GO ADVICE:A group trip to Bruges, finding accommodation in Altea and flying a child to Spain – JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Visiting Bruges
We are three friends in our early sixties, who would like to visit Bruges. Any suggestions on three- to four-star hotels, places to visit and eateries would be welcome. Flying Ryanair seems to be our best option as Aer Lingus goes to Brussels. CMC, Clare
Either airport in Belgium will work for your trip as the most convenient transport is via the Midi train station in Brussels. Ryanair has a coach from Charleroi and there is a train from Brussels airport to the city rail station. See b-rail.be.
Bruges is a small medieval city with easily accessible sights. The most iconic building is the Belfry on Market Square, and as you say you are active, climbing the 366 steps to the top of the tower should pose no hindrance. There you can enjoy views of the city, a Unesco World Heritage site.
Bruges is famous for its canals and you can take a boat tour for about €7. If you like art, there are some significant collections. The Church of our Lady is the home of Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, also known as the Bruges Madonna.The collection also includes works by Magritte, van Eyck and Bosch. The Groeninge Museum's star item is Last Judgementby Hieronymus Bosch. It also has a good collection of Renaissance, Flemish and Baroque paintings.
If you love chips, you may enjoy the Frietmuseum, where you will discover that Belgium is the home of French fries. Try some mussels and chips there too, the favourite Belgian meal.
When it comes to food, Bruges has a surprising number of Michelin-starred restaurants and these two do lunch menus for about €35: Sans Cravate at 159 Langestraat, sanscravate.be and Den Gouden Harynck at 25 Groeninge, goudenharynck.be.
Chocolate lovers will enjoy De Medici Sorbetière, an art nouveau coffee house where you can enjoy real Belgian hot chocolate and pastries. They also do lunch. See demedici.be.
For accommodation the following hotels are all in €80-€120 range and centrally located. The Bryghia Hotel is on a quiet street, but close to the historic centre, bryghiahotel.be. The Jan Brito is a 16th-century building that has been preserved (janbrito.com) and I would also suggest the Hotel Fevery, but as it is very popular you have to book months in advance, hotelfevery.be.
Where exactly to go in Altea?
Kitty Holland wrote recently about how much she loved Altea in Costa Blanca. There have been a number of questions from readers looking for ideas of where to find accommodation and how to get there. They range from couples to families and a large family group.
Alicante is the nearest airport and you can get there from almost every airport in Ireland except Shannon, with Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Easyjet and Jet2. If not driving, you can take the bus from Alicante airport to the city and then the Alsa bus, alsa.es to Altea, for about €10.
There is a good selection of hotels. The Hotel Altaya is right in front of the beach and has double rooms in high season for €90-€140 per night, hotelaltaya.es. Pierre et Vacances have taken over the Altea Hills resort this year and have one-bedroom apartments from €1,200 in high season and considerably less at other times, pierreetvacances.com.
There is a big variety of self-catering accommodation in Altea. Holiday-rentals.com lists more than 200 properties. These are all mainly rentals directly from owners. Some are in resorts and others are stylish villas with their own pools. There is also a small selection on Holidaylettings.com and on booking.com, the highest rated apartments are Apartmentos Belvedere, about 3km from Altea and near a beach.
Kent via Belfast
I see Flybe is now flying from Manston airport in Kent to Belfast City airport. This is brilliant for seeing the new Turner Centre in Margate and also for Canterbury, the wonderful cathedral city, and for ferry access to France. Is there a direct bus or train service from Dublin to Belfast City airport? How long does it take to drive and how much are airport parking charges?
CH, Dublin
There is no direct bus from Dublin to George Best Belfast City Airport. Bus Éireann and Translink operate services between the two cities with buses at least every hour and it takes about two-and-a-half hours. You then take a city bus to the airport. The rail service between the cities is good. There are buses from the bus station to the airport.
There is parking at Belfast City airport and the best value is online. The new M1 has reduced driving time and Dublin to Belfast is a comfortable two hours.
Flying a child to Spain
My daughter who is 12 has been invited to join friends on a holiday to Spain. They are flying with Ryanair and we tried to add her to the booking but there is no facility on the “manage booking” area to do this. What can I do?
KC, Dublin
Children under 16 cannot travel unaccompanied and nor can you check in a child under 16. Ryanair said you will have to make the booking for an adult and then telephone the call centre on 0818 303030 with her reference number, and the reference number and details of the friends’ travel. They will then add her to that booking.
Go ask Joan: E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com
