Top things to do on a Bruges city break

A short trip across the English Channel, Bruges is a popular weekend destination from the UK. For lovers of beautiful architecture and continental beers, the city’s narrow streets are the place to be. The cobbled streets are lined with beautiful bars and restaurants, surrounded by historic buildings and a network of canals. Add on a number of attractions in the city centre, and you’ll find there’s more than enough to keep you occupied on a Bruges city break.

We visited Bruges for two nights and three days. Just over forty eight hours to take in as much of the city as we could. My thorough research consisted of watching the movie IN BRUGES – a deliciously dark comedy which is well worth watching before you visit the city. It gave me a great insight into Bruges, as well as giving me a few locations that I wanted to search out and find. In hindsight, we probably would have stayed for three nights, as we weren’t quite ready to leave and there was still more to do, but I guess that means a return visit is always a possibility.

Top things to do on a Bruges city break

Bruges’ architecture is stunning, no doubt about it. You could spend all day wandering around taking it all in, and you still wouldn’t tire of it. The same can be said for the beer and food options, which plays a big part of the charm and culture of the city. In addition to this there are a number of attractions and landmarks to explore on a Bruges city break, including but not limited to our favourites below.

Climb the Belfort in Grote Markt

The BELFORT towers above the central Grote Markt, standing at an impressive 83 metres tall. This medieval bell tower dates back to around the year 1240 but the octagonal section at the top was added between 1483 and 1487. A popular tourist attraction, visitors can climb to the top using a narrow spiral staircase of 366 steps, which gets narrower and steeper the further you go up. There are a few passing points along the way but they are fairly rare towards the top.

There are sections along the way where you can stop for a break with close up views of the Great Bell and the Drum Room. The perfect opportunity to get your breath back before continuing on. It is definitely worth the climb, and the viewing platform at top of the tower gives you great views of the city, albeit through netting.

The climb back down is far easier, you will be pleased to know. We visited on a Monday morning and there was no queue, whereas the weekend was much busier. Be sure to factor this in when considering those narrow staircase climbs, which would involve longer waiting times during busy periods.

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Take a brewery tour at the De Halve Maan Brewery

A family brewery in the centre of Bruges, the BROUWERIJ DE HALVE MAAN has been operating since 1856 and run by six generations of the Maes family. It is here that they brew Brugse Zot, a blond beer with the jester logo that you will see in most bars in the city. They also brew the stronger and darker Straffe Hendrik beer here too. It’s a must do attraction on any Bruges city break.

The brewery runs regular hours tours around the facility, but at weekends there is an ‘XL tour’, which is more in depth with a smaller group, with the option to taste a range of beers at the end (only one beer is included with the standard tour). An interesting, relaxed and informative tour, it is well worth a visit and gives you the opportunity to head to the roof of the brewery building for great views of the city. There are many sections of the building that are quite difficult to get around – steep, narrow steps and ladder sections – something to consider for people with mobility issues.

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Explore the Sint-Salvatorskathedraal

Bruges’ SAINT-SALVATOR CATHEDRAL is the oldest church in the city dating back to the 10th century. Originally a church it was not granted cathedral status until the 19th century, and following a fire which destroyed the roof in 1839, it was rebuilt along with a new 99 metre high West Tower, to give the building a more cathedral-style look.

The interior of the cathedral is possibly one of the most beautiful I have seen. The jaw dropping scale of the stained glass windows alongside the ornate details around the ceilings and the organ. It was gorgeous.

 

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Head to the Chocolate Museum

You are not going to visit Belgium on a Bruges city break without eating some chocolate. Every few steps you take around the city, you are likely to stumble upon yet another chocolate shop. But that’s okay, because chocolate is good. Especially Belgian chocolate. Most chocolate shops featured some impressive and artistic displays of their wares in their window, and the aromas emanating from them were definitely enticing. There were generally tasters available too.

One of the more popular in the city was THE CHOCOLATE LINE on Simon Stevinplein. A fabulous and very busy store packed full of delicious looking chocolate treats, heading to the back of the store you could watch the skilled chocolatiers creating their amazing works of art.

It’s not all about eating chocolate though. To learn about chocolate, we headed to CHOCO STORY – THE CHOCOLATE MUSEUM. Here, we had the opportunity to learn about the history of the chocolate from its cocoa origins and how it is turned into the chocolate that we eat. The ticket price unsurprisingly includes a bar of chocolate that you can munch while making your way through the museum. There are various tasters along the way as well as an interactive section where you can watch the chocolate being made (and given another sample).

