If you want to know the best things to do in Bruges, then this blog is for you. Bruges is in the West Flanders region of Belgium. The town dates back to Roman times, but most of what you see now is a beautifully preserved medieval city dating back to the 13th century.
Bruges has always been popular with tourists, it became even more so after the off-beat movie “In Bruges” – which is one of our favourites.
In this post we’re counting down our top 10 things to do in Bruges. From canal boats to cathedrals, the best food and drinks, we will cover it all.
Keep reading until the end for a bonus attraction that might just surprise you.
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When is the best time to visit Bruges?
As with most of northern Europe, the most popular months to visit Bruges are July and August. Even though this is the height of summer, the weather can still be cool and rain is not uncommon.
High summer is also peak tourist season, so if you’d rather avoid the crowds, September and October or even May and June are also good months to go to Bruges.
Bruges has a beautiful Christmas Market during December, so some visitors like to visit the town then.
How many days do you need in Bruges?
We visited Bruges as part of our European Road Trip, and spent three days in the town. Most blogs focus on what to see on a day trip to Bruges, but to really do the town justice, we recommend spending a couple of nights there.
Best things to do in Bruges
Let the countdown begin!
10. Wander around the Old City
The entire city centre of Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for it’s historical significance. You can wander cobble-stone streets, and marvel at the beautiful medieval buildings, churches and canals. It’s easy to see why Bruges is often called the “Venice of the North”.
The oval shaped city centre is surrounded by a moat, and within the moat you’ll find all of the city’s main attractions.
Being a small city, walking is the perfect way to get around, and there’s another beautiful scene around every corner. We suggest taking some time to wander down some smaller streets, you never know what you’ll find.
If you like the idea of a guided walking tour, check out this tour which includes a Canal Boat Cruise at the end.
TIP: We recommend wearing good walking shoes, or at least runners or trainers – not only because you’ll be racking up the step count, but also because the cobblestones can be somewhat uneven.
9. Windmills of Bruges
There were once 25 windmills around the outskirts of Bruges, but now only 4 remain. We visited the Sint Janshuismolen, which is still operating as a flour mill!
You can climb the very steep stairs (more of a ladder really) to go inside the mill. There you’ll see the operation of this 18th century flour mill. This is the only windmill you can see inside.
It costs 5 € to go inside the windmill. If you’re staying at Camping Memling and walking into town you will see the windmills on your way.
8. Canal Boat Cruise
One of the best ways check out all the things to see in Bruges is on a canal boat cruise. Cruising the canals of Bruges gives you a different persective than walking – not to mention it’s a good rest for your feet!
There are 5 companies operating 30 minute cruises on the canals of Bruges. Private boats are not allowed on the canals, and as each company is only allowed 4 boats, there will only ever be 20 boats on the canals at any time.
Each company cruises the same route – the main difference is some have live commentary, and some recorded. We went with a company with recorded commentary, in Flemish (the local language), French and English.
An adult ticket costs 15 €. It’s not possible to book in advance (unless you book a walking tour/canal boat ride combo – which is only a few Euros more). We did the boat cruise on a sunny day in July, and only needed to wait about 10 minutes for our boat.
TIP: Try to sit on the RIGHT hand side of the boat. Our captain was careless and drove too close to another boat, meaning we got saturated when splashed – not great for our camera equipment!
7. Market Square (Markt)
The Markt (Market) Square is the main square of Bruges. This square dates back to the 10th century, and is the commercial heart of Bruges. The square is dominated by the Belfry, and you’ll find many historic buildings with their stepped gables.
The Tourist Information office is located here, as is the Historium, an interesting interactive museum telling the history of Bruges. Apparently the VR experience here is really good too.
You can catch a horse-drawn buggy ride here, for 70 €, or, sit at one of the many cafes and restaurants, have a beer and watch the world go by.
6. Minnewater Park and the Lake of Love
The Lake of Love is one of the most photographed spots in Bruges, with the beautiful lake and the gatehouse of a long gone castle. Apparently you’re supposed to kiss your lover here.
You will need to be patient to get your photos here. We arrived just after a busload of tourists – but at least they didn’t stay long.
For us, a big part of the attraction of Minnewater was the walk to get there. We walked through a quaint square with cafes, through the grounds of the Church of our Lady, across the skinniest bridge (St Boniface Bridge) and past green spaces with ducks and swans.
5. Church of the Holy Blood
This church is right in the middle of Burg Square, seemingly attached to the Town Hall. The church was elevated to Basilica (Cathedral) in 1923, due to the veneration of the holy relic housed here.
This relic is a vial containing a piece of material stained with the blood of Jesus Christ, which was collected by Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion and brought back to Bruges by Thierry of Alsace in the 12th century.
