)
 
I'll be staying in Ghent from April 3-13. I know it's not exactly a beer hot-spot, but hoping for some recommendations in the way of bars, beer restaurants/eateries and bottleshops.

Cheers.
 
spicecowboy said:
I'll be staying in Ghent from April 3-13. I know it's not exactly a beer hot-spot, but hoping for some recommendations in the way of bars, beer restaurants/eateries and bottleshops.

Cheers.
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There's a few spots that aren't the best ever but are cool. I liked Het Waterhuis (maybe spelled wrong). There was a great bottleshop outside town whose name I forget but you can probably find it easily enough. Are you tied to Ghent? Brugge is a pretty short distance away and would be great for a day or two, plus you might find more exciting beer there (unless it's all gone).
 
stupac2 said:
There's a few spots that aren't the best ever but are cool. I liked Het Waterhuis (maybe spelled wrong). There was a great bottleshop outside town whose name I forget but you can probably find it easily enough. Are you tied to Ghent? Brugge is a pretty short distance away and would be great for a day or two, plus you might find more exciting beer there (unless it's all gone).
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I'm largely tied to Ghent, but have 4 days free afterwards for some dedicated beer activities.

I'll definitely put Het Waterhuis on the list, and am sure I can track down that bottleshop with a little research.
 
spicecowboy said:
I'm largely tied to Ghent, but have 4 days free afterwards for some dedicated beer activities.

I'll definitely put Het Waterhuis on the list, and am sure I can track down that bottleshop with a little research.
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The all you can eat ribs place sucks for beer, but it's all you can eat ribs.

T'Velootje is probably worth a visit... not for beer but for how weird it is. We had a great night there.

There was also a great place that did a Rodenbach and Westmalle Turbonade. It was overlooking the river... so that was pretty fun.

I loved ghent as a city but it's not great for beer.
 
I often go to Ghent to shop for beer. Dranken Geers is probably the best beer store in Belgium but not really close to the city centre. I've had mixed success at De Hopduvel, prices are a little higher and selection of geuzes varies but it is easier to get there without a car.

Waterhuis and Trollekelder are probably the most well-known beer bars. I haven't ventured much outside the student bars in Ghent so I can't say much about them. Same goes for restaurants.
 
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spicecowboy said:
I'll be staying in Ghent from April 3-13. I know it's not exactly a beer hot-spot, but hoping for some recommendations in the way of bars, beer restaurants/eateries and bottleshops.

Cheers.
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Was just thinking about this a little more and this reddit thread is pretty good as a sort of city guide to Ghent: http://www.reddit.com/r/belgium/comments/28mj94/ghent_a_guide/

More beer related activities in Belgium should be sought in/around Brussels and Bruges. Maybe Antwerp as well, it has some of the best beer bars in the country with Kulminator and Antwaerps Bierhuiske but unfortunately no interesting breweries or shops in Antwerp. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions!
 
Thanks a lot Quatz. All really useful information.

I'll get in contact with you closer to April. The main purpose of the trip is to watch the Spring Cycling Classics, but I'm keen to do as much beery stuff as possible inbetween races.
 
Can anyone reccomend a travel guide/book? Would like to plan the beer stops around art museums, cathedrals, etc.

Any tucked away works of art outside of museums worth checking out (Madonna of Bruges, etc)?

What time of year is best to visit- both weather and beer. I know Fou and LP is Sept/Oct, but what other events or releases would be worth planning around. Likely bringing 1.5 year old daughter.

Thanks guys!
 
omgeezo said:
Can anyone reccomend a travel guide/book? Would like to plan the beer stops around art museums, cathedrals, etc.

Any tucked away works of art outside of museums worth checking out (Madonna of Bruges, etc)?

What time of year is best to visit- both weather and beer. I know Fou and LP is Sept/Oct, but what other events or releases would be worth planning around. Likely bringing 1.5 year old daughter.

Thanks guys!
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I've never had any problem with using web resources like lonely plant or tripadvisor. Plenty of good selections on there.

I think weather is kind of hit-and-miss but I've never had a problem and I've been in spring, late summer, and fall. Summer was nice because the days are SO LONG, I always forget how far north you are in Europe. Sunset around 10PM is fun, though maybe less so if you have a small child.
 
omgeezo said:
Can anyone reccomend a travel guide/book? Would like to plan the beer stops around art museums, cathedrals, etc.

Any tucked away works of art outside of museums worth checking out (Madonna of Bruges, etc)?

What time of year is best to visit- both weather and beer. I know Fou and LP is Sept/Oct, but what other events or releases would be worth planning around. Likely bringing 1.5 year old daughter.

Thanks guys!
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The Rick Steeves guides are very useful imo.
 
omgeezo said:
Can anyone reccomend a travel guide/book? Would like to plan the beer stops around art museums, cathedrals, etc.