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Visit the St. Jaanshospitaal museum

ST JOHN’S HOSPITAL is one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe. It now houses the Hospitaalmuseum, which explores the history of the hospital with a collection of objects and documents. The old chapel section of the building features a collection of works by Hans Memling. It’s a stunning space to wander and admire, although there was an exhibition running currently which wasn’t really to my taste. The building interior itself is worth the visit alone.

There is a beautiful courtyard behind the main building which leads to the old pharmacy (included in the ticket price) and offers some fantastic views of the exterior of the hospital buildings.

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See the awe inspiring Basilica of the Holy Blood

Located in the corner of Burg Square is the BASILICA OF THE HOLY BLOOD. The ornate facade leads to a staircase that heads to two chapels, the lower of which maintains the original romanesque style, whereas the upper chapel was rebuilt in the 16th century in the Gothic style we can see today. The level of detail in here is almost too much to take in.

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Eat a Belgian Waffle on a Bruges city break

You can’t get away from waffles of the Belgian variety here, so you just need to jump in and have one. Down every street there are cafes advertising their wonderful waffles. Kiosks selling waffles. Shops selling waffles on sticks.

Despite being full to the brim of Belgian chocolate, we had to find time for another sugary treat. We aimed to head to the renowned ‘Lizzie’s Wafles’ on Sint-Jakobsstraat for a waffley treat, but given the popularity of Lizzie and her wonderful waffles there was a constant queue outside the door, which permanently had a sign saying ‘full’. Fine Lizzie, we’ll get to you next time.

Wandering the streets on a late afternoon we found a quirky little cafe called DELICIOUS which had a giant waffle hanging above the doorway and it didn’t have a sign on the door saying ‘full’ so in we went. Delicious isn’t your traditional Belgian eatery but rather a kitsch little cafe, which had hundreds of napkins pinned to the walls, with little notes from visitors from around the world.

Being a simple man, I opted for the plain old sugared Belgian Waffle and a coffee as I was somewhat chocolated out by that point. It was, as the sign above the door said, Delicious.

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Admire the Church of Our Lady Bruges

Directly across the from St. John’s Hospital on Mariastraat stands the CHURCH OF OUR LADY BRUGES, or the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk as it is known in Dutch. The church’s tower is the tallest structure in the city at 115 metres high. The exterior of the church is impressive from all angles, and although it’s interior is impressive, it doesn’t quite compare to the Saint-Salvator Cathedral. It’s a dominating building that can be seen from many spots in the city, and exploring the rear of the building leads to the spectacular Bonifacious Bridge.

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Get familiar with Belgian Beer

Sampling Belgian Beer, it’s unlikely to be a singular event. Belgians are very proud of their beers, and in most cafes and restaurants the beer menu is larger than the food menu. Belgian beer can also be surprisingly strong. Ranging from about 5% to 11% abv, you need to be fairly careful when perusing their novel-sized menus. If you order a stronger beer, you won’t necessarily taste the difference and stronger beers are just as smooth and easy to drink as the weaker ones. you’ll probably realise once you try to stand up after a few.

One thing that’s a definite is that they taste great. And whichever beer you order, you are likely to be served it in the branded glass for that beer. This became something of a challenge to me. It wasn’t just about sampling a variety of beers, it was about sampling them from many different styles of glass and proudly taking photos of each one!

The medieval city is full of little bars and cafes, so there is no shortage of places to have a quick drink stop on a Bruges city break. There are a few special places that stand out.

‘t BRUGS BEERTJE is a lovely little bar with two cosy rooms. The beer menu has a selection of about 300 Belgian beers – don’t try and get through the whole of this!

2BE BAR, aka THE BEER WALL is a really popular bar with a wide range of draught beers and a large outdoor terrace area. The menus hang from the ceiling on elastic and have a huge range of drinks. The Beer Wall outside of the bar is something of a tourist attraction in itself. I’m not entirely sure how many photos I walked through on the way to the bar, but it was several! There is also a great shop here selling all the beer and chocolate that you could ever need.

DE REPUBLIEK is a vibrant cafe bar that is open late into the night (and responsible for a few of those beer photos above)! Friendly staff and a really great vibe, it’s definitely somewhere to visit for a few drinks and the food also looked great.

