Best of Bruges
Bruges is a Flemish city in Belgium and the capital of West Flanders. The city was settled back in 9th century by the Vikings. The name itself is believed to trace back to “Brygga”, which is an old Scandinavian word for harbor. The city is positioned on Zwin river and quickly became an important trading connection between Brugges and the North Sea, which is what brought in the wealth. Large part of their trade included their famous flemish cloths, which were produces in nearby cities (including Ghent). By the 14th century the city was a very international and bustling trading place where you could find almost anything.
The wealth of the city started to decline as a much bigger port opened up in Antwerp and the cloth industry started to decline. Although they still continued to build and expand in the new style of the architecture and the art schools still produced wonderful works, the city kept losing power. By 1800s it was the poorest city in Belgium. This was the case for some time and only turned around in the 20th century with the rise of tourism and today the city is bustling once again.
Located quite centrally in Western Europe, Bruges can be easily reached in just under an hour via a train from Brussels. The train typically departs every half hour or so and is an easy addition to your plan. If you are traveling from the UK, you can switch directly from your Eurostar train to the local one for Bruges in the same station.
Once in Bruges, the city center you can reach the center by walking a bit (if you’re up for it, or if the weather permits it) or by taking the bus or taxi. Taxis and bus stations are right in front of the main entrance to the station, so you wouldn’t have much trouble finding it. Most taxi drivers prefer cash payments, so I would confirm this before going on the ride if you do not have euros on hand.
Personally, I typically take the taxi to my hotel to drop bags and then wander outside to walk around and get snacks or lunch (time of day depending). My favorite thing to do here in general is wander the streets. If it is your first time here or if you have not been in a while, the very center is a great place to start. To start, a wander over to Brugge Markt - the market square - typically gives you a good idea of distances and city layout, not to mention gets the big sights checked off your list quickly and puts you close to most restaurants.
Brugge Markt has held a weekly market there since 985. Head there on a Wednesday if you want to see the actual market.
Few things to do in this square:
Climb the Belfry of Bruges tower
Admire the Bruges City Hall
4. Have a coffee in one of the cafes in the square and people watch
3. Check out the Beer Museum (more detail on this further in the post)
After seeing the key sights, I typically wander out further away from the center.
For a great walk, I highly recommend the Windmill Walk in the North-East of the city.
Also, all of the small, very picturesque streets on the way there and back make for a great stroll along the canals.
The streets of Bruges are in their own right a must see sight
the “Food & Drink”
portion of your Bruges visit
The Chocolate
It is not news that Belgium is essentially THE place for chocolate. I am happy to report this is very much true. Belgian affair with chocolate goes back to the 19th century, when the shipped cocoa in from their newly acquired colony - Congo. Then ever since Belgium invented in 1912, the news spread across the world and placed Belgium very much at the top of the chocolate world.
This is my favorite shop in Bruges. Everything from décor, to being able to see the chocolates being made right in front of you to the actual selection is great. You can really tell that chocolate is their passion here, and they try to give the traditional industry a boost with the different look and feel… and taste. Every piece of chocolate here is an incredibly fresh, delicious work of art. One of my favorite things about this shop is the sugar to cocoa balance and the extensive array of creative flavors. Do not give this a miss.
The place that invented the praline – need I say more? Well, I will anyway: the company dates back to 1857 when a Swiss immigrant by the name of Jean Neuhaus set up shop in central Brussels. Fast-forward to 1912 and his Nobel Peace Prize-worthy grandson Jean Neuhaus II invents the much beloved praline.
Today this shop sports high end chocolates and is certainly not going to disappoint. One of my other favorites, even if it is not immediately from Bruges.
This shop started out just outside of Bruges in 1992 by Stephan Dumon. Stephan was a Chef du Chocolatier and quickly gained praise in the space. TO mee the high demand, he started to sell chocolates part time out of his garage. Shortly after getting this business up and running, his mother set up another spot in central Bruges. This was just the beginning as they continues to expand to other locations and set up various shops.
