Arriving in Bruges is like stepping into a fairy tale. Whether you’re keen to follow the well-beaten tourist trail, or getting lost in these chocolate-box streets, Belgium’s cutest city is best explored on foot.
Try to visit Bruges in Fall; you can dodge the Christmas crowds but the air is crisp and dry and you can delight in all the warming mulled wines. As soon as you arrive, you’re greeted by the clip-clopping of horse-drawn carts and the smell of freshly made waffles drizzled with melted, luxury chocolate.
The pace of the city is slow, a crawl, a meander, a stroll. No one is in a rush. Nothing seems urgent. And even the locals seem happy about wiling away the hours sipping beers, eating bar nibbles and wandering the winding streets in the chilly weather.
Bruges is compact and the perfect weekender size. Two days and you’ll see everything the guidebooks say is important; three days and you’ll start to feel at home and find little treasure troves dotted and hidden in its canal-carved streets.
But the bars and beer sampling can be distracting; Bruges is home to over 40,000 different types of beer after all. No one would blame you for settling down in one of the hundreds of cosy bars and pubs (of which we have whittled them down in a mini guide to Bruges’ best pubs here!) and losing an afternoon to beer-tasting.
To help you see the fairytale sights, without missing out on any of Bruges’ finest liquid exports, we have a ‘must see’ list. Tick this off, and you can spend the rest of the weekend sitting by open fires and fine tuning your ale and beer senses!
1. Belfry (Belfort) Tower and Markt Square
This is probably one of the most iconic buildings in Bruges, known best for its chilling scene in the movie In Bruges.
But thankfully, on a sunny day, it’s not as eerie as the screenplay. The UNESCO World Heritage site is carefully monitored, so only 70 people are allowed within the tower at the same time, so do expect some queues. Take your time climbing the 366 (extremely steep at times!) steps to the bell tower at the very top and enjoy 360 panoramic views. For the whole weekend we were there, we couldn’t tell when or how regularly the bells chimed, but listen out for some old nursery rhymes and melodies of your youth. We remembered hearing Édith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose ringing out on Monday morning!
2. Take a canal tour
Get to know the city the same way hundreds of swans and ducks do – by water! We were told that usually the tours only run in the spring/summer months, but if you catch the weather on a good day, canal tour operators might welcome you aboard. It was more than a little chilly gliding along the canals, taking the views from a completely different angle, but well worth the €9. Remember to wrap up warm if you are taking to the water in the autumnal months, our ears were icicles by the end of the 30 minute tour!
3. Take a photo by Rozehoedkaai
This little corner of Bruges captures everything magical about the city. The canal curves to show off a weeping willow tree covered in giant baubled fairy lights. The Belfry Tower just peeks out above the tiled rooftops and swans call it home.
Visit it regularly, take many photos as you’ll see something different every time you walk past.
4. Visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood
Not as gruesome as it sounds, this hidden church is just off Markt Square and for the modest price of €2, you can see the relic of the Holy Blood which claims to be the preserved blood of Jesus Christ. The vial is no bigger than a test tube, and is constantly looked over by a member of the church (just in case anyone was particularly keen on taking it home as a souvenir). It’s a 10 minute tourist pitstop, but how often can you say you saw Jesus’ blood?
5. The Bruges Beer Museum
A beer museum…It makes for a great last stop, right? But don’t get swept away with the free beer just yet – yes there is free beer at the end! Your €13 ticket gets you entry into the museum and three free glasses of beer in the lofty bar once you’ve finished the tour. The museum is really interactive – you use an iPad and earphones to navigate the path, scanning barcodes of the topics you want to know more about. The second floor is particularly interesting as it has a whole section dedicated to Belgium’s Trappist beer history. It might make ordering your first beer at the bar that bit easier! Cheers!
For more info on beer tasting and where to eat in Bruges, read my post on the best places to eat and drink in the city!
Nicole Canning is a freelance travel writer and co-founder of TheTwoScoops.com, where she shares her latest travel plans, hacks and country guides for the time-restricted traveler.