36 Hours in Bruges

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September 25, 2017

On our way from sightseeing around the Netherlands to Brussels we decided to spend a night, 36 hours total, in Bruges. We had heard from many people, including reading about it, that Bruges was an idyllic must see, an adult disneyland, where romance runs wild along with good food, aromatic beer, romantic canal rides, and high prices.

We were told Bruges was like the Venice of Northern Europe and with names of places like Lovers Lake and Lovers Bridge, how could one resist?

So of course we had to spend a day there.

It’s nestled close to the Netherland/Belgium border and it’s easy to get to by train or car from Brussels or Amsterdam.

We booked a hotel at Hotel Loreto, right in the heart of the city. For a grand total of $107 USD through booking.com, which seemed to be a deal in Bruges. The hotel was quaint and basic and fit our needs perfectly.

We rolled into town late a night and enjoyed a late night dinner at Maria Van Bourgondie where we splurged on an expensive meal of steak, fries, wine and digestifs. They were able to accommodate Christian’s gluten allergy by replacing most sauces with tomato sauce.

We took a “tipsy” late night walk around the cobblestone streets which were practically empty at around 9pm and we enjoyed the crisp air and solitude.

In the morning we lazily got out of bed, checked out of the hotel, and enjoyed a gluten free brunch at Brunch & Books.

An eccentric, celiac friendly, brunch spot whose list of breakfast drinks include the likes of butterbeer and warm vanilla milk. We were in heaven. It’s small and intimate and the service was slow but friendly.

Later we found a canal ride for 8 euros on our was to the Markt Square which is the heart of the tourist area in Bruges.

Most canal tours run about 30 minutes and one can catch almost any cruise typically without a reservation. The one we chose left every 15 minutes (supposedly) however, they really leave when the boat is full. That means between 30 to 40 adults stuffed like Sardines together in a small boat with a rather entertaining guide.

Our boat included people from all over Europe and a rather large and rowdy group of older Spaniards who cheered every time they saw members of their group in another boat by us by (I am very much looking forward to Spain).

If you perfer a more intimate experience I’d recommend booking in advance for a private or smaller cruise. But for 8 euros I felt like we got plenty of laughs and some decent pictures with the Spainards in view.

After our tour we signed up for a free walking tour called Legends of Bruges Free Walking Tour. It’s lead by volunteers who are lovers of history and the city. Our guide, who had a very interesting name and is a historian, enthusiastically lead us around the old city telling us stories (true & tall) about the city he loved.

Some of the highlights were:

Learning about why the people of Bruges are called Fools.
Learning about the tragic story behind the Lake of Love.
Learning about that one time Winston Churchill was woke by a nun in the garden of the Begijnhof after a night of too much beer.
Learning about the reason Bruges has hundreds of swans.
Learning about why Bruges was preserves as it is; seemingly untouched since the occupation of Maximillian in the 1400s . Hint: People were too poor to upgrade, according to our guide – but boy did it lead to some magic for tourists in the 2000’s.

It was actually a very entertaining free walking tour, the added twists of legends made it different from other walking tours we’ve taken in other countries. If we had more time or another night we would have taken their free brewery tour which ends with a free beer.

Afterwards the tour we indulged our senses with Belgium Chocolate and a huge Belgium Waffle (and shamefully fires) at Chips and Ice.

We concluded our tour with a purchase of the local beer and a bottle of french wine for my friends in Brussels before we hit the road.

I would have loved to stay a few more days in Bruges.

It really is beautiful and has a lot to offer in sites, food, relaxation, and of course beer. Perhaps in the future my husband and I will return for a three day trip. Three days seems like an appropriate amount of time for Bruges.

While we didn’t get a chance to do everything Bruges has to offer I would recommend checking out some of the other sites if you happen to get a chance to visit.

Other Options for Longer Trips in Bruge