This Bruges Travel Guide guides you through a picturesque town on the west coast of Belgium. The guide gives you a photo impression and tells you where to go in Bruges, recommends the best bars and restaurants and great hotels and accommodations to stay in this wonderful and charming Belgian city. Be warned: Belgium is famous for its speciality beers, and as I love them, many places focus on beer!
Bruges is pretty easy to reach from multiple destinations. If you are flying into Brussels Airport (Zaventem), you can hop on a train and be in Bruges. This will take you approximately 1,5 hours. If you want, you can easily combine your visit with Genth or visit the Belgian coastline.
If you are visiting from Amsterdam (or come from Rotterdam), you can also book an international train and hop off in either Brussels to take the train to Bruges or get off in Antwerp to take a train to Genth and change to your final connection to Bruges.
Alternatively, you can visit Bruges on a day trip from Brussels (including a visit to Ghent) or Amsterdam
The ‘Grote Markt’ or Market Square is the heart of Bruges and therefore the perfect start for this Bruges Travel Guide. The square is surrounded by the typical cute houses and almost everywhere you go, you have to pass the main square. Go early as it gets busy. I would also recommend it when it is dark for contrasting pictures.
Bruges is full of canals, that can’t be missed. If you want to navigate to some of the photogenic canal spots in Bruges, these are the places you have to check out for some Instagram-worthy shots.
Photo 1: Apartment Het Blekershuys will guide you to the famous view of the canals in the front and the tower in the back.
Photo 2: Jan van Eyckplein to photograph in the other direction.
Photo 3: Dijver, walk along the Dijver and end at the Rozenhoedkaai.
Photo 4: Rozenhoedkaai, where the touring boats come and go.
It is also possible to do a boat tour on the canals including a small walking tour
For the full Belgian experience you can join a chocolate workshop including some Belgian beers
Amazing coffee to wake up in the morning and a perfect place for a small breakfast or bite! Order a croissant with it and you are good to go. The cakes are amazing too.
‘Patatje Stoofvlees’ is a speciality in Belgium. We got it here, in a snack bar kind of restaurant, and it was great! Combine it with a Brugse Zot and your Belgian experience is complete.
We were craving some cheese fondue and Pietje-Pek is the perfect bistro to go for that. The place didn’t disappoint. It might be wise to make a reservation to secure your place.
This bar might be the most famous in Bruges and for a reason. It has 3 different floors, with a small staircase. You have to try the ‘Garre’ Triple beer. They are famous for this delicious beer. Also, this is the place where they served Stille Nacht, one of my favourite beers of all time.
A very cute bar, with nice beers on the bottle. Don’t forget to check out ‘t Brugs Beertje 2, which you can find walking through the backdoor of the bar.
With a ceiling covered with roses, this bar has an interesting, but beautiful, entourage.
A complete beer cave/basement. Different beers from the tap, with a more nightlife vibe. A perfect place to end your night and tour of bars with this Bruges travel guide.
Hotel van Cleef might be the most luxury hotel in Bruges. Expect amazing suites, a jacuzzi and a central location. The hotel has a boutique style and the interior is stunning! You pay approximately €350 a night.
We stayed in Golden Tulip – Hotel De’ Medici with a discount voucher. It is slightly outside the main canals, but within a 15 minute walk you are at the main Market Square. We can recommend the hotel, but it is sligthly outdated. Nevertheless, it offers decent value for money with rooms starting at €150 per night.
Located at a perfect location, next to the Begijnhof and Halve Maan Brewery, you will find Dukes’ Academie Brugge. A pretty hotel with a stylish lobby and decent rooms. The hotel is fully renovated in Febuary 2023. Rooms start at €170 a night.
Unfortunately, Bruges does not offer many budget hotels. For a hostel bed, you will pay close to 40 euros. Therefore, I would recommend The White Queen B&B, where rooms start at €100 a night. All rooms have private bathrooms and are nicely decorated.