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Considering of leaving the UK for a brief street journey throughout the English Channel? I’ll share with you our itinerary for 3 days in Northern France and Belgium by automobile. We have been capable of discover the closest little bit of continental Europe on a funds and get to know stunning Lille in France and the very best locations to go to in Belgium. With out additional ado, let’s get began!
Helpful hyperlinks:
Right here’s the overview of all of the hyperlinks talked about on this submit, so you’ve gotten them multi function place.
Eurotunnel tickets: e book right here
Lodges: B&B Lodge Lille Centre Grand Palais, YUST Liege, Tulip Inn in Antwerpen
Excursions: Lille strolling tour – verify availability; Ghent 50-min boat tour – e book right here; strolling & boat tour of Bruges – e book right here
Journey insurance coverage: Guests Protection
UK to France & Belgium by automobile: the FAQs
What’s the very best time to journey to France & Belgium by automobile from England?
When you’re questioning what’s the very best time to journey to Belgium by automobile from London, it actually is determined by if you wish to journey. The climate in Belgium and that little bit of France is just about equivalent to the climate in London or South-East England. We went to Belgium and France in September and weren’t very fortunate with the climate, because it rained quite a bit and was fairly chilly, however we nonetheless loved it quite a bit!
The place to lease a automobile in England in the event you don’t have one
When you don’t have a automobile in England, you possibly can undoubtedly lease one. You simply must double-check if the automobile is authorised to exit the UK. We all the time use Rentalcars.com for automobile leases within the UK except we use our personal automobile.
The overview of the itinerary for 3 days in Belgium and France by automobile – Lille to Bruges
Day 0: depart out of your metropolis after work, evening in Lille at
Day 1: Lille within the morning, Dinant, Durbuy and evening in Liege at YUST
Day 2: Leuven and Antwerp, evening at Tulip Inn
Day 3: Ghent, Bruges and the drive again residence
3-day France & Belgium itinerary by automobile: Lille, Durbuy, Antwerp, Bruges & extra
Day 0: Driving to Lille from England
For this journey, we solely purchased our Eurotunnel tickets a couple of days prematurely, as this journey was fairly spontaneous. Nonetheless, because the Eurotunnel has some low cost for shorter journeys/weekend breaks, it wasn’t too costly – £210 for the return tickets and we have been 4 folks within the automobile.
We left London round 5:45pm on Friday and it took us just below 2 hours to get to Folkestone, the place the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle terminal was situated. Our departure was scheduled at 21:30, so we arrived simply on time. With Eurotunnel, you all the time must arrive not less than 1 hour earlier than your departure time, in any other case, you received’t be capable of board. There may be, nonetheless, a small shopping center with a WHS Smith, Starbucks and a few different retailers, the place you possibly can spend a while in the event you arrive early. Nonetheless, a lot of the retailers have been already closed at 8pm.
Our Eurotunnel expertise
We waited for our departure and as soon as our quantity was displayed on the display screen, we began heading in the direction of the passport management and boarding lanes. We made it on time and departed proper on time. The entire journey solely takes about 30-35 minutes when you board the prepare in your automobile. Whereas within the prepare, you possibly can exit your automobile, go to the bathrooms or sleep.
Driving to Lille
As soon as we arrived in France, we simply left the prepare and because the passport management was on the British aspect solely, we instantly entered a motorway and began driving in the direction of Lille. In Lille, we booked a really reasonably priced resort barely exterior town known as B&B Lodge Lille Centre Grand Palais. It had coated parking (for extra 7 Euros per evening) and a 24-hour reception, so we might verify in after midnight. We arrived round 0:45 am, checked in and went to sleep immediately.
Day 1: Exploring Lille, heading over to Belgium: Dinant & Durbuy
Exploring the Outdated City of Lille
We picked Lille as our first vacation spot for 2 causes. First, it was very conveniently situated – simply on the way in which to South-East Belgium, which we actually needed to go to. Secondly, I’ve heard nice issues about Lille and actually needed to see it. Lille was additionally fairly near Dunkirk, and that meant that we didn’t must drive for hours earlier than arriving to our resort to sleep because it was already fairly late.
When you like sightseeing, I like to recommend taking one of many brief strolling excursions of town like this tour, for instance. It is possible for you to to be taught quite a bit in regards to the historical past of town! In case you simply wish to see town with out taking a tour, that’s additionally a good suggestion. The Outdated City of Lille isn’t large, so that you’ll be capable of see quite a bit in just some hours. There are many good bakeries the place you possibly can have breakfast as effectively! Nonetheless, there are much more patisseries, and numerous them are spectacular! We went to L’Ogre de Carouselberg and tried 4 various things – all of them have been beautiful!
