As the real beautiful attraction of Belgium – to my opinion – Bruges is a delicious small town only 1 and 1/2 hour far from Bruxelles. Its canals, bridges, parks, windmills, and alleys will make you fall in love.
When to go to Bruges
In my opinion, the best time of the year to visit Bruges is from April to early September. August would be the high season and the flux of tourists would be even more chaotic. We visited in April and it was perfect. Many tourists but still manageable and the weather was warm enough.
10 Things to Do in Bruges and itinerary
Ready to discover this beautiful Belgian gem?
#1 Start your tour at the Markt
The main square in Bruges, yet not the most popular attraction when thinking of this beautiful small town. The Markt is the old market square, the centre of the city.
Overlooking the square is the Belfort: if you have time to climb the 300+ steps, climb up to admire the city from above.
#2 Enjoy the quiet of the northern area
Before heading to the most popular area of Bruges, take some time to go north, and visit this very quiet neighborhood.
- Jan Van Eyck Square;
- Spiegelrei, Gouden-Handrei, Langerei, Sint-Annarei;
- Sint-Janshuismolen, to admire one of the few left windmills;
- Kruispoort gate, to imagine how the old walls looked like in the past.
#3 Visit Burg Square and surrounding sites
Once back from the windmills area, reach Burg Square via Groenerei. Here, at 2 PM take some time to visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood, for which maybe you will have to queue a little. However, the visit to this church – almost invisible from the square – is worth it, as you get to see up close the relic made of a phial containing Christ’s blood.
#4 Have a blast at the most popular crossing on the canals
It’s time to enjoy maybe the most popular view of Bruges. Be ready as there will be many people trying to take the perfect shot of this picturesque corner.
From Burg Square, reach the Fish Market Vismarkt and then head to Huidenvettersplein. Follow the flow and you will get to crossroads between Huidenvettersplein and Braambergstraat. Enjoy!
Side note: this view is also very nice at night when most of the tourists are gone and the canals are illuminated in a magical way!
#5 Explore wonderful views between churches and canals
Done with photo shooting? If yes, move forward and go south via Rozenhoedkaai and Dijver. Sites to visit here:
- Groeninge Museum
- Arentshof, a nice small park with a view of Bonifacius Bridge;
- Church of Our Lady Bruges, to admire the statue of Madonna and Child by Michelangelo;
- Sint-Salvatorskathedraal;
- Site Oud Sint-Jan and Sint-Janshospitaal.
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