My wife and I are headed to Belgium for our honeymoon. Since she planned the wedding, I'm in charge of the honeymoon. I'm fortunate to have married a woman in love with beer, lucky since I am a brewer. The question is, as you can see from the post, is do we go to Bruges? We're staying a night in Antwerp and then four nights in Brussels. I have tours scheduled for Cantillon, 3F, and Westy. Should we head to Bruges for a day trip? Thanks for any input. Aaron
Do you only have the 5 days? I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Bruges, but it wasn't really for beer reasons and I was in Belgium for over a week.
I agree with Erik, the sour hater; even though it's far from my favorite in Belgium, I prefer Ghent, it's worth a visit. Personally I'd spend a day or two less at Oktoberfest and more in Belgium or a day in bamberg or visiting some of the amazing breweries in Bavaria. Cheers
My previous employers, an older gay couple, really enjoyed their day in Bruges, in between Paris and Amsterdam, if that helps at all.
I agree Don, the sour lover; for great beer Oktoberfest is NOT the place to be. Many, many other places would be worth a visit as well.
I say go to Bruge, for at least a day-trip. As for the Oktoberfest, when are you there? As others have noted, it's a big-ass festival that happens to have bier, not a bier-festival per se. Prosit!
Bruges/Brugge (aka Venice of the north) is a very romantic city and most appropriate for a honeymoon, IMO. Full of beer spots and sure to be a hit with your lady on both fronts. I recommend at least a full day (preferably two) in Bruges. I would also put the kaibosh on 1-2 of those days at Oktoberfest...unless you decided to use some of those days traveling around Germany and not camping out in Munich. Happy to provide further recommendations via BM.
From which city would you go to Brugge from? Are you doing rail or automobile? What time of year? Since you're just getting hitched I'll assume that you're two young pups. How about two cities? I like Kortrijk and Gains bar. A nice non-tourist bar. Then you can go to Brugge. Another non-tourist city, close to Brussels is Mechelen / Malines. Part way between Brussels and Antwerp. A very beautiful city. ps, I <3 sours.
Brugge is great for a day-trip; it would be particularly nice during a honeymoon. Unless you have a full itinerary during your time in Brussels, maybe consider some time in Gent. (The historic center of Gent has some of the features of Brugge, with much more than tourism--and it's close to Brussels). If you haven't booked your hotel in Antwerp yet, this boutique hotel was my only splurge when I went this winter and I loved the place. http://www.hotel-matelote.be
If it's your honeymoon DEFINITELY go to Bruges ! ! ! (If you don't mind sharing the place with busloads of other (Japanese) tourists). And as already mentioned, if you really like BEER, don't waste so much time @ the Octoberfest ! Don't get me wrong, it's a once in a lifetime must see but ... It's quantity that rules there (and I don't only mean the beer) instead of quality ! Enjoy your trip and if you need some more information about Belgium, shoot !
And don't forget that there's more to Munich than Oktoberfest, If you get tired of the crowds try a trip out to the Andechs Kloster Monastery/ Brewery/ Restaurant out at Hershing on the S Bahn railway. There's a lovely wooded walk to Andechs Kloster from the railway station (or a bus if you're feeling lazy) and when you get back to Hershing for the journey back to Munich there's some nice lakeside walks. I can also recommend a trip to Freising to visit the Wehenstephan (sp?) brewing school and brewery/ restaurant.
Don't bother with only a day trip to Bruges ... way too much to see and night time is the best as almost all of the tourists have left. Two nights and three days is ideal for this beautiful city. Early afternoon at Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik, I always try to get to 't Brugs Beertje right when they open & dinner at Brasserie Erasmus is a lot of fun. Cafe Rose Red & Cambrinus Restaurant were also great on my last visit (Oct 2011). Every time I go to Bruges ... I don't want to leave.
Two days in Brussels is more than enough for me, unless you have a bigger sightseeing agenda I'd venture out to Gent for a night.
I agree with Jason that Bruges is most comfortable at night, just less people milling around. It's a very beautiful town square, ideal for a brewer and his bride on their honeymoon. Also, choose a day that 't Brugs Beertje is open if possible, as that's a very good stop for dinner and beers.
Ghent is cooler than Bruges. From a beer point of view, Bruges is better. do both. they're 1 hr away from each other via train, methinks.