Any tucked away works of art outside of museums worth checking out (Madonna of Bruges, etc)?

What time of year is best to visit- both weather and beer. I know Fou and LP is Sept/Oct, but what other events or releases would be worth planning around. Likely bringing 1.5 year old daughter.

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

I travelled October last year with my 1 year old daughter and everything went well. It rained a couple of days, but it didn't stop us from walking all over Bruges.

The Madonna is definitely worth seeing.

We took the train to Brussels from Bruges to visit Cantillon and it was so easy.
 
omgeezo said:
Can anyone reccomend a travel guide/book? Would like to plan the beer stops around art museums, cathedrals, etc.

Any tucked away works of art outside of museums worth checking out (Madonna of Bruges, etc)?

What time of year is best to visit- both weather and beer. I know Fou and LP is Sept/Oct, but what other events or releases would be worth planning around. Likely bringing 1.5 year old daughter.

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Which cities will you be visiting or is it still to be decided? I can give you some first hand info on Antwerp and Leuven as I've lived in both cities, and I know Ghent a little bit as an ex-girlfriend studied there (but when I went there it wasn't to visit the city :p). I can look up/ask other people about other cities. The city guides I linked above are made by young, local people. I'm not sure how up to date they are and they are a bit oriented towards young and often single people but there's some cool stuff in there nonetheless.

Time of year to visit would be around May-June as most beer festivals are around that time, then it dies down a little during the summer months and September is again more lively. There are some exceptions, like Alvinne has one of the best beer festivals early March and there are a couple Christmas-themed beer festivals too. Can't really help you with beer releases, I've only went to Cantillon (a couple of times) and then 3 Fonteinen when Framboos was released (but that's not likely to happen again soon).

Send me a message or ask me here if you have any other questions!
 
Quatz said:
Which cities will you be visiting or is it still to be decided? I can give you some first hand info on Antwerp and Leuven as I've lived in both cities, and I know Ghent a little bit as an ex-girlfriend studied there (but when I went there it wasn't to visit the city :p). I can look up/ask other people about other cities. The city guides I linked above are made by young, local people. I'm not sure how up to date they are and they are a bit oriented towards young and often single people but there's some cool stuff in there nonetheless.

Time of year to visit would be around May-June as most beer festivals are around that time, then it dies down a little during the summer months and September is again more lively. There are some exceptions, like Alvinne has one of the best beer festivals early March and there are a couple Christmas-themed beer festivals too. Can't really help you with beer releases, I've only went to Cantillon (a couple of times) and then 3 Fonteinen when Framboos was released (but that's not likely to happen again soon).

Send me a message or ask me here if you have any other questions!
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September is dicey because De Heeren is closed for a couple weeks.
 
Sweet, thanks everyone. Very helpful.

How about travel advice from US. When to book, what cities to fly out of, airlines, etc. thinking about maybe including Ireland too, but still beginning stages of planning.
 
omgeezo said:
Sweet, thanks everyone. Very helpful.

How about travel advice from US. When to book, what cities to fly out of, airlines, etc. thinking about maybe including Ireland too, but still beginning stages of planning.
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On my first trip to Belgium I stopped in Ireland for a couple of days on the flight over. Great decision, as it was only a 5-6 hour flight from New York and really added a lot of dynamic sight seeing before I visited Belgium. The two countries are incredibly different and if you choose to squeeze in some time in another country along with Belgium I fully give Ireland my endorsement. The B&B's were VERY reasonable, though I'd say spend as little time as possible in Dublin and make sure to rent a car for a couple of days. Its an amazing place to drive around.

I should also note that if you are looking for more beer-centric tourism, (other than the Guinness brewery, which is VERY touristy) don't expect much from Ireland. Though I found that a pints of the Irish stouts were all you really need, and its a nice way to mix it up before visiting the Trappist monasteries and the lambics of the Senne valley.
 
Hello Belgium travel friends. I will be leaving for Belgium in a few weeks for TdG and would like to get down to Fantome at some point during the week. I realize I will need to rent a car to get there as it's quite far, but would anyone have any suggestions on places to stop along the way? Preferably other farmhouse/saison breweries?
 
omgeezo said:
Sweet, thanks everyone. Very helpful.

How about travel advice from US. When to book, what cities to fly out of, airlines, etc. thinking about maybe including Ireland too, but still beginning stages of planning.
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Sometimes some of the cheapest flights (sub $1,000) are on Aer Lingus and if you plan it right they can often include 24 hour+ layovers in Dublin. I almost booked with them this time, but opted for direct flights to Paris instead.
 
Dunt said:
Hello Belgium travel friends. I will be leaving for Belgium in a few weeks for TdG and would like to get down to Fantome at some point during the week. I realize I will need to rent a car to get there as it's quite far, but would anyone have any suggestions on places to stop along the way? Preferably other farmhouse/saison breweries?
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Also an American. I want to spend a day out in the Ardennes region and was looking to visit Fantome on the trek out there. Let me know when you are going as I'll be driving over with a couple of friends too.
 