Entry to the church is free, and there are some incredible works of art inside. There is also a small museum which houses more beautiful artworks and costs 5€ .
The “Veneration of the Holy Blood” is held every afternoon from 2pm to 4pm. We happened upon the veneration purely by accident, and found ourselves at the beginning of the line.
To participate you walk up the stairs, bow your head and say a prayer at the vial, give an offering (a 1€ coin is sufficient) and the monk will bless you and give you a little pamphlet. This is a holy pilgrimage for Catholics, but even to us agnostics it was a very special, spiritual experience.
4. The Food of Bruges
Belgium is famous for it’s chocolate, waffles and friet (hot chips, or French fries). You’ll find dozens of beautiful chocolate stores in the centre of the old town, and you can visit the Chocolate Museum and even do a Chocolate making workshop if you wish.
If all the walking around Bruges has made you hungry, grab a waffle! I can definitely recommend the House of Waffles (right next to the Torture Museum). I had strawberries and chocolate sauce, and it was delicious!
You can also do a Waffle Making and Beer Tasting experience!
Bruges Friet Museum:
Did you know that the Belgians invented chips (French fries)? I wonder why they’re called French fries, not Belgian… anyways. Friet (chips) are usually served in a cone, with a big dollop of mayonnaise on them, and a little wooden fork to eat them. I always ask for them without the mayo!
The Bruges Friet Museum costs 11 € for adults, and a leisurely visit will take less than an hour. You can learn about the history of the humble potato here, how they originally came from Peru and were brought to Europe. You’ll also learn how the Belgians “invented” Chips or French Fries.
The best part? You can eat some chips at the end of your visit (not included in the entrance fee).
While the chips at the Friet museum were good, the best chips we had in Bruges were at the Frit Bar. The chips there are REALLY good – and their selection of beers is incredible.
3. Michelangelo Sculpture at the Church of our Lady
The Church of our Lady (Onze Lieve fraue kerk) dates back to the 13th century. The church houses some incredible art, the tomb of the last Duke of Burgundy, and is most well known for a Madonna and Child sculpture by Michelangelo. This was one of Michelangelo’s only works to leave Italy during his lifetime.
Legend has it that the sculpture needs to stay in the cathedral in Bruges, however, it was taken by Napoleon during his reign, and returned after the battle of waterloo.
During WW2, the Nazis took the sculpture. They took many other priceless works of art from all over Europe for Hitler’s proposed Fuhrer Museum.
A group of soldiers and art historians found the sculpture in a salt mine in Austria after the war and eventually returned it to Bruges. The George Cloney film “The Monuments Men” tells this story.
The church is free to enter, but to actually see the Michelangelo sculpture, you’ll need to pay 8 € to go into the section that has all the beautiful art. Skip the line and book your ticket online.
2. The Belfry of Bruges
The Belfry (or Bell Tower) of Bruges is in Markt Square. The tower stands 83m tall and dominates the city skyline. The Belfry was built in the 13th century and once housed the city treasury.
You can climb the 366 steps to the top of the tower for fantastic views over the city and to see (and hear) the bells up close. The steps are winding and get narrower as you get closer to the top.
When you are almost at the top, you can see the carillion drum, which plays the 47 bells. Make sure you spend a bit of time at the top, the views are amazing, and hearing the bells from up here is a great experience. The bells chime every 15 minutes, with a “tune” played on the hour.
You’ll no doubt have heard the bells as you wander around town, and seeing and hearing them up close just competes the experience.
It costs 15 € to climb the tower, and they only let a certain number of people in at once. You can book a slot online, buy from a ticket machine at ground level, or you can buy from the booth at the start of the climb.
You’ll find self-serve (free) lockers here also, as you can’t take bags, tripods or selfie sticks up the tower.
1. Drink Beer!
If you know anything about us, you probably won’t be surprised to hear our number one thing to do in Belgium is drink Beer! Belgium has over 300 breweries, and many different types of beer.
Each beer has its own different shaped glass. Here in Bruges there are THREE Beer Museums! Oh and BEWARE – the beers here can be very strong!
The Beer Wall houses an exhibition of all the different beers in Belgium. There’s a shop here, where we purchased some great beer glasses for around 6 € each, and of course there’s a bar. The terrace here is a beautiful place to sit with a drink, and how’s Nigel’s glass?
Bruge Beer Museum
The Bier Museum houses the Bruges Beer Experience, which is an interactive museum, telling the story of the history of beer. Did you know originally it was either monks in the monasteries or women at home who brewed beer?
You can touch and feel the ingredients of the beer, and smell the different aromatic herbs that go into beer to give it different flavours.
There’s also a section that has a TV showing different beer commercials from around the world, this was our favourite part of the museum. Well, except for the beer at the end!
