Brussels Gent Brugge- 5 day trip

Visiting Belgium in christmas time has been on my wishlist for ages and finally we got to make that wish come true! We started our trip in Lisbon's airport, the flight got delayed, so we left the city 2 hours later. But...Brussels, here we go! 🇧🇪

We arrived at Zaventem airport around 6 p.m and caught the 471 bus to Brussel-Noord station (you can also catch de 272 bus to the city center). Our hotel was right next to the train station, so we didn't have to walk a lot to get to the hotel. 💰 bus ticket (one way)= 2,5€/person

Since we arrived late, we rushed to the main christmas market in Brussels (it closes at 10 p.m). It takes place in "Place Sainte-Catherine", and there you will find food stands, a ferris wheel, a carousel. We bought food in the stands and ate at the picnic tables they have around the market. We really enjoyed the market at night.

We stayed the night at Hotel City Center, in a triple room (one couples bed + 1 single bed, that we put together, to make one big bed for the 3 of us). The breakfast is included and it was nice. 💰 153€/night They let you leave your bags, during the day, after check-out.

Our first stop was Jeanneke-Pis, which is the female version of the well known statue Manneken-Pis. It's in a small dead end street, inside a cage, but it's easy to find.

Then we walked to the Galeries Royales Saint- Hubert, what a beautiful building it is ❤️ We entered in a smaller lateral entrance, less crowded, but then left through the main entrance.

But, before we left the Galeries, we stop at Maison Dandoy to taste the famous brussels waffles. And they are amazing!! So soft and tasteful ❤️ Here you can try the brussel waffle or the liége waffle. 💰 8,5€/brussel waffle, with strawberries and whipped cream

This is definitely the most beautiful place in the city ❤️ Be sure not to miss it!

Brussels is known for it's comic murals around the city. We went to check the Smurfs Passage. It's a small tunel with an all painted celling with Smurf's characters. Very cute! If you can, be sure to visit the MOOF (Museum of Original Figures). It was closed the day we spent in Brussels, but it seems pretty cool.

Afterwards we climb the Mont des Arts to see the view. And, without planning it, we manage to listen to the bells ringing at the Carrillon du Mont des Arts. This clock is huge!!

We stroll by the Place Royale, Grand Sablon and Église Notre-Dame de La Chapelle. Then went down the street to pass by this cute Store/Museum, where you can see all the cool outfits that Manneken Pis has worn. 💰 5€/adult (free on the first sunday, each month)

And right down this street, you will find Manneken Pis himself! We got him dressing up like a fireman 😆❤️ how cute is this?! The statue isn't big, so be sure to pay attention not to miss it.

We wanted to see the main christmas market again, during the day, so we had lunch at this restaurant near the market. The food was good and tasty. 💰 70€

We returned to the chritsmas market mainly to do this: ride the "Le Manège Magique", which is a carousel very unsual. Instead of horses, you have a pterodactyl, a space rocket, a submarine... If you can, take your kids for a ride! They will love it ❤️ 💰 3€/ride Afterwards, since we had a little more time, we went ice skating at the Place Brouckère.

We got back to the hotel, to pick up our bags. And caught a train to Gent (Gent St Pieters) at the Brussel-Noord station. The trains are very easy and comfortable to use. 💰 around 8,5€/ adult, second class tickets. 1 hour ride.

We arrived Gent St Pieters station and then caught the number 1 tram to the center. We stayed at B&B Hotel Gent Centrum, and it was a pleasant surprise. The rooms were very pretty and comfortable. 💰 140€/night (triple room)

We had dinner at a restaurant really close from the hotel. It's called De Kastart and it's an all pasta restaurant. You can choose between bolognese, carbonara and others; in size big, medium or small. We ordered two smalls and one medium, but regret it right away! The portions are huge, even the small ones! But the food is amazingly delicious. Don't forget to be there early. We arrived at 7 p.m and it was already full. We had to wait for 20 or 30minutes for a table. Worth it!

We woke up to a beautiful clear sky (didn't last long), we managed to see the view from our hotel. At this hotel you have the option to leave your bags in lockers (pay 9€/full day) or in some shelves in this very same room. We left them in the locked locker.

Then we took a walk through the city center. As you can see, the clear skies were gone, and now it's just fog everywhere (but still loved it). We started at this cute brigde.

We walked by the canal, to get to the castle. Every corner of this city is absolutely gorgeous!! 🥰

We arrived at the castle and decided to enter. This place is so well preserved! And you can even see a great collections of armory. 💰 12€/adult (opens at 10 am, the audio guides are included)

Since I'm a fan of street art, I had to go check this street. Graffiti Street is a narrow passage between some buildings, and... as the name suggests... it's full of graffitis everywhere. It's okay, you'll find some nice work there. But, since it's a free style thing, it's a little too much "visual noise" for me.

And then we got to the Christmas markets ❤️ In Gent you don't have a big square with a main market, they are distributed over several streets. So start at one and end at the other, since they make a path. We saw them at this order: Sint-Baafsplein, Botermarkt, Klein Turkije and Korenmarkt.

By the end of the day, we got back to the hotel to catch our bags. Caught the tram to the train station and then the train to Brugge. We stayed at Ibis Budget Brugge Centrum Station, and was right next to the train station. It was the cheapest hotel we found at the time and it was nice.

As I said, the hotel was so close to the train station, that this was our view 😆 But it was a very silent room. We didn't hear any trains. We got up in the morning, left our bags in the hotel (they have a luggage room) and went for a walk at the city center. 💰 135€/night (triple room)

To get to the center you can walk for about 20 minutes, but since we have a little kid we took the bus. On that day the bus was free (I think it's usual on christmas time, on the weekends). We got out at this cathedral and started our walking tour.

First stop: the main Christmas market at Grote Markt. Right in front of the Belfry Tower. Since it was saturday the market (and the streets) were full of people! So crowded! But it's a beautiful square ❤️ you really shouldn't miss it, even if it's not christmas.

After lunch we went to try the Liège Waffles at Fred's. I think the photo speaks for itself... but wow!! It was so delicious!!

With our bellies full, we walked to the Burg Square and visited the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The entrance is free (you may find a queue, but it walks fast). The church is really pretty. And, inside, you have a small relic, said to have a sample of the blood of Jesus Christ. If it's true or not... we'll never know. But it's interesting too see.

We walked a little further to the canals. There were a lot of boats that you can book a trip, to see Brugge from water. I recomend a stop at Rozenhoedkaai for a photo 📷

Afterwards we passed by the Church of Our Lady, we didn't enter because the queue was long, but I'm sure it's beautiful from the inside, has it is from the outside.

It was Football World Cup game day... and Portugal was playing! 🇵🇹 So we stopped at Cafe Pick to watch the game. It was a nice sports bar. So if you are in Brugge and want to see a game, this is a cool place to do that. (We lost the game... but well, it was a nice experience 😆)

After the game, we got our bags and caught the train back to the airport. Our flight was early in the morning, so we booked an hotel close to the airport to save us some time. But, if you do have time, it's cheaper to get a train back to the city center (Brussels-Noord) and then the bus to the airport.

We stayed the night at Novotel and it was a very quiet, clean and nice hotel. They have a free transfer service from and to the airport, so we caught it in the morning. You don't have to book it, You just have to be at the bus stop at time (you'll find a timetable at the reception).

We caught our flight back home and left with the desire to come back to Belgium to see more ❤️ Did you enjoy our trip? Have you ever been in Belgium? 😊🇧🇪