Family Vacation Antwerp / Belgium IDEAS PLEASE

amother

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 6:02 pm

We are planning a summer vacation in Antwerp. WE have never been, and are coming from Israel. We are a family of yeshiva bachrim and one younger daughter. Ages 7-19.
Looking for low-cost and appropriate ( no beaches...). If you know the costs of your recommendations please post. Trying to geta ballpark figure of the cost of the vacation.
Like how much is the train from Belgium to Amsterdam?
We enjoy nature, interactive museums , parks, boating, sports. OPEN TO ALL IDEAS. thank you.

rainbow dash

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 8:18 pm

It's called stads park. First see if you can even come cause only people that are residents or have citizenship are allowed in at the moment. It might change by the time the summer comes around.

The zoo is amazing, so is the central station
Shopping on the meir, there might even be a ferris wheel next to the station in the summer and you can see the whole of Antwerp. In the summer there is always summer activities going on. If you want to you can go to Brussels,gent. Or even paris for a day. I did that when my brother came. Lot of restaurants. Just a few weeks ago we were finally allowed to eat in them. But like I said rules change every few weeks. There r websites that show,you what to do and where to go

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 3:15 am

rainbow dash wrote:

Can you send me a couple of links to these websites.
Someone told me that there is an individual who puts out a booklet of activities for frum families every summer. Anyone know how I can receive one? Or contact info for this person? And I heard the Aguda arranges trips for families? Anyone have info?

Chulent Park?

thank you

rainbow dash

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 3:18 am

LG wrote:

Ok I'll find out and pm you? Are you the op?

amother

DarkPurple

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 3:29 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I'm from Antwerp and honestly it's not the right place to go on vacation with yeshiva bachurim, I have bochurim too and we're looking to go away (still can't find anything available)

All the parks are jam packed and it's really not the place for bochurim to walk around

amother

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 4:02 am

amother [ DarkPurple ] wrote:

Hmm... I heard that about 1.5 hour south there are nature hikes and water. Would that work with bachurim? is it less crowded? And museums?

Mayflower

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 4:35 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Hmm... I heard that about 1.5 hour south there are nature hikes and water. Would that work with bachurim? is it less crowded? And museums?

I guess you mean the Ardennen. Yes, that's a good destination - a lot of families go there for the summer. But it's more than 1.5hr, at least 2 hrs. You would need a car to get there/to get around. You can find some more information on this website.

Museums: there's a nice science museum about 20 minutes from Antwerp. It's called Technopolis.

In Antwerp there's the Red Starline Museum which is quite interesting, and the MAS.

You can go to Brussels and visit the Atomium, just walk around the city, or go to .the Africa Museum, which is located in a beautiful park.

You do have to book your tickets in advance because of covid.

Amsterdam is just over an hour by train (if you take the fast Thalys train, which is more expensive but much more convenient). Tickets are about 40 EUR / person each way (which is about double the price of the slower train that takes 2 hours). If you do go to Amsterdam, there are tons of museums to visit (Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, NEMO, to name a few...).

Chickensoupprof

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 4:41 am

You also can go for a while to Knokke for a few days there is a Jewish hotel there IIRC. I would indeed see Brugge, Brussel and Gent by train (the trainstation is really beautiful. You can take the train to the NL and visit me! Tell me what you like and I make it for you, also you can take the train to Amsterdam ( few kosher restaurants only 4) but then you cannot visit me lol. Ehm... in Antwerp indeed the Zoo, there are nice Museums, a beautiful old city centre and walking next to the Schelde is really beautiful. It's IIRC 2 hours and 10 min by train to Amsterdam but then you need to change a lot the fast train will take 1 hour. To Nijmegen (where I live) is 2 hours but that's because you need to change (you are welcome look it up we live so beautiful here)

Must eats:

Hoffy's I got engaged there! And The brothers Hoffman are mamesh tzadikkim I love them. We once picked food there for shabbos and one brother Hoffman said to me in Yiddish: ''He doesn't speak Dutch yet?'' ''No'' ''You need to teach him, he doesn't like heimish food?'' ''Well he doesn't like this and that and such and so'' ''Hmm.... You need to learn how to cook sephardi for him'' so cute.

Blue Lagoon is a nice Chinese restaurant

Confetti nice milchig restaurant

If you believe in tzaddikim I've heard the Pshevorsker rebbe is a tzaddik you can visit his shtiebel in the Mercatorstraat (you as in your husband). My husband has davened there I asked if he could ask the gabbai for a brocha from the Rebbe but it never happened.

amother

Junglegreen

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 6:49 am

LG wrote:

Hi, there is indeed a "vacation brochure" with ideas that usually comes out sometime in the summer. I have found an old book and phone number, though not sure if its still in use. Would you like me to pm you?
Chulent park is stadspark, it has a playground and a small lake, I'm not sure why it got so famous:)
I haven't heard of Aguda organizing any day trips, I only know about day camp.

Oh and you can check belgiantrain.be for any information about trains. I believe there's a special pass for kids younger then 25, but I'm not sure.

blessedflower

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 8:05 am

Mini Europa is cool.

The nicest outing ever, we had, bokrijk. It's an outdoor museum. Like an super old village. You can walk around and see how people used to live, go to school, plant vegetables and spices. You can play there and see old bikes. Go around on a horseride and so much more. Really for old and young

Wed, Jun 23 2021, 8:41 am

amother [ DarkPurple ] wrote:

I appreciate your perspective. From the list and ideas given what would you say in terms of appropriateness? My bachurim are very frum ( much frummer than me) so I'm trying to be respectful and plan this trip with their sensitivities in mind otherwise they will pashut not join.