Just a few hours later, we determined to go to the principle market of Lille, nonetheless, it could possibly undoubtedly be skipped, because it’s a very good place to purchase groceries, however not a must-visit place in the event you’re only a vacationer on the lookout for some snacks and souvenirs!
Dinant
Our subsequent vacation spot was already in Belgium. We drove to Dinant for nearly 2 hours with a brief cease at a petroleum station to purchase some snacks to eat for lunch. I noticed Dinant in loads of lists of probably the most stunning cities to go to in Belgium and wanted so as to add it to our itinerary for our very brief weekend street journey round Belgium. Dinant is a really small metropolis/city well-known for its music-related tourism, as Dinant is the birthplace of the saxophone. Dinant can also be extremely picturesque. We spent about 45 minutes there simply strolling round and having fun with the attractive landscapes. There are additionally a few cafes the place you possibly can sit down for a espresso and a dessert, nonetheless, we haven’t seen many restraints – a lot of the locations have been takeaways, kebabs and chippies. When you’re hungry and want to eat one thing good for dinner, I like to recommend ready till the subsequent city, Durbuy, the place there are extra choices!
Sadly, we have been very unfortunate with the climate – it was raining quite a bit in Dinant; therefore we needed to minimize out time there brief!
Durbuy
We drove one other 45 minutes and reached Durbuy – the smallest metropolis on this planet. Durbuy is a shocking medieval village (regardless that it calls itself a metropolis, it’s realistically a village) with a inhabitants of 400 folks. Nonetheless, Durbuy will get fairly crowded with vacationers – and so they come from all instructions, as Durbuy is simply across the nook from Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France! Durbuy has loads of eating places, though the very best and most spectacular ones that you must e book prematurely, bars and cafes (these you possibly can go to with no reserving). There are additionally some beautiful memento retailers and even a few lodges. There may be additionally a shocking fortress proper within the coronary heart of Durbuy, however it’s non-public – therefore, it’s not doable to go to it.
Night time in Liege
It was already getting late, so our subsequent vacation spot was our resort with the purpose of sleeping. We booked YUST Liege due to the very handy location of Liege – it was virtually within the center between Durbuy and Leuven, and we didn’t wish to have any drives longer than 1 hour. Liege minimize the 1.6-hour drive into two 50-minute drives and gave us a possibility to go to one other place in Belgium. YUST is a brand-new resort near the prepare station of Liege and it was superb – model new, trendy and really satisfying! It was additionally very reasonably priced! You’ll be able to verify the worth and availability of YUST Liege right here >>
Day 2: Liege, Leuven and Antwerp
Liege
We spent the morning strolling round Liege. We haven’t discovered Liege in any lists of the must-visit cities in Belgium and that’s as a result of Liege shouldn’t be a touristy metropolis. There isn’t a lot to see, and total, it’s not fairly, particularly on a chilly and wet day in autumn. Nonetheless, Liege has superb waffles, and it’s referred to as town with the very best waffles in Belgium. We discovered a bakery that had probably the most superb, tremendous recent waffles – and I need to admit that these waffles have been the very best I’ve tried in my life. The bakery is known as Une Gaufrette Saperlipopette – and it’s a must-visit place in Liege!
Leuven
Our subsequent vacation spot in Belgium by automobile itinerary was Leuven. Leuven is a small metropolis simply exterior Brussels that’s well-known for its beer and its college, which was once probably the most well-known and vital college in Europe up till the 14th century. Leuven’s predominant sq. is spectacular and the Outdated City is gorgeous! We had lunch in Leuven in a really stunning historic conventional Belgian restaurant known as Troubadour.
Antwerp
After one other 50 minutes, we arrived at our closing vacation spot of our second day in Belgium – Antwerp. We booked a resort exterior town centre as a result of it was very tough to discover a good reasonably priced resort with parking within the metropolis centre. Therefore we selected Tulip Inn situated circa 40 minutes stroll from town centre or quarter-hour by public transport.
Antwerp is among the most vital cities in Belgium, and it’s additionally extremely touristic. Antwerp all the time performed a vital position within the historical past of Europe as a big buying and selling port and was all the time a really wealthy metropolis due to that. It has loads of unbelievable museums and landmarks and if in case you have a possibility, I like to recommend taking a sightseeing tour of Antwerp like this one (among the excursions depart within the afternoon, good for this itinerary).
