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Belgium or Holland

L

Lesley_374322271

Hi all, we have been to France a few times and thought next year we would go to Belgium or Holland.

Don' know much about either of them so has anyone got any tips about which is best and how to travel?

Would appreciate any ideas

Thanks, Lesley
 
Hi Lesley,

Yes - I work part of the year in Holland, and often take a weekend break in Belgium.

So - which UK ferry port will you use? I'd suggest looking first at Norfolk Lines (Dover - Dunkerque) or P&O (if you have Tesco points). Or if you can travel mid-week and at odd-times, then the Harwich - Rotterdam Europoort service often has "caravan goes free" offers.

I know the coastal regions quite well, and for the Brugge (Bruges) to Gent, I've recommended both Camping Memling and Camping Blaarmeersen

On the both banks of the Scheldte river, roughly on the border between Belgium and Holland - there are loads of good quality camp-sites.

Then in Holland, Delftsehout (Delft) is good and very convenient for visiting the "Golden Age" cities of Holland (Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft, etc)

Language - English is widely spoken in Holland and in the Dutch speaking-region of Belgium.

And we've just returned from along weekend in Damme - about 5 km north east of Brugge - just fantastic - first rate food, great beer, good shopping and a fantastic time.

Robert
 
Hi Lesley,

Yes - I work part of the year in Holland, and often take a weekend break in Belgium.

So - which UK ferry port will you use? I'd suggest looking first at Norfolk Lines (Dover - Dunkerque) or P&O (if you have Tesco points). Or if you can travel mid-week and at odd-times, then the Harwich - Rotterdam Europoort service often has "caravan goes free" offers.

I know the coastal regions quite well, and for the Brugge (Bruges) to Gent, I've recommended both Camping Memling and Camping Blaarmeersen

On the both banks of the Scheldte river, roughly on the border between Belgium and Holland - there are loads of good quality camp-sites.

Then in Holland, Delftsehout (Delft) is good and very convenient for visiting the "Golden Age" cities of Holland (Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft, etc)

Language - English is widely spoken in Holland and in the Dutch speaking-region of Belgium.

And we've just returned from along weekend in Damme - about 5 km north east of Brugge - just fantastic - first rate food, great beer, good shopping and a fantastic time.

Robert
Click to expand...
Many thanks, great help, thought about Norfolk Line. We are in Northampton so travelling up North is further for us. What about the weather? Is it 'Cool, damp and Humid in the summer as the website says? We have to go in August as our friend has fixed holidays. Bit of a pain but never mind.

Once again thanks for all your help

Lesley
 
Many thanks. Is the weather ok in July/August please, says cool, damp and humid on a site I looked on, is this true?

Fixed holidays mean we have to go then, although we are all the wrong side of 50. how is it for Children/quietness?

Thanks again

Lesley
 
Lesley,

Quote "What about the weather? Is it 'Cool, damp and Humid in the summer as the website says? We have to go in August as our friend has fixed holidays. Bit of a pain but never mind."

My office in the city of Rotterdam is exactly east of our house in Buckinghamshire, so the weather is pretty much identical - typically 1 degree hotter in the summer - and that's it

As you head south towards Belgium then the weather improves in exactly the same way it does in the UK - Brugge is roughly level with the UK south coast.

If you don't need to entertain kiddies, and you enjoy sight seeing, great food, etc - then a multiple city holiday should be OK

As an idea - this is a potted history of our long weekend in Damme (east of Brugge) with a population of 600 people and 12 restaurants and bistros :

Thursday - arrive in Damme mid afternoon - visit 'Levens' patisserie and tea-room - walk along canal before restaurant meal in evening

Friday - drive 5km to Brugge - park in station car park - Euro 2,50 for upto 24 hours with free bus transfer to city centre (about 20 minute walk) - go shopping in Steenstraat and NordZandstraat - 'Damon' chocolaterie - shoe, handbag and clothing shops - book shop - and 90 minute slow tour - return to Damme - another 'Levens' patisserie and evening meal in different restaurant

Saturday - drive to Brugge for street market in 't-Zand - food shopping to fill cool box - then a 30 minute drive to Gent for a bit more sight seeing - return to Brugge for evening meal in new Zuid Afrikaan restaurant

Sunday - 'Levens' patisserie to buy bread (freezer) and cakes - drive home via Eurotunnel

Prices in restaurants and cafes vary significantly according to location - the town square in Brugge (Markt) is expensive - the prices dropping as you move away - and many people from Brugge eat in Damme - prices are roughly 1/2 that of the city centre

Robert
 
There is the old pub quzi question - name three famous Belgians. Regretably I have to say that Belgium does have some things to offer but not a lot. I too would recommend Camping Blaarmeersen although take care with security as they have the occasional thefts (we got turned over four years ago when camping - and we were asleep in the tent at the time! Regular bus service outside gate into Ghent which, IMO, is far nicer to visit than than Burgge or, for that matter, Brussels. The problem with Brussels is that once you have visited the Grand Place and its surrounding streets and the Atomium (expensive) there is not much else to do. The European Commission (Barleymont) is just another office block.

The Ardennes in southern Belgium is far more interesting, as are the battlefields of WW1 and the Menin Gate at Ypres, and Waterloo (climb the Bute de Lion - the view alone is worth it.) The NE eastern coast at places like Knocke is like a mini Mayfair - talk about money?

Dutchland is well worth a visit and although there are many sites you will find few with UK vans. Most sites speak some English but rarely put up signs or have literature in the language. We stayed on a site in woodland east Utrecht - its in the CC book. Good facilites and five minutes drive from a rail station with direct lines to Utrecht, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is worth a visit, but only one. It has declined sharply since we went there on honeymoon 30+ years ago. Rotterdam is even busier than Amsterdam, and The Hauge is just a city of glass - not unlike Canary Wharf. Dordenct (I hope that is correct,) Alkmaar, and the World Heritage windmill site at Kinderjk (or something like that) are well worth visiting, as the Gelderland, the hilly area in the east of the country.

The only downside is that, relative to France and Belgium, Holland is quite expensive although you do buy quality.
 
Three famous Belgians - easy:

Eddy Merckx (cycling)

Jacky Ickx (F1)

Adolphe Sax (saxophone)

Django Reinhardt (guitar)

Audrey Hepburn (English father, Dutch mother, born in Belgium)

Dries van Noten (fashion)

And in fiction:

Kuifje (better known in the UK as TinTin) - meaning quiff - for his hairstyle

Hercule Poirot

And there is a lot to do in Belgium and Holland - especially if you like eating, drinking and cycling...

Robert
 
I most certainly didn't forget van Damme, I just don't count wooden actors as famous...

But "van Damme" means "from the village of Damme" - one of my favourite places in west Belgium - a sort of Hay-on-Wye with a similar number of bookshops and rather better restaurants.
 
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