I'll be in Belgium for 5 nights starting this Saturday along with a friend, so if anyone is around and would like to meet up at bars and have bottles and conversation, let me know...will be in the following places:

4/25 - Brussels
4/26 - Chimay Inn
4/27 - Day time Westvleteren, Bruges at night
4/28 - Antwerp
4/29 - Brussels
4/30 - flying to Copenhagen

Cheers
 
miamichael2 said:
I'll be in Belgium for 5 nights starting this Saturday along with a friend, so if anyone is around and would like to meet up at bars and have bottles and conversation, let me know...will be in the following places:

4/25 - Brussels
4/26 - Chimay Inn
4/27 - Day time Westvleteren, Bruges at night
4/28 - Antwerp
4/29 - Brussels
4/30 - flying to Copenhagen

Cheers
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I plan to be at Moeder on 4/29 around 10 PM if you want to meet up. I'll probably be there until pretty late with my brother so shoot me a message if you find yourself in the area!
 
miamichael2 said:
I'll be in Belgium for 5 nights starting this Saturday along with a friend, so if anyone is around and would like to meet up at bars and have bottles and conversation, let me know...will be in the following places:

4/25 - Brussels
4/26 - Chimay Inn
4/27 - Day time Westvleteren, Bruges at night
4/28 - Antwerp
4/29 - Brussels
4/30 - flying to Copenhagen

Cheers
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Are you planning on visiting Cantillon on the 25th? I might be going and looking for someone to share some bottles with.
 
I'm sure it's been addressed but could someone tell me how hard it is to get around w/o a car? Obviously want to do things around Brussels and also head out to places like 3F.
 
There's trains, buses, subway and trams going almost anywhere, it's even relatively easy (as in one bus leaving about every 90 mins) to get to In De Verzekering in Lennik on a Sunday.

It's a major city in Europe, don't sweat it with a car.

As a side note, my hometown (population about 90,000) has a better (as in cheaper, more frequent buses with better route coverage) public transport than Seattle and Seattle's the best public transport system I've seen in the U.S. outside NY. What is it with you guys and public transport?
 
HenrikO said:
There's trains, buses, subway and trams going almost anywhere, it's even relatively easy (as in one bus leaving about every 90 mins) to get to In De Vezekering in Lennik on a Sunday.

It's a major city in Europe, don't sweat it with a car.

As a side note, my hometown (population about 90,000) has a better public transport
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ah, thanks for the info... if I don't make it for open beer day this year, I will next... that's my plan

so I can easily get public transportation from Brussels to Drie Fonteinen?
 
OsLovesBeer said:
ah, thanks for the info... if I don't make it for open beer day this year, I will next... that's my plan

so I can easily get public transportation from Brussels to Drie Fonteinen?
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Commuter train and/or bus to Beersel, I think, but it's been a while so anyone with more current knowledge feel free to correct me.
 
stupac2 said:
Car lobbyists destroyed our infrastructure, basically.
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Very true. Though I have found it very easy to get around major cities (Seattle, San Diego that I've actually tried) with public transit using the Google Maps app. It takes away a lot of the headaches of trying to learn a new city's transit system.
 
OsLovesBeer said:
ah, thanks for the info... if I don't make it for open beer day this year, I will next... that's my plan

so I can easily get public transportation from Brussels to Drie Fonteinen?
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Should be easy, there's a bus that stops right in front of the brewery and the train station is also less than 10 minutes walking distance. So you will have a choice between taking the train (probably will have to transfer somewhere) or the bus (definitely need to transfer somewhere) or a combination of both. It will probably be around 45 minutes to get from Brussels to 3 Fonteinen.
 
It was super easy for my wife and I to take a train from Brussels to Beersel for 3F and then walk up there. When we did it in 2012 you had to do it on a Friday, though, as the train didn't run on Saturday.
 
OsLovesBeer said:
ah, thanks for the info... if I don't make it for open beer day this year, I will next... that's my plan

so I can easily get public transportation from Brussels to Drie Fonteinen?
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Here is the gmaps instructions. Took me a few seconds to type and sort it out. You can adjust time and date of course.

http://tinyurl.com/m3zdzw4
 
And this is the train schedule with the correct address for 3 Fonteinen and a random time I chose, just to give you an idea.
http://tinyurl.com/m39n43e

This site does combine trains and buses so it will be the easiest to find the best route. Ask me should you need more!
 
Are bike DUIs in Belgium a thing? Looking at a b&b that's about 8km from Spontaneous fest and my friend says bike DUIs are mentioned on alot of cycling tour pages. Are we really in danger of getting in trouble for drunk biking at midnight in somewhat rural Belgium?
 

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