"Frequently Ignored Belgium" a Belgium Travel Page by DueSer

Although a lot of financial and government-related work is done in Belgium, relatively few tourists (American, at least) on a regular vacation think of this small country as a holiday destination and that's a shame. Belgium is delightful.

The food is terrific. The art museums are top notch. They have a shopping boulevard with every kind of shop you can imagine. There's history and architecture and even quirky attractions.

Belgium offers everything you would want and it comes in a small package. This makes it possible to visit the entire country at a comfortable pace. When the train ride from city to city is only an hour or two instead of most of a day, you can see much more and do it without completely exhausting yourself in the process.

Gent is a very old town packed with history (and a really good bakery). It offers some unique tourist attractions in a beautiful setting. Its location makes it the perfect spot for a day trip on a transition day. If you're headed from Brussels to Bruges (or vice versa) you can leave one city early in the morning, arrive in Gent, see everything, and then get to your final destination in the early evening. The old town is perfect for walking but it is quite a hike from the train station, however.

Antwerp is the center of the diamond industry but there's more to see and do than simply shop. Antwerp has a beautiful river setting and one of the prettiest churches in Belgium. This city doesn't give itself to walking as well as some other cities but it is possible if you have stamina.

Despite the movie claiming that there isn't anything to do here, Bruges is the gem of not just Belgium but, the entire lowlands area. Every place has canals and historic buildings and cobblestone streets but there's something about the way Bruges puts it all together that gives you an extreme feeling of serenity.

This is the perfect place for long walks just exploring every nook and cranny Bruges has to offer. This is also home to a great burger joint (no, really!), a Michaelangelo sculpture, and landscapes begging you to take postcard-quality pictures.