Nonetheless, when it comes to structure, I didn’t discover Antwerp as spectacular as Bruges or Ghent, for instance. But, it’s an vital and really thrilling metropolis to go to in Belgium!
When you’re achieved with all of the sightseeing, you possibly can go to Elfde Gebod – in all probability probably the most distinctive bar in Belgium. It’s situated proper subsequent to a cathedral and, truthfully, appears like a church inside – with all of the icons, work and decorations. If that doesn’t scare you or put you off – there are many conventional Belgian beers and dishes you possibly can strive! If you wish to eat, I like to recommend reserving prematurely, nonetheless, in the event you arrive round 5pm, it shouldn’t be too busy and also you would possibly be capable of get a desk with no reservation.
When you like Belgian beer, one other must-visit place is Bar Central – it has over 500 various kinds of beers! We tried numerous beers we’ve by no means seen earlier than.
Day 3: Ghent and Bruges, driving again to England
Ghent
On the morning of our final day in Belgium, we drove to Ghent (it took round 50 minutes) and determined to have breakfast there. We discovered a stunning breakfast/brunch place known as STEK and it was scrumptious. All 4 of us liked it!
In Ghent, we lastly had luck with the climate – it was sunny and comparatively heat and it was a pleasure to stroll across the metropolis. Ghent is far smaller in comparison with Antwerp, and it’s additionally extra compact, so you possibly can see a lot of the Outdated City in about 1-2 hours. You’ll in all probability want a bit longer in the event you determine to go to the fortress within the coronary heart of Ghent as effectively. The fortress was constructed within the twelfth century and it’s spectacular from the surface! General, Ghent is a really stunning metropolis and as I discussed earlier than, I discovered it much more spectacular than Antwerp.
You can too take a really brief strolling tour round Ghent (verify availability right here) or perhaps a brief 50-min boat experience like this one (verify costs and availability).
Bruges
Bruges is simply 45 minutes away from Ghent and it’s a must-visit metropolis in Belgium. When you might solely go to two cities in Belgium, I’d suggest visiting Bruges and Ghent! Bruges can be the spotlight, although, as Bruges is gorgeous. It was my second time in Bruges, and I favored it much more the second time. Presumably, as a result of we didn’t must run across the metropolis to see as a lot as doable with the necessity to go to each single road within the metropolis centre. As an alternative, we took a while, walked round probably the most stunning places and visited numerous chocolate retailers. There are such a lot of shops promoting chocolate in Bruges, a few of them promoting very distinctive handmade chocolate that you could’t discover exterior Belgium. We purchased chocolate from three shops – one in Antwerp and two in Bruges and all the sweets have been so totally different, but equally scrumptious!
In Bruges, you too can take a strolling tour like this one, for instance. Or, within the climate permits, you possibly can take a ship tour, the place you too can be taught extra in regards to the historical past of Bruges! Or, alternatively, this tour is the very best of each – it features a boat experience and a strolling tour.
In whole, we spent about 5 hours in Bruges, together with lunch. Nonetheless, there may be simply a lot to see and do, I completely would come again to Bruges for the third time and keep there for a weekend.
Driving again to England from Bruges
Bruges’s location is ideal for driving again to the UK – it’s simply 1 hour and quarter-hour away from the Eurotunnel terminal. We did have a couple of delays on the way in which again to England, nonetheless, we have been capable of get residence earlier than 11 pm. The journey again is strictly the identical because the outward journey, so there is no such thing as a want to enter additional element (it’s equivalent, even the retailers within the terminal are the identical).
Abstract: 3-day itinerary for a street journey round Belgium and France
I hope you discovered this itinerary for France and Belgium by automobile through Eurotunnel helpful and added a couple of new places to your itinerary. When you take a look at the map of this itinerary, you’ll discover that Durbuy and Dinant (in addition to Liege) are fairly removed from the remainder of the places in Belgium.
If you’re solely planning to go to Belgium for a weekend, I like to recommend dropping Lille and beginning the journey in Bruges as an alternative after which heading to Ghent, Antwerp and Leuven – that may be greater than sufficient for simply 2 days in Belgium by automobile!
When you’ve got any questions, you possibly can ship me a message on Instagram! You’ll find me as @lizatripsget!
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