THE BOTTLE SHOP is another stopping point if you are a fan of the beer. Selling a wide selection of Belgian beers, as well as the branded glasses, it’s definitely worth calling into.

CAFFE VLISSINGHE is the oldest continuously running cafe in Bruges and dates back to 1515. It’s a traditional style bar in a single room with a lovely old fireplace and a great atmosphere.

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Wander around Minnewaterpark

For some calming green space, MINNEWATERPARK is located to the south of the city centre. A lovely park with pathways meandering through beautiful flowerbeds set next to the Minnewater Lake (Lake of Love). There are a number of cafes and restaurants, and it’s a wonderful spot for an afternoon stroll.  A cobbled bridge crosses the lake to a tall watchtower that’s very photogenic.

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Eating Belgian Food on a Bruges city break

The Belgians certainly like their food. If you get past the chocolate and the waffles, there is still plenty on offer. Why not try Frites (fries, chips) with mayonnaise from one of the (overpriced) kiosks on the Grote Markt. I must admit I’m not really sure on the appeal of this, it’s just chips and mayo, but some tourists were lapping it up. Nothing like a selfie with some Frites in front of the Belfort to bump up the Instagram likes, I guess.

Alternatively, in nicer restaurant surroundings, moules-frites were a popular choice for patrons. I opted for a Flemish stew as one of my meals and it was a deliciously hearty meal for chilly January evening. Our evening restaurant choices were a big hit. We asked the hotel receptionist for some recommendations, and being super friendly and helpful they came up with half a dozen options and marked them all on a map for us. One thing I haven’t mentioned yet – I don’t think I have been to a city where service staff are so consistently helpful and friendly. It was a breath of fresh air.

Restaurant recommendations

The first choice was directly opposite our hotel – a lovely little restaurant called DILIGENCE. A small room with a large curved bar and tables packed in fairly tightly, there was a real buzz to the place. Fans of the movie IN BRUGES may recognise the interior of this restaurant from one of the scenes in the movie – there is a link to it on their website!

Our second choice of restaurant was also a hit. We had pre-booked the night before, given its seemingly huge popularity and it was a good thing we did. BIERBRASSERIE CAMBRINUS was a busy vibrant bar and restaurant with an even more extensive beer menu than ‘t Brugs Beertje, at approximately 400 different beers. The food menu was also extensive, after much deliberation I opted for a steak that was pretty impressive. We had heard good things about many other restaurants in the city, but as usual, time was against us so there are plenty of options for next time.

TAKE A SELF GUIDED BRUGES WALKING TOUR TO SEE THE BEST SCENERY

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One Bruges city break probably won’t be enough

There’s so much more to do on a Bruges city break. What about the Beer Museum, I hear you ask? I know, I know. It was on our list, but having had a few tipples at the brewery, we decided against a visit on our one full day otherwise we wouldn’t have made it out for dinner.

But what about the Boat Trips on the canals? Well, we did intend to do one of these but given that it was a very busy weekend, there were long queues for the boats. They seemed crammed full of people – more people that I would have wanted to be in very close contact with on a wobbly little vessel for 30 minutes. Again, next time maybe.

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GETTING TO BRUGES

Bruges is easily accessible from the UK by train. Travelling by EUROSTAR from St. Pancras International in London, an ‘Any Belgium Station’ ticket will get you to Bruges. Changing at Brussels Midi/Zuid, you can take any train heading Bruges from there. Standard Premier ticket holders can travel first class on the connecting train. The journey from London to Bruges is about 3.5 hours including connections.

Bruges’ railway station is located on the edge of the city centre. Its only a short walk without a lot of luggage into the heart of the medieval city, but there are buses and taxi’s available at the station at a reasonable cost. Unless travelling further afield hire car is not necessary in Bruges, as the city is small enough to explore by foot.

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RELATED CONTENT

If your planning a Bruges city break,  or planning to visit other cities with a Flemish influence, the posts below may be of interest.

Stay at the GRAND HOTEL CASSELBERGH: A GREAT PLACE TO EXPLORE BRUGES

Looking to visit north east France? THINGS TO DO IN LILLE ON A WINTER WEEKEND BREAK

TRAVELLING BY EUROSTAR: TIPS TO UPGRADE AND ENHACE THE EXPERIENCE

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