Belgium for a night - Bruges or the Coast?

[ifeellikeanidiot]

We're going to a Dutch Centreparc during May half term and are going to break up the outwards journey with a night in Belgium. Our dc are 12 and 10.

Was thinking of stopping on the coast but Google maps doesn't make it look too inspiring. The alternatives would have been Antwerp/Ghent but our car is diesel so we can't get a pass into their LEZs. Bruges doesn't have an LEZ, but I'm guessing it will be crazy busy which I'm worried would be really annoying.

Any advice? TIA

We did same and stopped in Bruges. It's a lovely place to visit. V pretty and small enough to see in one night. Just check local festivals as it was busy when we went due to that. (Also May half term but dates aren't always the same)

It was the festival of the holy blood but it's 21st May this year. I just checked so you should be fine.

Blankenberg or DeHaan are both nice.

We had a night in Ghent last year and drove into the centre with our diesel car. We had a LEZ. Bruges is lovely but I actually preferred Ghent. A lot quieter, less touristy and very easy to navigate.

I really like the Belgian coast. We stayed in a lovely B&B in De Haan a few years ago and the beaches, promenade and restaurants are lovely. With two DCs I'd also recommend Ostend. The promenade runs for miles and you can hire bikes / quad bikes to cycle up and down. The beach and pier are great and there's an old sailing boat that you can explore. Every summer they have the most amazing sandcastle exhibition which is worth a visit.

There's also a nice castle near Veurne if you wanted to stop a couple of times and Veurne itself is a lovely little town for lunch. Which CP are you staying at?

Ghent is lovely, I much prefer it to Bruges. I don't know whether you can get an exemption to the LEZ by buying a pass but there are park and ride options. Bruges is nice too, don't get me wrong, just found Ghent less Disney.