A Long Weekend in Belgium
One of the great things about living in Washington DC is that it is really easy to fly to Europe. It’s well connected to the continent with non-stop flights and depending where you’re going, the flight isn’t that much longer than going back to California. The result is that with a bit of planning, you can actually do a long weekend in Europe. Which is precisely what I did the last weekend of June. It was a short but very fun and relaxing trip. I stayed in Brussels and took day trips to the towns of Bruges and Ghent. All were fun, but Ghent was definitely my favorite city of the three. It’s a very pleasant and enjoyable place to be, and everyone was very friendly. So without further ado, here is the great, the niche, and the overrated of my trip to Belgium!
The Great
Canal Boat Tours
The canal boat tours in Belgium are a must do if you are in Bruges and/or Ghent. Both cities are built around canals that were used by the merchants for moving goods to/from the sea which lead to much of the cities late medieval wealth. As such, the canals are the best way to see and appreciate the architecture of the cities. And they are a lot of fun. The tour guides give a good overview of the city and the buildings complete with bad jokes that I laughed at anyways. The boats hold roughly 25-30 people but they are long and narrow so you can see pretty decently see wherever you sit. And they are completely affordable - only 10-15 euros for a 40-minute tour.
Beer and Chocolate
When I wrote up why Belgium was on my 2025 recommended places to go list, I listed beer and chocolate as two of the main reasons. And they did not disappoint. Belgian beer and chocolate really are phenomenal. You won’t have a bad version of either in that country. However, if here are my two favorites. For chocolate: Neuhaus. Neuhaus was founded in 1857 and is deservedly one of the most famous Belgian chocolatiers, they have boxes (which make fantastic gifts) and you can also pick out an individual selection for yourself. For Beer: Gruut Brewery in Ghent. Gruut makes their beer with a collection of herbs (called gruut, hence the name), rather than using hops. This was the medieval method of making beer in the area and it’s been revived. I did their sampler and enjoyed all of them – although the amber was my favor. If you enjoy beer, highly recommend checking this place out.
St. Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent
First off, St. Bavo’s Cathedral is absolutely gorgeous. In addition to that though, the cathedral is home to the 15th century masterpiece, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb – which is 12 separate panels making up a single work. There is a separate, ticketed section of the cathedral that takes you downstairs in the crypt where there is a VR tour that takes you through the history of the painting, what makes it special, etc. The tour is super helpful because it gives you needed context for the painting, before you see it. Now, I’m not a fan of medieval or late medieval Christian art, but this really is worth seeing in person. It was restored during covid so the colors are incredible and you can really see and appreciate the details of the composition. I wouldn’t say “go to Ghent to see this painting.” But if you are in Ghent, the cathedral and the tour are must dos.
The Niche but Cool
Musical Instruments Museum – Brussels
Definitely a bit niche, but Musical Instruments Museum was my favorite museum in Brussel and must do for music nerds. The museum is in a beautiful art deco building, and each floor has a different main exhibit. One floor was devoted to keyboards, spanning centuries and included synthesizers and other electronic key-based instruments. There was a floor devoted to the history of western music, starting in the middle ages, and then one on traditional instruments. The coolest thing though was that they give you an audio guide that allows you to hear the instruments being played. So, you look at a medieval lute and then on the audio guide you can hear that lute being played. It really took the museum from good to great for me. So -if music is one of your things, definitely check out when you’re in Brussels.
The Overrated
The Fries
Heresy I know, but hear me out. It’s not the fries that are good about Belgian fries, it’s the sauces. If you eat just a plain unadorned fry, it’s pretty blah, nothing to shout about. However, the sauces that go on top of the fries are amazing. I got fries with two sauces, the traditional mayonnaise and a sweet curry sauce – both were completely delicious. My theory is that because the sauces on the fries are so fantastic (and I was not at some fancy place, I was at a hole-in-the-wall friterie) it makes people think the fries themselves are good. But they are just the vehicle for the truly delicious thing, the sauces.
Conclusion
Three days was a pretty good amount of time for visiting Belgium. I could have used another day and visited Antwerp, but I don’t feel like I missed out per se. And it would be easy to add into a trip to the Netherlands or Luxembourg. Belgium is small and it is extremely easy to get around by train, so I’d recommend choosing a home base city and take day trips, rather than lugging your suitcase from town to town. As I said, Ghent was my favorite town, but definitely take the time to spend at least a day in Brussels, which is beautiful and has a very different feel than the historical canal cities of Ghent and Bruges. And when you do go – make sure to have some chocolate and (if that’s your thing) a glass of beer.
