Belgium
July 3 - 5, 2011 (3D2N): Last leg of our BIG 30 Birthday trip! See prior posts on Iceland and Amsterdam. Belgium, in addition to its delicious chocolates, fries and a wide array of beers, is well connected to the rest of Europe by train; so you can easily visit Paris and London from Brussels. We took the train from Amsterdam to Brussels with a stopover in Antwerp (a very pretty city).
*Highly Recommended
Day 1
- SNCB Euro from Amsterdam to Antwerp Central Station (1:15 hr)
- Walk to Histroical Central:
- Shopping Stadsfeestzaal (prettiest mall I have ever seen)
- Stroll down Meir shopping street
- Waffle @ Desire De Lille*
- Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp
- Grote Markt van Antwerpen
- Drink @ the outdoor cafe across from Stadhuis van Antwerpen (City Hall)
- SNCB Euro from Antwerp to Brussels Midi Station (~50 mins)
- Walk to Hotel De Fierlant (great hotel but the neighborhood wasn't the best)
- Dinner @ les brassins* (get the rabbit)
- Birth Place of Audrey Hepburn
- St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, Brussels (photo at night)
Day 2
- Breakfast @ hotel
- Tour of Brussels Central:
- Town Hall (Hotel de Ville)
- Grand Place (visit some chocolate shops)
- Manneken Pis
- Notre Dame de la Chapelle
- Justice Palace (Palais de Justice)
- Fries @ Belgian Frit'n Toast*
- Lunch @ Aux Armes de Bruxelles* (get mussels)
- Jeanneke Pis
- Drink beer @ Delirium Monasterium*
- Buy some chocolate @ Pierre Marcolini
- More drinking @ Le Roy d'Espagne* (Day drinking & people watching by Grand Place)
- Eat more fries!!
Day 3
- Breakfast @ hotel
- SNCB Euro to Amsterdam
Other points of interest
Antwerp
Brussels
Tips
- Look for hotels near the Brussels Central train station, not Midi. Our hotel was quiet far from the main attractions.
