2 hours from dunkirk

[IamtheDevilsAvocado]

We need to be travelling to South Germany on Wed as an elderly relative is unwell.

We'll be arriving in Dunkirk 9pm local time--which town is a good way to overnight on our way, within about 2 hrs drive please?

Aalst is about 90 mins away, and it might take you 30 mins to get off the ferry, so it fits well with your 2-hour drive time.

There is a clean and reasonably-priced Ibis Hotel just off the motorway.

Just a thought - although you are arriving fairly late in the evening, it might be worth driving an extra hour in order to get around Brussels before stopping (if taking that route), as the Brussels ring road can be a nightmare during the morning rush hour.

For alternative routes, see the Via Michelin route planner.

I’d get as close to Germany as possible then stop. Get up refreshed ready for the autobahn blast.

Thanks for answers so far!

Continuing the theme of driving a bit further and getting past Brussels and into Germany, my next tip would be Aachen in Germany, which is about 3 hours from Dunkirk. You might also want to keep an eye on the latest Corona situation in Belgium, which might impose lockdown soon but which will usually allow you to transit through the country without stopping.

There is an Ibis Budget hotel (Aachen Nord - not the one in the city centre) just off the A4 motorway, which is clean and convenient and fine for the 6-7 hours you'll be there. There is also a discount petrol station just opposite so you can tank up at 'off-Autobahn' prices.

Campanile at laon

Surely Aachen is a bit more than 3 hours? It used to take me about 2.5-3 hours to get off the ferry and then to my home to the SE of Brussels depending on the E40 and the Ring, and whilst I don't drive as fast as the Belgians, I am not slow. Both roads can be very busy, and the Ring isn't just a nightmare, it's a fucking nightmare and a dance with death all rolled into one. I fully expected to die in a welter of gore and crushed metal on the Ring. Lord knows how I survived driving on it in the 13 years we were there.

The motorway around Leuven can be slow as well.

Keep an eye on the Flanders Today website which has lots of infor in English about the current COVID situation. We moved back last year and we have friends and my db there as well. Cases are up, but they are not shutting borders yet.

I used to reckon just over 3 hours for Dunkirk to Aachen - stopping at the Ibis next to the autobahn as above, so not driving into any towns - as long as I was not hitting Brussels at peak time. Otherwise add another 30-45 minutes. I also used to book speedy boarding/disembarking on the Dover-Dunkirk ferry in order to be one of the first off.

The OP is arriving in Dunkirk at 21.00 so hopefully the Ring is not too busy tomorrow night after 22.00.

That depends if the road works have started on the Ring yet.

These are ongoing www.europe.easybranches.com/belgium/2294704 but Kraainem and WO are Junction 2 on the Ring.However, when works were done around Junction 1 at Tervuren, everything was backed all the way up to the canal crossing coming down to the junction for Machelen.

The Brussels Ring road is just like the M25 around London. Hit it at the right time and it's a 70 mph breeze. Hit it in rush-hour and it becomes a frustrating crawl. Then there is the ongoing problem of roadworks and the frequent broken-down lorry or two...

@thegcatsmother As you appear to be more local than anyone else on the thread, do you have a suggestion for an overnight stop somewhere between Brussels and Aachen?

I've used the Ibis at Liege when travelling from Dunkirk to Saarbrücken. It's just over 2 hours from Dunkirk OP so a great stop off to avoid the Brussels morning (or tea time) traffic, which as others have pointed out, is truly horrific!

The M25 is an oasis of civilised driving compared to the Ring. Dh used the Ring twice a day to get to work, and even driving back from Dunkirk on a Sunday night it was full and busy as the Belgians were coming back to Brussels after a weekend at the coast. It quietens down in August.

I'm back in Cornwall for good now, so longer local.

The IBIS Leuven Herverlee looks about right.

There's an IBIS at Liege or one at Maasmechelen, depending which route you are taking. It can be slow going down there though. Dh flew from Bitburg, and it could take him three hours to get down there from our house near Bertem.

I don't know what speed you lot are driving to get to Liege from Dunkirk in 2 hours. I always allowed three hours from Junction 1 on the Ring to the ferry port at Dunkirk, and the only time I've done it in two was the day of the bombings at the airport when the Ring was totally clear.

@thegcatsmother no you're absolutely correct 🤦‍♀️. I had Brussels in my head when typing...it's another 40 minutes or so from Brussels 👍 It's still a good place to stop off though and closer than Aachen OP.

Thanks all!