Bruges: The Ultimate Romantic Getaway

I was super excited to go to Belgium! In my humble opinion, there is nothing more important to happiness than beer, chocolate, waffles, and fries. Belgium is home to all of this and more! I had read a few articles about the beauty of Brussels so we started our Belgium experience there. We took the Eurostar direct to Brussels from St. Pancras in London. We paid for the upgrade to first class so it was a quick and comfortable train trip. We had the entire car to ourselves and enjoyed the view from our fully-reclined wide seats.

Before we left London, my brother-in-law mentioned we should try to get over to Bruges so we made hotel reservations at the Crowne Plaza Brugge and decided to handle the train situation when we arrived in Brussels Central Station. I’m so glad we did because we saved so much money!

We arrived at Brussels Central station and our first objective was to get our tickets to Amsterdam because that was the next leg of our trip and there was a train strike scheduled for some of the days of our trip. We went to the international ticked room and the agents were so kind. They walked us through all of the options available for us. We were originally planning on taking the Eurostar, but found out the local train is only an hour longer, but over half the cost of the Eurostar ticket even with the upgrade to the first class ticket, so we decided to buy the local train ticket to Amsterdam.

Then, we walked further down the head house and found the domestic local train ticket room. Again, we were greeted by the kindest ticket agents. Every agent we encountered acted as if we were the only people in line and took the time to answer every question, outlined all our options, and offered recommendations of places to visit. We were advised that the train to Bruges was only an hour long so paying for the first class upgrade wasn’t worth it. In hindsight, I’m not sure I’d agree. We said we were going to be leaving around noon and the agent said that train isn’t typically busy because most tourists head out at an earlier time. Our train to Bruges was packed! We spent the first leg of the trip standing shoulder to shoulder with other travelers at the end of a car next to the bathroom. Our return trip at 10 a.m. was very different, but the trip there was packed so be advised that you may have to stand for a portion of the trip.

Once in Bruges it was a quick taxi to the hotel. The Crowne Plaza Brugge is in a fantastic location and you can’t beat the price. You are throwing distance to everything you want to see in Bruges.

Bruges is the picture-perfect setting for romance! A well-preserved medieval town with gorgeous Gothic constructions, stunning canals, and delightful charm. There are plenty of inviting streets to wander around in and absorb the whimsy of the city.