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Your guide in visiting Bruges, Belgium

How to get to Bruges?
What to do and see in Bruges?
Where to stay in Bruges?
Where to eat in Bruges?

Bruges is often refer to as the Venice of the north. It is not difficult to understand why once you’ve roam the small historic city center which is also a World Heritage Site of UNESCO. Bruges is located in the northwest of Belgium.

HOW TO GET TO BRUGES

The easiest way to get to Bruges is by train from Brussels. If you are connecting anywhere from Europe, you will need to change to a local train at Brussels Midi/Zuid station. The main train station in Brussels. From Brussels, it takes an hour on the train to Bruges. Depending on the season, this route can be very busy and the train can get very full which often means you may need to stand in the train cabin without a seat. The Belgian train operator is SNCB. You can check the schedule and purchase electronic train tickets on their website. http://www.belgianrail.be The Bruges train station is a short taxi ride into the historic center.

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN BRUGES

Once you enter into the historic center, it maybe one of the most intact medieval town you will ever visit. The historic center is very small and can be managed by foot very easily. A good place to start will be at the Markt or the Market Square where beautiful medieval buildings and monuments surrounds the square. The Belfry of Bruges, a medieval bell tower at one end of the square is the most prominent. You can also take a horse carriage ride which will take you across the historic center. The ride starts from the Markt. Another popular attraction is the Basilica of the Holy Blood which is across from the Belfry.

Probably the most popular attraction in Bruges is the canal boat tour. The Bruges canals are not in the scale of Venice or Amsterdam but the small and quaint canals is just as picturesque. The boat can only hold maybe no more than thirty people so it is quite small and fits the locale very well. There is only one canal boat tour operator and you will see many places where you can take the tour. You cannot miss it as you often see line ups which quickly dissolves as the tours are quite frequent. I took my tour from the most picturesque corner in the city called Rozenhoedkaai which is actually where two canal meets and the name of the road by the junction. Most photos taken from Bruges is at this place.

Many people will make a day trip to Bruges from Brussels which is easily accomplished but to truly experience the atmosphere, you will have to stay overnight. When most of the day-trippers leave and the monuments lit up at night, Bruges truly becomes magical.

Roaming around the streets of historic center is an experience in itself. I’ve used these two maps during my visit and they have been great. The Bruge official tourism site contains many useful information and have their own walking maps as well.

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/week-end-in-bruges/map

https://bezoekers.brugge.be/onfoot

WHERE TO EAT IN BRUGES

I had lunch at the Restaurant Pergola which have a fantastic patio by the canal. I’ve dined at Restaurant Kardinaalshof and had one of the best meal anywhere in the world; however, the restaurant has closed down already which is very unfortunate. Assiette Blanche and Gouden Harynck seems to be good choices as well.

WHERE TO STAY IN BRUGES

I’ve stayed at the Hotel de Orangerie which is a lovely boutique hotel by the canal stone throw away from the Rozenhordkaai junction. You can see my review of the hotel on Tripadvisor here. There are a number of B&B in Bruge as well which may be a good choice if they are not already fully booked.