Cities in Belgium

I've been living in France for 8 months and recently was living near Belgium. I visited Ypres, Brussels, Bruges and Ghent.

I'll break each city down into things to see and if they're worth visiting.

Brussels

Brussels is the Capital of Belgium. I enjoyed walking around the streets in Brussels and getting lost.

Chocolate Street

There's no official Chocolate Street but I did find a few that had loads of Chocolate stores row by row. Many offered me a free sample when I asked if I could pay for just one chocolate ( as I wanted to try some from many of the different shops). I think I had over 8 chocolates that day and only paid for two.

The Grand Place

The Grand place is a huge square in Brussels. It's absolutely beautiful. There are shops and restaurants around the square. We got lost all day weaving in and out of the streets all around the square.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre

The Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre,  known as Sacré-Coeur, is a Catholic Basilica that sits on the highest hill in Paris, in the Montmartre neighborhood. It’s height is topped only by the Eiffel Tower. This Basilica has different architecture than many of the Gothic Churches you'll see in France, so it's interesting to compare the differences.

(No Reservation/free)

Bruges 

Canal Tour

There is a canal tour in Bruges as well. I preferred the one in Ghent but if you aren't going to Ghent then it's worth doing the canal tour in Bruges.

Chocolate Street

There are a few chocolate streets that are loaded with different chocolate shops! You can definitely get your chocolate tasting fill in Bruges.

Waffles

Bruges had so many waffle options! I was disappointed that it was hard to find waffles in Ghent, so definitely get a waffle in Bruges!

Ypres

I went to Ypres as I wanted to visit Flanders Field which I knew of from the Canadian poem.

Flanders Field Museum

We started out at Flanders Field Museum which was definitely worth it. We learned so much about WWI and the Trench Warfare.  

Essex Farm Cemetery

I thought the Flanders Cemetery was where the famous poem "In Flanders Field" by John McCrae was from but I found out, he wrote it in Essex Farm Cemetery after his friends were buried there. It is a Commonwealth Cemetery.

Flanders Field American Cemetery

We visited this Cemetery where American soldiers who fought during WWI are buried at.

Yorkshire Trench Dugout

We then went to the Yorkshire Trench Dugout which is an old, preserved British trench. It was discovered in 1992.

Menin Gate

We then ended our day at the Menin Gate in Ypres which is a Memorial to the missing. It's dedicated to the British and Commonwealth solderies who were killed in Ypres during WWI and whose graves are unknown.

Ghent

I couldn't find a chocolate street or many chocolate shops in Ghent so I'm glad I had my chocolate fill in Brussels.

Canal Tour

There are a few companies that offer canal tours in Ghent. It's definitely worth it. I thought the Ghent canal tour was more interesting and had more things to see and learn about than the canal tour in Bruges. The tour was 40 minutes and cost $10 euro per person.

Medieval Section

The Medieval section of Ghent is very cool! Lot's of cobblestone streets, churches and history. I enjoyed walking around and getting lost in the streets.

Ghent Castle

I saw the Castle close up on the canal tour but it was nice to walk to the Castle as well. You can pay for tours to go inside the Castle but I just saw it from the outside.