Day-trips in Europe

How to save money and see more.

In the United States, we have taken many weekend trips to nearby cities. And it is fun to simply do something different in Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, or the beach at Gulf Shores.

Interesting day trips were less plentiful after living in one place for many years. It was still fun to go see some waterfalls or browse the Space Center, but not even close to life as a nomad.

Nomadic Day-trips are different

Regardless of where we are in the world, including the US, if we are staying in a city that we have not lived in before, it is all new. But that “new home” is also a “new hub.”

From our previous life in the Southeastern United States, we had a set of options less than a day away.

In Europe, you can choose where to go based on this type of convenience.

European Hubs

If you want to combine the cost benefits of slow-travel (lower cost long term accomodations) and the number of cities you can see with fast-travel, pick a hub location.

We are currently spending four weeks in Antwerp, Belgium which is only 1 to 2 hour by train from several cities in Belgium, Netherlands, and even Eastern France.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, which of course is not celebrated in Europe, we decided to take two day-trips, staring with Ghent, Belgium.

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent is a peaceful place with beautiful buildings and calm canals winding through the city. As a university town, it is full of youthful energy and cafés that are reasonably priced. The squares, castle, churches, and cobbled streets are both beautiful and peaceful. Busy but not too crowded. The balance was perfect.

They were setting up for the Christmas Markets, but we're a week too early for their opening. The cost was around $45 for two round-trip any-time train tickets for the 1 hour train ride. We prefer the open-time round trips, so we can hop on any train leaving in the evening when we are ready to go.

Brussles, Belguim

We took one day of rest on Friday, and then went to the capital Brussles on Saturday. We wanted to see the capital, but our date selection was due to the Christmas markets opening Friday, the day before.

The buildings were bigger, the parks vast, and the crowds were insane (at least in some areas, which I will explain).

There are some large government buildings and museums with intricate gardens and sculpted bushes, and just across the wide street, a massive park that was full of overlapping parallel lines of trees and paths, monuments and gazebos, and even a nice outdoor food venue where we had a snack with some coffee.

All of these areas had friends and families enjoying the spaces, but they did not feel crowded, just active and alive.

But as we made our way toward the city center and the main square, the crowd quickly became oppressive. It reminded me of a slightly less severe Trastevarie in Rome at New Year’s day.

That said, the buildings in the square are amazing, ornate, and on every side! The tree was huge, and colored lights were actively changing on all of the buildings surrounding us.

And on the hour, there was a light show with music that was projected on all of the surrounding buildings, and it was spectacular.

And it was just $20 for two round trip train tickets for a 1 hour train ride.

What did we learn?

We learned that Ghent is a place we love, and would consider for a long-term stay in the future. It checks the same boxes that Antwerp checks, and we love Antwerp.

And we might visit Brussles again to see more of the city, but we do not plan on a long-stay there. Much of the charm we felt in the smaller cities gets lost in the dense crowds and scope of the large, capital city. I still can recommend a visit.

Recently in Lille, France we spent a one night stay in Paris, because we can't afford a long-term stay in Paris, but we want to see it.

Conclusion

If you are considering nomadic life, and looking at options like slow-travel versus fast-travel, I propose a healthy salad of the two together.

Day-trips are the inexpensive secret to fight long-stay boredom, and expand on seeing more of every region than just your “home city.” If you have a favorite European hub, feel free to share in the comments.

Until next time, happy travels!