Photo Diary: A Weekend in Belgium

We decided to spend our St. Patrick’s Day abroad this year and thus ventured to Belgium, for a long weekend in Brussels and Bruges.

We arrived early evening on Friday, so by the time we had gotten the train into Brussels Central, reached our hotel, checked in and freshened up, it was time to head out for dinner. (May I add that we did make a pit-stop for some waffles en-route!)

We wandered up toward the Grand-Place, Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and the surrounding areas while looking for nice restaurants and bars. It is so pretty at night-time and on St. Patrick’s Day, they changed the lighting green!

On day two, it was very cold and snowing, (and of course I wasn’t dressed for it), but we explored central Brussels anyway, hopping on the train to the Atomium and Parc du Cinquantenaire.

We did all of our sight-seeing that morning, as Ireland were up against England in the Six Nations Final, so we just had to find an Irish bar to watch that in!

Bruges is less than an hour and a half journey by train. Ticket prices vary according to age, so do double-check this before purchasing, as if you are 25 years old and under, you’re classed as a Youth and can avail of a cheaper ticket called the Go-Pass.

We stayed in a hotel that was literally next door to the one in the movie ‘In Bruges’, and to our delight, we were given a canal-facing room as they were quiet on the Sunday that we stayed.

We did a canal tour, which was a great way to see, and learn, about the city. We also had more waffles and Belgian fries for lunch, which is a must!

Bruges is small and our hotel was extremely central – the Belfry of Bruges was only down the road. Climbing the tower is a must, as there are fantastic panoramic views of the entire city from the top.

We did find it difficult to find restaurants that were open for service on Sunday evening, many either didn’t open or closed early, so I’d recommend researching restaurants first and possibly make a reservation, to save you from wandering around. Luckily for us, a restaurant that was on our list was open and we just happened to be the last walk-in of the evening.

It was a fun weekend, filled with lots of Belgian waffles, beer, chocolate, and fries!