Brugge Belgium: Everything You Need To Know For Your Trip

Brugge Belgium is like no place I have ever been to before. It’s quaint alleys mixed with medieval architecture to create an almost magical and fairytale-like town.

Despite it’s small size there’s more than enough to do here for a day or even three! With the amount of people that flock to see the fairytale town every year it can become quite overwhelming.

Here’s my ultimate guide to Bruges Belgium to get you started on the right track and not miss a thing!

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The Best Time To Visit Bruges?

Unfortunately, the romanticism of Bruges draws an obscene amount of tourists to the city every day. If you’re able to, the best time to travel there is during the offseason from October to May.  

But regardless matter when you travel during the year, try to avoid weekends at all costs!

It’s a very popular spot to enjoy a weekend getaway and locals from nearby towns will go for their weekly shopping. Needless to say, it can become very busy there on the weekend.

Vacations To Bruges: How Long To Spend In Brugge

Brugge Belgium is a very small town. That being said, there’s still quite a bit of things to do in Bruges. You can spend anywhere from one to three days in Brugge.

I was in Bruges for three days, but one was spent visiting the Belgian Coast. So I really only had two days in Brugge. But, I wouldn’t have been disappointed staying in Bruges for the day either – and in fact on a second trip to Belgium, I went back to Bruges and still discovered new things to do!

Even if you see all the tourist attractions, it’s just so peaceful and nice to walk around Brugge and let your mind wander. There’s really no shortage of quaint streets to discover!

Don’t Come To Bruges Without Cash

As a millennial, I’m not used to carrying around cash with me (my mother already gets mad at me for this). I’m so accustomed to being able to pay for everything with a debit or credit card… this is not the case in Bruges. 

Almost all restaurants and attractions were cash only. So, if you want to avoid taking out money from the ATM bring more cash with you than you normally do. 

*Update: Since I’ve visited cards are becoming more widely accepted in Brugge Belgium.

How To Get Around Bruges

Bruges is very small. It only takes about 45 minutes to walk from one end of the city to the other. So the mode of transportation is mainly walking, but you can also rent a bike.

Bike Rental shops are everywhere in the city. But if you’re willing to walk a bit further out of the historic centre of the city, you can get a better price. 

De Ketting (near Gentpoort) has daily bike rentals for the same price as an hour bike rental in the city. The only downside is that they’re closed on Sundays, and on Saturdays they’re only open in the morning until 12:15 (you can still drop off your bike rental later than in the day though).

The Top Places To See In Bruges Belgium

Bruges is filled with picture perfect spots, hidden gems, and historical landmarks. In order to see everything, and get a bit of information I highly recommend going on a walking tour.

We went on the free walking tour by Legends of Bruges during the day, but the same company also offers night time tours which sound very interesting.

Another way to see the city is to go on a canal boat ride. The boat tours are a great way to see the city from a different – unseen – vantage point, and get a little bit of information at the same time. The stands are located all throughout the city and it costs about 8€ a person. Watch out, these are cash only!

Market Place, The Belfry, & Burg Square

Within the city, you’ll want to make sure to stop at the Market Place (the Grote Markt) which is the central town square to see the colourful triangular rooftop homes and the Belfry across from them. You can go to the top of the Belfry for a spectacular view of Bruges.

Next to the Grote Markt is the Burg square. This square is interesting because you’ll noticed a variety of architectural styles from the Gothic to Renaissance to the Neo-Classicist.

Church of Our Lady & Bonnaficuious Bridge

The main attraction inside the Church of Our Lady is to see the Madonna Michelangelo sculpture. But, if you’re not interested in religious sculptures, you’ll want to visit to see the bridge behind the church, Bonifacius bridge.

This is the prettiest bridge in Bruges. It’s within a quiet park behind the church, very secluded and peaceful to visit.

Minnewater “Lake of Love” & Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde

This is undeniably the most romantic spot in Bruges. Minnewater – literally translating to the lake of love – is graced by elegant white swans all year round.

Across the bridge is the old Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde. Now it’s a convent for Benedictines, so it’s a place of silence. It’s a great place for you to peacefully walk through, sit for a bit, and gather your thoughts.

Must See Picture Perfect Spots In Brugge!

Rozenhoedkaai is the most photographed place in Bruges Belgium. Try to avoid this area during the day! It’s CROWDED! Instead, go here later during the evening which also makes for beautiful reflection on the water.

If you can’t stay too late, head there first thing in the morning before the tourists start to arrive. 

Not too far from Rozenhoedkaai is Gronerei bridge. From there you can see the Belfry above all the other buildings. 

Things To Do In Bruges Belgium

The Best Streets To Walk Down In Bruges

One of the quaint – quieter – streets that you can find yourself wandering down in Bruges is Gouden Handrei. 

If you’re looking for some antiques you’ll have to head to Langestraat. It’s a bit out of the touristy area so you’ll find more local shops. It’s also a great street to pick up a truly unique souvenir from Brugge Belgium.

