Destination: Brussels
I loved the Urban Gardens campsite for so many reasons, but the main reason for booking was the fabulous transport links. From the Gent Blaarmeersen (Campinglaan) stop just outside of the campsite, you can get the number 19 bus directly to the train station. And that was my plan for Day 9, I would be taking the train from Ghent to Brussels to explore the capital city and home of the EU parliament.
If you do happen to stay at Urban Gardens and get the bus into Ghent, there are a few things to be aware of. Firstly, you’ll need to make sure you are at the right bus stop. The bus stop into town is the one on Campinglaan opposite the public carpark. The other one on Trimlaan (which is the first one you see as you leave Urban Gardens) is a rest stop for drivers. The next thing to look out for is which bus to catch as there are 2 operating from this stop. The number 11 (Gentbrugge) will take you all the way into town, but if you are specifically heading to the station you’ll want the number 19 (Arteveldstadion) and you will be travelling to Sint-Pieterssation. The Visit Gent site has a great guide for using public transport in the city, which also covers the trains and lots of other useful information for visitors.
Stop 1: Sint-Pietersstation
The trip into Ghent costs a very reasonable 3€ and you can pay with a debit card/smartphone/watch when you travel. It’s a really quick trip and a great opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the city. Just round the corner from Urban Gardens is the amazing Watersportbaan which was alive with people enjoying the warm Spring sunshine.
Upon reaching Sint-Pietersstation I was greeted by a team of young volunteers helping tourists navigate the ticketing system. I thought it was a lovely touch, and very welcoming. The station itself is also really interesting, with the impressive interior being decorated with murals and ceiling paintings.
Trains depart from Ghent to Brussels around every 15 minutes, but be aware the intercity ones are way faster than the others. Additionally off-peak tickets are a whopping 40% cheaper. So travelling 9am – 4pm and after 6pm could save you a tenner. And that’s at least 2 bottles of Belgian beer or a really fancy waffle, depending on your preference!
A point to note is that the main station in Brussels is not Brussels Central, but Bruxelles-Midi, confusingly also known as Brussel-Zuid (in Dutch). It’s just under a kilometre from the city but has great metro connections. This was perfect for my purposes, as I needed to take the metro out of the city to visit it’s most iconic attraction.
It is situated close to the Heysel metro station on Line 6, and the journey takes around 25 minutes. Once there, you just head for Boulevard du Centenaire, and suddenly there it is, right in front of you!
Stop 2: The Atomium
Originally built in 1958, the Atomium is known all over the world as a symbol of Brussels, and of Belgium. As I approached I had a familiar sense of disbelief that I was so close to something I’d seen so many times but never thought I’d get to visit.
Between the patches of cloud, the sun was really bright and dazzled off the orbs making up the atomic structure.
As I got closer the huge dimensions of the structure became clearer. This was particularly brought home by the size of the tiny people scaling one of the massive spheres.
I had bought my day ticket in advance online and I would definitely recommend doing that as it gets very busy. The all day ticket cost just 16€ and included entry to the nearby Design Museum, which I thought was a bargain. The queue to get in was quite long but fast moving so it wasn’t long before I was making my way up the first escalator.
Each of the spheres contains a viewing gallery and exhibition of some kind. They are joined by stairways and escalators inside the huge tubes.
My absolute favourite part of the visit, was the ‘Echoes of Distant Lights’ digital art installation over several floors. I could literally have stayed for hours, it was totally mesmerising, although possibly not for those triggered by strobe effect lighting.
I stayed at the sound and light show for quite a long time and was quite hungry when I left. I decided to skip the Design Museum on this visit and look for some food. Luckily there was a street vendor on the Boulevarde du Centenaire just down from the Atomium selling fries. Well, I was in Belgium after all … so it would have been rude not to try some authentic ‘Frites Mayo’, right?
The Parc de l’Atomium which borders the Boulevarde, was the perfect place for a picnic. And once I’d finished, it was just a short stroll to pick up my hop on/hop off bus tour of the city.
Stop 2: Brussels Discovery tour
I’d booked the comprehensive Brussels Discovery tour directly with the provider Tootbus via their website, which was pretty easy. Brussels is spread out over quite a large area, so I’d recommend the bus tour as it’s a great way to get your bearings and cover a lot of the sights. With the hop on, hop off tour, you can also get off and then hop on the next bus if there’s something you’d like to get a better look at.
The tour was great, passing all the major attractions, including the EU parliament which is at the far edge of the city. There was a great commentary about the different districts as we passed through, which gave a real insight into Brussels life.
After having done a full loop of the city, I hopped off to have a look at another famous landmark, the ‘Mannekin Pis’.
I’d wanted to see the sculpture as we’d had a miniature replica of it in my family home when I was young. I had always wondered where it came from, I imagine it was gifted by a family member or friend, clearly one with a sense of humour!
The area around the fountain was really crowded with tourists and I struggled to get close enough for a good look. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it is actually quite tiny.
Then it was time for a little gift shopping of my own and a look round the old town. Having stocked up on Belgian chocolate, I made my way to ‘the View’, a huge Ferris wheel overlooking the city. The sun was setting and the panorama was magnificent. It was time to head back to Ghent, but I’d had a fabulous day and will definitely be adding Brussels to the list of cities I’d like to see more of!
