Belgian Trip Timing?

We stayed at Hotel Metropole once, and before I get laughed back out of the forum I'd like to say that they cater to business travelers so sometimes weekends and (maybe?) summer months will be deeply discounted and you can get a really nice room for a mid-level price. We went on a weekend in January and it was reasonable. Their regular rates are prohibitive, though, so you have to catch them at the right time.

Also their downstairs bar has Orval, which is a nice way to end your night.

 

No reason to laugh, it's worth a roll of the dice. Great history and they're renovating, so may shake off some of the fustiness. And the cafe is a classic spot. Yes, for business travelers whiling time between meetings, not worth the beer hunter's time, but you could do worse for a place to catch some sun, people-watching and a Trappist.

 

Just narrow roads and clueless pedestrians. Not exactly unique!

 

I will be there in June till July, I have a few local areas to check out. Also plan on hitting Antwerp, Bruge, Luxembourg, and Leige as well..... Temperature seems moderate from what I've googled

 

Beware "priority on the right!" Google that and study the road signs. But don't be deterred.

 

This can't be overstated enough. The priority rules don't just confuse foreign drivers, but Belgians just as much. Regardless, rent a car and have fun.

If you are looking for a relaxed atmosphere, take an easy trip to Leuven (~25 km east of Brussels) and have a few beers on the oude markt. The students will mostly be gone, so it won't be as crowed. If you can make it on a Saturday, head up to Hof ten Dormaal for a great/unique brewery experience.

 

Distances & Times won't match what you're used to. I'd say you should plan on 2-3x the driving time you'd estimate in the US (smaller roads, more frequent stops, slower traffic). Still, far from "long" distances compared to Colorado!

 

Belgium is indeed a small country, and it is reacheable in a few hours, but keep in mind that its traffic jams are notourious. Especially around Antwerp and Brussels !

 

Most traffic ( at weekdays mon-fri ) in and around the bigger city's starts around 07 AM untill 09 AM and around 4 PM untill 6.30 PM
IF there are no major accidents ......

 

I would recommend on not renting a car. Public transportation is very good there and easy to navigate. Most likely you guys will be drinking. I think it would suck to limit your drinking because you need to drive back to the hotel. One of the best days I've had in Belgium was when I hired @Stevenwings to drive my drunk ass around. I didn't need to worry about directions, traffic, priority on right, or drinking and driving. I just drank amazing beers.

 

Priority on the right is definitely a weird one to get used to but pretty simple once away of it and know that you can't always trust others to follow it. I think you have the right idea with no car in the City. Reall going to Brugge, Ghent, Antwerp, bigger cities you may never need a car. Being able to easily get to some out of the way plans and setting your own schedule can be fabulous.

My only advise is make SURE you have GPS. Wether that is in the rental car or enough data with your cell phone. The streets around Belgium can get all kinds of crazy and are never signed well. The stress saved is worth every penny.

 

Thanks for that Mike

Hope to see you again here or in the States

 

Yes and no, on this -- not to dispute but just to help your planning. There's a crazily extensive highway system that, outside of rush hour, runs faster that I was used to from the states, with speed limits typically 75 but easy to drive in the 80s or beyond. We Americans might also have a psychological benefit (or maybe I'm just simple) from seeing distances marked in Kms, so you might groan to see 'Brussels 60' and think it's an hour, then you're there in half an hour. Surface roads are often wide and speedy between towns, because there is very little suburban sprawl, plus it's a fairly flat and open country. But it's true that there are many, many towns (pretty densely populated country) and they tend to go for low limits (often enforced by camera traps), zigzag routes and speed bumps.