There were around 15 beers on tap that we could taste at the end, so we chose three each (small glasses!!). Nigel preferred the darker (stronger) beers, whereas I liked the Witt (wheat) beer and the fruity ones.
The beer museum costs 11 € for adults.
Our favourite bar in Bruges was de Garre – which is hidden down a little alleyway just off the main square. Once you find yourself inside, make sure to try the Tripel van de Garre, their signature beer – it’s delicious!
This bar has 140 different beers on their menu! Imagine having to remember all the different glasses for those beers.
11. The Bruges Torture Museum
We promised you a BONUS – and here it is, the Bruges Torture Museum. Housed in the cities oldest prison, right in the heart of town, is this gruesome museum, with wax figures and authentic torture instruments.
Nigel loves this stuff, but it’s not my cup of tea, so he went in alone. The Torture Museum costs 8 € for adults.
Don’t miss the chastity belts and anti-masturbation devices for men!
The Ultimate Bruges Travel Guide – Getting to Bruges
By Air
The closest international airport to Bruges is Oostend-Brugge which is 37km from the city. There are also airports close by at Brussels and Antwerp.
By Train
Bruges is serviced by train and the station is located at the southern edge of the old city. You can walk to the centre of town in around 20 minutes.
By Road
The European Road system is very extensive, and there are main highways leading to Bruges from all directions. At the time of writing (August 2024), there is no LEZ (Low Emission Zone) in Bruges.
Bruges City Guide – Where to stay in Bruges
If you are travelling without a car, staying in the old city town centre will be easy. You can check availability and pricing for Bruges hotels on booking.com
If, like us, you are travelling with a campervan, motorhome or caravan, we can recommend the Memling Campsite, which is a 30 minute walk from the old town. This modern campsite has grassy pitches, and all the facilities you would expect, including toilets and showers, electric hook-ups and grey/black water disposal.
We paid 37 € for a small powered site during high season. An uber back to the campsite from the centre of town at night cost us 14 €.
Watch our Bruges Travel Film
Each week, we produce Travel Films on our YouTube channel. Head on over and check it out:
FAQs
Is Bruges a walkable city?
Bruges is a small compact city that is perfect for walking. If you’re coming to Bruges on a day trip from neighbouring Brussels, Antwerp or Ghent, you can walk to the centre of town in around 20 minutes.
There are many pedestrian streets in the centre of Bruges. You’ll want to wear good walking shoes though, as most of the streets are cobble-stones.
Is Bruges English friendly?
We would never assume that people in Europe speak English. However, as Bruges is frequented by tourists, we found that English was widely spoken. In many of the tourist places we were spoken to in English right away.
The local language spoken in Bruges is Flemish, which is similar to Dutch. At the very least, we always try to say “Hello” and “Thank you” in the local language when we travel. In Flemish, hello is simply “Hello”, and to thank someone you can say “Dank U”, “Bedannkt” or “Dank je wel”
What currency do they use in Bruges?
All of Belgium, including Bruges, uses the Euro ( € ).
Can you visit Bruges in a day?
If you’re wondering is Bruges worth a day trip? The answer is definitely yes. As Bruges is a compact city it’s possible to spend one day in Bruges and see all the major sights.
Where to next?
You can sign up to our Newsletter to keep up to date with where we are in the world. Check back as we publish more European Road Trip travel guides coming soon!
Nigel and Sue thankyou so much! We have been watching your weekly YouTube from traveling Australia and most recently Europe. We are amazed with what the world has to offer. Wishing we had more flexibility for us to enjoy too. We visited Europe 2018 for 3 weeks and 2023 for 2 months. Hoping next time is much longer. Wishing you both a safe and fulfilling journey, look forward to your updates. Thankyou David and Melissa
Hi David and Melissa, thanks so much for dropping by. We appreciate you watching our videos and taking the time to reach out and let us know you’re enjoying them. There really is SOOOO much to see in Europe! Hope you enjoy the upcoming content too.
Nigel and Sue
Hi guys!
l absolutely love watching your videos from downunder!
I was looking forward to the day when l can do the big lap around OZ in my Sprinter. However, after watching your europe videos, I’m starting to think l should do europe instead. The only draw back is l will be doing it solo! I would love to know your thoughts on vanlife for a 60+ solo female is doable? I would probably prefer to purchase a van in England and travel the countryside before travelling through the EU.
Anyway, l’m so excited for your next video in England and beyond!
I follow a lot of channels in OZ but l only just found your channel and l’m so glad l did!
Safe travels ???
Bec
thanks Bec! It’s a tough decision. I definitely think Van Life is possible (and popular) for solo ladies 50+ , you might feel more comfortable starting out in Australia until you get used to it – I know I feel more comfortable being on my own in the UK because of all the time I spent in Australia. Just a thought! Hope you continue enjoying the show.