Learn Some Belgian History At The Chocolate Story

Calling all chocolate lovers! The Chocolate Story is a neat museum that’s all about chocolate; taking you from harvesting the cocoa seeds, to when chocolate was first discovered in the modern world, to chocolate in Belgium today. 

They also offer a lot (like A LOT) of tasters along the way. Plus there’s a chocolate-making demonstration at the end- with even more freebies! (be sure to check the times).

Rent Bikes And See The Windmills In Brugge Belgium

The Ramparts is a 6 km park encircling old town that has old/ preserved windmills at Kruisvest. It used to be home to 23 windmills as part of the town wall in the 13th century, but now only four remain.

It’s nice to walk or bike along the path for a break from all the people in the city centre.

Where To Eat In Bruges?

Bruges had the best waffles we found in all of Belgium (we even made a trip specifically from Brussels for the Waffles!). I liked the ones best at Chez Albert, but The Waffle house was also quite satisfying!

Breakfast was hard for us to find because restaurants would only open at 10 am. We stumbled upon Brooks and Brunch and were even able to order some Brussels waffles to try here. You can also pick up some second hand books while you eat. 

For dinner, we found the restaurants can also be a bit pricy. In the end we found local find T’Risico. It’s outside the tourist centre but they have delicious traditional Belgian dishes to try (like the cheese croquettes and chicken stew). Just a heads up, if you want to eat here, they accept card but charge an extra 5% to use it. 

If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat in the city centre that’s very reasonable we loved eating at Bocca. It’s a simple takeaway pasta restaurant. 

Best Spots To Indulge In Belgian Beer?

The Beer Wall is a neat place to stop by to pick up a beer and sit outside along the canal. You’ll be able to find some unique beers here. They’re really known for having a giant wall with over a hundred beers matched with their glasses. But, considering it serves beer, it’s not open that late. It’s more of a tourist attraction than a pub, it’s also cash only.

Instead, for a more local experience, go to T’Poatersgat. You can’t say you’ve been to a hole in the wall until you’ve been here. It’s just an archway close to the floor with stairs leading underground. You’ll most likely walk by it trying to find it. It’s also cash only. 

Visit De Halve Maan Brewery

De Halve Maan Brewery translates to The Half Moon Brewery. And you pronounce it kind of like De Hall-of-a-man. I was talking about it to a local and they had no idea what I was talking about. I kept pronouncing it as it sounded in English – “De Hav Man”.

The brewery is conveniently located in the centre of town, and it offers tours (in English, French, and Dutch). It also has a restaurant to dine in or grab a drink along the canal.

Every tour also includes a free pint of their blonde beer in your ticket price to try. There’s also a great view of Bruges at the top of the brewery along the tour.

If you have more time and like beer, you can also visit Bourgogne des Flanders brewery nearby.

Brugge Belgium Hotels – Recommendations

When looking for Brugge Belgium hotels, I would recommend staying at a Bed & Breakfast, or at least a place that serves breakfast. Bruges is a very slow town, you’ll struggle to find a place that’s open for breakfast before 10:00 A.M. Especially if you are doing a day trip, it can be very difficult to get an early start.

As long as you stay in the historic centre in Brugge Belgium, nothing is ever too far. As I mentioned, it’s 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other in Bruges.

We stayed at B&B Huyze Weyne and would highly recommend it. It was centrally located and the owner was very helpful and friendly. She gave us tips for what to see and suggestions for restaurants. See room rates & availability here.

For an all around perfect stay, book the Hotel Adornes. Breakfast is included in your stay (with Gluten free options!) and even free bike rentals. Bikes are the perfect way to get around and explore Brugge! See room rates & availability here.

For a luxury stay, there’s no better place to stay than Hotel Van Cleef. Make sure to book a room with a canal view, but if you can’t they have a private terrace on the canal for guests to enjoy! See room rates & availability here.

For more accommodation options Brugge Belgium, click here.

Day Trips From Bruges

Vacations to Bruges is also great excuse to see different places in Belgium in the south. We didn’t have a chance to go, but Ypres is a very popular trip, especially for WWI buffs. There are several bus tours that are offered that leave from Bruges.

We opted for the picturesque Belgian coast instead, the fresh fish and ocean were a strong pull for us (because it’s less accessible from the other cities). But you can also easily visit Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels as well from here. 

Here’s a map view of all the locations mentioned.

But Is It Bruges Or Brugge Belgium??

You might have seen a few different ways to spell Bruges and are wondering which is the correct way. The answer is that Bruges and Brugge are both right. Bruges is the French spelling and Brugge is the Flemish spelling (FYI Belgium is a trilingual country with French, Flemish, and German speaking regions).

Brugge is in Flanders region, which is the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. So to stay true to the first language of the region, spell it like Brugge.

The only way you don’t want to spell it is with two Gs and an S (Brugges!)… that’s just wrong!

Do They Speak English In Brugge Belgium?

Although Brugge Belgium is quite a small town in, it is also quite touristy. You will have no problem getting around without knowing any Flemish.

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Last update on 2024-11-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API