Day Trip to Belgium

Is it a reasonable day trip from Paris to go to Brugge AND Ghent? How late do the trains run back to Paris?

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My daughter did that trip last year and was not impressed. She and her husband ( his first time!) had only a week in Paris and he wished he had done another day trip in France.

I have not done that trip but many on this forum have done it -- is doable.

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We only have a week as well, so we are trying to plan accordingly. Do you know what they didn%26#39;t like about it? I%26#39;ve read some really good things about Brugge.

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If I recall correctly they said they saw the lace making in Bayeau and the chocolate tour was nearly the same as in Paris... they just felt it was too little difference for the effort to get there for a day.

But many others have gone and enjoyed the day trip there. So read other opinions before you drop it from your schedule.

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Here is a thread you might want to read :

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k12763…

If you print Brugge into the search blank and hit go ... there are many more threads to read.

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Bruges is beautiful. I%26#39;m not sure how long the train trip will take you, but it is certainly worth visiting, and really worth at least a night if you can manage it. It%26#39;s a great place to stroll and to ride bikes along the canals. I don%26#39;t know Ghent, but if it%26#39;s as nice as Bruges, I don%26#39;t see how you could manage both in a single day.

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I haven%26#39;t been to Brugge so I can%26#39;t comment, but believe it would be fairly long for a day trip. Ghent is OK if you%26#39;re in the area and have time, but it%26#39;s nothing really special in my opinion. I wouldn%26#39;t take time out from Paris or from day trips closer to Paris to go to Ghent.

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I called my daughter tonight (Huskie!) and she told me the problem was the one day time period .... she said it was nice. ( I did not write down all the names of stuff they did but here goes...)

They took train at 6:45 am and then when they got there the did the (grande something tour?) and then they had to have waffles and then a tour of the canals, lace factory (?) and chocolate museum. They got back by late that night into Paris. She could not remember how late but dark. She said make sure you go on a non-raining day. She said the walk from the train station would be too long for me (my mobility problem leg).

She said it was just so exhausting! She said if you are going to go there make sure you a stay one night.

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Thanks everyone for all the info %26amp; opinions! We%26#39;ll definitely have to think about what we want to do.

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We took a day tour to Brugge and loved it. I do wish we had more time in Brugge, but 5-6 hours was better than nothing and it was worth the whole day in my opinion. It%26#39;s a breathtakingly quaint and attractive city with lots of shopping, cafes, the natural beauty of the canals with the gorgeous trees and buildings, and of course a great deal of history.

We have been to Paris several times, so we didn%26#39;t feel guilty going out of France for the day, and as long as you have enough time in Paris and are looking for something a little different, I%26#39;d suggest considering the trip. It was a long day (I think from about 7:00 am till about 9:00 pm) but we saw some nice French countryside and got to visit another country for the day.

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