belgium
When in Amsterdam, day trip to next-door neighbor Belgium. We chose to go to the city of Antwerpen, with its close proximity to Amsterdam. (What really sealed the deal in selecting Antwerpen is that the city is home to the best chocolate-making workshop! More on that below :))
I’m positive Belgium is much more than its world-renowned waffles, fries and chocolate, but since I only had a day, I had to get these bases covered.
KNOW BEFORE YOU Go
If you’re coming from the US, you WILL need a universal power adapter. Belgium uses the European-style of outlet plugs.
No visitors Visa necessary (if trip under 90 days)
Belgium is on the € euro
Flemish Dutch, followed by Flemish French are the major languages
Most locals can speak very good English
ATM’s in Antwerpen are really hard to find on the street, ask a local to point you to one
getting there
FlixBus
Single-decker on the way to Antwerpen from Amsterdam
FlixBus is a cheap was to travel through Europe. ($32 for 2 roundtrip, I pre-booked online). Small luggages are totally welcome on board for no additional fee, and the buses have outlet plugs, AC and the seats are more comfortable than airplane seating, that’s for sure. Bring food on board, anything you like.
Since I drink water like a desert camel, my biggest concern was the bathroom issue. Rest assured - there is one, whether you’re on a single or double-decker bus. It reminded me of bathrooms on small catamarans (things can get slightly rocky) but as long as there’s a place to empty my bladder, I have no complaints.
Book tickets in advance so you get your preferred departure times and duration options (some come with more stops and longer travel times).
Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure time. They boarded people early both ways on our trip to and from Antwerpen. (Also a good idea if you didn’t pay for assigned seating).
start here
The iconic Grote Markt square
Grote Markt
The central historic square begs an obligatory visit - if you only have a day like we did, it’s best to use this as a starting point and walk everywhere! It was about a 20 minute brisk walk from the FlixBus station in Koningin Astridplein. From the square, you’ll discover chocolate shops, waffle shops, frittarr shops, cafes, bars serving Beligan beer and all your quintessential Belgian indulgences.
food to try
Because all of it is mandatory.
Per recommendation by our lovely chocolate-making workshop host, we tried Creme de la Creme (in the Grote Markt square). Order at the window and enjoy on their outdoor seating options. We were in Belgium on a Sunday when many of the waffle places are closed, so we were lucky Creme de la Creme was open for us.
Lots of topping options to choose from, we chose cream and chocolate (fruits are great but didn’t want to make it soggy). The waffle itself was the perfect texture - crispy, fluff and chewy all at the same time. Good thing they don’t have those on every corner here in LA, I’d be in trouble.
Belgian Chocolate
As explained to us by our chocolate making workshop host, Belgian chocolate is the highest quality, being that the portion of the cacao butter that makes up the chocolate is pure cacao butter, whereas non-Belgian chocolate can use vegetable oils as fillers to reduce the cost.
Frituur
Fries in Belgium are called frituur and you will see little shops everywhere. There’s an array of sauces to choose from - one of my Belgium-obsessed friends highly recommends joppiesaus (yoppy sauce) which tastes a bit like curry. You are guaranteed to run into a fry shack when strolling the streets of Antwerpen.
Wow, super glad we found this! If you’re a Greek food fan, you will not want to miss this. Really close to the Grote Markt square, we just happened to luckily stumble across this restaurant as we were looking for an ATM. The gyro meat was perfectly seasoned and just the right amount of crispy. Huge portions too! We had leftovers.
Chocalicious Chocolate-Making Workshop
Hosted by the fantastic Carolien Krijnen, it was by fate and good timing that we were able to participate! Chocalicious usually holds corporate and large group workshops, so we lucked out that we just happened to be traveling during the third Sunday of the month, when Carolien opens up workshop spots to singles, couples and small groups.
The reputation of Belgian chocolate has made its way around the world, including my faraway homeland of Hawai’i. (My mom and I are two chocolate freaks who, growing up, avidly frequented an ice cream shop and chocolate shop, both serving Belgian chocolate-dipped cones and Belgian chocolates, respectively).
It was just as much fun to make chocolate as it is to eat it, so how amazing that we did both at the same time! This is one of the most fun, unique experiences that I wish I could gift to my family back home, and another reason why it’s such a privilege to travel the world.
In our two hour workshop, we made chocolate lollipops using lollipop molds, chocolate dipped oreos, chocolate krispies, and got to take creative license in decoration and embellishments. We learned a lot, tried our delicious handiwork, took tea and coffee breaks and got to take our chocolates home as gifts to ourselves!
I would love to go back and do it again, same format and all.
IF WE HAD MORE TIME
Given more time I would have loved to visit:
Have you been to Belgium before? Which cities would you recommend visiting?
