Destination 3 of 5 – Beautiful Belgium
Some of you will have a destination in mind but others will follow the wind in the hope of creating interesting and memorable experiences. A motorhome gives you the freedom to roam with all the home luxuries and without constraints. There’s so much to see and do throughout the UK and across mainland Europe, which often means it’s difficult to decide where to spend your time away. We’ve compiled a list of our 5 favourite places, as recommended by staff and past customers. We’ll be posting one destination a week, along with our suggested route in the form of an interactive map.
3. Beautiful Belgium – 3/4 days – 238 miles (383km)
Belgium is a beautiful and culturally important country, mixing incredible Flemish architecture with progressive cities that make it a cornerstone of the European Union. The proximity of Belgium to the UK makes it a great place to visit if you’re limited by time, as it’s only a stones throw from Calais & Dunkirk.
Renowned for its network of canals and historic medieval buildings, Bruges has been a UNESCO site since the year 2000. The Church of our Lady in the city centre has a 122m tower and remains one of the largest brick built buildings in the world. The city-centre gothic style Markt features horse-drawn carriage rides and 17th-century houses converted into restaurants and cafes, as well as the 13th century belfry with its 47-bell carillon and 83m tower with panoramic views. No trip to Bruges would be complete without sampling the artisanal skill of both the chocolatier and the beer makers. With over 50 chocolatiers at work showcasing both traditional skills and more progressive approaches, you are truly spoilt for choice.
Our route takes you from Bruges, through Ghent and onto Antwerp, the second largest city in Belgium. It boasts a beautiful historic city centre and is world renowned for its fashion industry and its world leading diamond industry with 70% of all diamonds being traded here. There are plenty of interesting things to see and do so it’s well worth a stop off, even if you’re not in the market for any diamonds! Once you’re ready to move on head south to Belgium’s capital and centre of European culture, Brussels. It boasts almost 90 museums, beautiful parks, trendy restaurants and bars and plenty of places you can go for an interesting walk. We recommend visiting the Belgian Centre of Comic Strip Art, Brussels Waffle Workshop and of course our staff favourite Chocolate Workshop & Tasting Tour.
Next up is an easy 20km hop east to Leuven with its well-preserved historic town centre being rated as one of the most beautiful in Belgium. It is a true university town, and is home to the oldest Catholic University in the world, founded in 1425. From here drive back part of the way to Brussels, then head south towards Mons. There are many small towns on the journey back to Ypres that are worth a visit, providing a great place for a bit of exploration. You can even cross over the French border into Lille to find out what it has to offer. Ypres is a friendly town with wonderful architecture and a troubled past. It is perhaps best known as the site of three major battles during the First World War, the most famous being the Battle of Passchendaele from July-November 1917. The many memorials and cemeteries of the fallen in and around Ypres draw thousands of visitors each year.
If you've got any more Belgian travel suggestions please feel free to send them over!