The below two spots are great options to either buy chocolates or sit down for a coffee and a snack and have a break from wandering around:
Another fun thing about walking around and seeing all of the chocolate shops is that almost every store will have some taster they hand out to their potential customers. This ends up leaving you full of chocolate by the time you’re done going to all of the stores! Also, I was very pleasantly surprised at the prices of the chocolates. The chocolates here are a fraction of what they would cost you most anywhere else, given you are aiming for the same quality.
Cuberdon
So chocolate is everywhere, sure. However, you will also notice these colorful, cone-shaped guys all over the place. These sweets are known as Coberdons (or in the french areas chapeau-de-curé or chapeau-de-prêtre). They are a sweet that is said to originate from Ghent and were originally created by accident. It is said that a pharmacist De Vynck got the idea for the treat when he found a batch of old medical syrup that has hardened on the outside but remained gooey within sometime around 1873. He then proceeded to open up a candy shop in Ghent to sell these treats.
Thus unsurprisingly, cuberdons have a thin hard(dish) shell and a soft, oozy center. The traditional flavor is dubbed as “raspberry”, but it really is a flavor more specific to the treat than the fruit. Also people had quite a bit of time to get creative about this and you will notice that the limit to flavors now is really just your imagination.
The Beer
Of course the other big thing Belgium is notoriously famous for is beer. Belgian brews are famously of a sweeter taste and have higher alcohol content. Here, they also take the glassware they serve beer in very seriously and each type of beer has its own specific glass that is aimed to best bring out the smells and flavor profiles of the drink. There are currently over 200 active breweries in Belgium currently, three of them in Bruges:
1. Bourgogne des Flandres Brewery
3. Bacchus Cornelius Beer and Jenever House
My favorite is Halve Mann brewery. I would skip the tour, unless you haven’t ever done one, and go straight for the cozy couches by the wood fire on the main floor of the bar and enjoy a nice glass of their brew.
The most popular local brew is Brugse Zot, and this you will see on tap mostly anywhere in town. They have several different varieties, and all are very nice so it makes for an easy choice if you’re stumped with the options.
For extensive beer knowledge and a fun self-guided experience I would head over to the Bruges Beer Experience. This place is right by the main Market Square and has both a museum and a bar that overlooks the square itself.
The museum is extensive and has arguably more beer knowledge and history than one can consume in a reasonable amount of time for a single visit. You are able to buy a tasting flight along with your ticket as you come in.
While I would recommend this, it is easy to just do a tasting flight and pay for it once you’re done with the museum visit (as the exit is through the bar).
If you want to sample a large variety of brews, this place has many Belgian beers on tap and the staff will gladly pick some out for you, if the menu starts to intimidate.
The waffle
Of course these are notorious as well. As you wander the streets you will constantly smell these delicious treats being made. This makes for a very welcome snack on a cold and rainy day (which are not uncommon in winter and autumn seasons in Belgium). Waffles have widely become a thing since 1958, when they were showcased widely at an Expo in Brussels.
Typically they are sweet and largely have way too many toppings. You will have trouble missing these on your walks, even with your eyes closed.
THE RESTAURANTS
for a small town bruges has an overwhelming amount of great restaurants:
Some of my favorites are:
Bistro Zwart Huis - For great live jazz and a good meal
Parkrestaurant - For an incredible tasting menu and a high end meal
De Stove - For a great Belgian meal
Pro Deo - For a more relaxed, delicious meal
Bistro Bruut - For a high-end meal in a cozy setting
Belgian Pigeon House - For a cozy, mid-range meal
Ellis Burger - For an amazing burger at lunch
Keep in mind that during high season reservations are absolutely essential.
The Cusine
The Ellis Burger
In the winter, basically all restaurants will serve a large array of soups and stews as a main.
Pork slow-cooked in cherry beer. On the side are potatoes and a poached pear. Delicious meal courtesy of De Stove.
Of course some of the most famous savory classics for Belgium are Moules Frites (mussels and fries, pictured above) and Steak Tartare (raw beef, seasoned with various spices, pictured on the right).
Unfortunately they tend to not serve Steak Tartare during the winter months.
All in all, Bruges is a great spot to walk around, shop for chocolate and have some delicious food. I would recommend getting lost within the city and just seeing where the picturesque streets take you. If the weather permits it, consider taking a boat tour to get a different view of the town. A few other things worth seeing:
